Raye Releases First Track From New EP
Emerging young Croydon star Raye today (Tuesday April 5th) releases the first track from her upcoming EP, ‘Distraction’.
Recently signed to Polydor Records, the upcoming hip hop flavoured, street EP gives a full flavour of Raye’s musical influences.
‘South London, I’m a South London girl’, Raye declares at the opening of this hauntingly soulful r’n’b track. Written by Raye with Fred Gibson, the song builds to an infectious chorus that more than hints at the great things to come from this very special artist.
She may only be 18 years old, but as a songwriter and collaborator Raye has already been making huge waves, working with the likes of Labrinth, Stormzy, Emeli Sande, Charli XCX, Illangelo, Wretch 32, Jimmy Napes, Two Inch Punch, MNEK and Alex Da Kid. This alongside co-writing Blonde’s recent Top 5 smash ‘All Cried Out’. A South London girl with big international prospects, Raye wants to “take over the world if I can. I’m young and I’ve been given a crazy opportunity and so I don’t see why not, if I work hard enough. I just want to give everything to my music, so it can stand next to the people I love, the music that inspires me every day.”
Raye uploaded her first EP, Welcome to the Winter, to Soundcloud last year, a brooding mix of deep electronica and Jazz Café attitude, all tightly bound to her clear eye for a gleaming pop hook, with the mid-paced kiss-off ‘Bet U Wish’ gaining 1.5million listens.
Raye has youth, talent, a cavalcade of amazing influences, peer group support and a dextrous songwriting talent on her side.
“As you’re developing as an artist”, she says, “you have to think what mark do I want to make? What story do I want to tell? What audience do I want to reach?” For Raye, there is only one answer to these issues. “I know that music for me is all about empowerment.”