Raye on her uncompromising rise to stardom – interview

Rachel Keen, the award-winning British singer-songwriter now known as Raye, has fond memories of being 13. Specifically, songs she wrote then in her urgency to make music, the thrill of turning an inner monologue, brimming with emotion, into a melody. “I always had this thing of wanting to cram as many words into a short space, as small as possible, wanting to fill every [note] with a word, my melody being weird and complex,” she says, chuckling, in a recent Zoom interview.

Anyone who’s heard her viral 2025 track “Where Is My Husband!” would be able to identify those signifiers, clear as day, upon first listen. That firecracker of a song clocks in at three minutes and 17 seconds of exhilarating wordplay, with Raye’s breathless vocal acrobatics squeezing in verbose lines (the bridge about wanting a diamond ring has been looped endlessly on social media). “It’s so emotional, actually,” the singer, now 28, says of listening to her old demos again, pausing to collect herself. “Even when I look at ‘Where Is My Husband!,’ the bit that connected was this bit. It was so [reminiscent of] the writer I was when I was 13.”

“Giving myself permission to be in charge of my life, my decisions and my music has been so rewarding,” she says emphatically. “I’ve got to bet on myself, my tastes and the way I want to express myself, without compromise.” She points to her latest album, led by “Where Is My Husband!”, as proof of renewed faith in herself to perform under pressure as an artist, expectations running high following her successful debut, My 21st Century Blues. “It’s a pop song, it’s got a big round chorus, but it’s also to my rules. That’s what this album really has been. I’ve not allowed myself to simplify or dumb it down or make it less. I’ve not allowed myself to live by those rules enforced and taught in pop music.”

After the years spent not knowing when she might make it to the big league, this moment – and all it comes with – feels well deserved. “I was working like someone was chasing me,” says Raye, who believes only time, practice and patience could have prepared her to find still greater tenacity and confidence.

“The hours you put in are what you get out,” she muses. It’s strange to hear someone like Raye admit she was “never necessarily the best singer”, but the more she opens up about how much hard work has gone into refining her sound, the more you believe her. Every hour of training sounds audible in her voice now, as velvety smooth during this interview as it is belting out bold, brassy jazz standards on tour. “The singer I was on stage five, six years ago was nowhere near capable of the things I’m doing now.”

Speaking of stages, it’s worth noting that Raye has performed on some of the best and biggest the world has to offer, from Glastonbury’s Pyramid stage to the legendary lakeshore of the Montreux Jazz Festival, which has hosted rock bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, as well as jazz legends Miles Davis and Nina Simone. Every concert, big or small, is a reflection of her creative direction; every aspect of the orchestration, set list and set design an extension of the unwavering dedication that got her there.