On her twenty seventh birthday, Raye was sitting at house in South London when she realized her automotive had been stolen. Within the trunk had been the unique songbooks for her extremely acclaimed debut album, “My twenty first Century Blues.” The thief additionally left with Raye’s solely copy of the preliminary concepts and notes for 3 or 4 songs she had completed writing for her sophomore album.
A number of days later, Raye, who was surprisingly relaxed in regards to the incident, had a message for the thief: “Hold the automotive, however please burn the notebooks.”
“I had a number of good poems and titles and phrases and phrases,” she says now. “I used to be beginning to discover the thought of writing the lyrics to melodies. Melodies are an ample factor you may all the time play with, however the lyrics are completely different — they’re so essential.”
On “My twenty first Century Blues,” Raye confirmed the world what pop stardom can seem like when an artist beneficial properties complete possession of her imaginative and prescient. It got here collectively after Raye spent years co-writing hits for main stars — together with Beyoncé, Ellie Goulding, Charli XCX, John Legend and Rita Ora — however her personal recording profession was stymied by an unsupportive label that was primarily gatekeeping her profession, attempting to drive her into types of music she didn’t really feel.
Then in 2021, she acquired out of her deal and went unbiased, working with the Orchard’s Human ReSources to lastly launch her long-delayed debut, which has garnered her Grammy nominations for each greatest new artist and songwriter of the yr.
The expertise has reworked Raye into a number one advocate for songwriters, and her phrases and actions impressed Selection to honor her with the Hitmakers Triple Risk of the 12 months award (singer-songwriter-champion). After the entire challenges in her profession, she lastly acquired her flowers this yr in her house nation, successful six of the seven Brit Awards for which she was nominated, breaking a brand new document for an artist in a single yr and matching the profession totals of Michael Jackson, David Bowie and Oasis.
On the stage of the Brits, she used certainly one of her acceptance speeches to name out the high-powered folks within the room — which was crammed with label chiefs and different prime executives — to share master-recording earnings with songwriters. A number of folks concerned within the creation of songs obtain such percentages, referred to as “factors on the grasp,” together with artists, labels and producers — however not often songwriters.
“Music is likely one of the greatest and most current saving graces,” Raye says. “You’ll be able to revive a lifeless and depressing room with a music, and the folks creating these songs — the silent individuals who nobody is aware of about — should be protected. There are much less gatekeepers within the business now than ever, and I actually imagine that everybody concerned within the inventive strategy of singing ought to obtain a reward for that.”
Raye affords various options to the problem: “You’ll be able to grant them web royalty factors – no matter you’d spend on a music video, on advertising a music, on plugging it to radio; take all of that and provides it to everybody concerned in order that they get to eat and revenue from their work.”
Although Raye emphasizes the cash and manpower it takes to promote a document, “a songwriter’s due shouldn’t be on the desk,” she explains. “Royalty factors are so essential. It’s not simply possession over one thing you created and contributed to – it’s not cash up entrance, it’s cash if.”
Pivoting from the topic of issues being taken with out correct recompense (together with her automotive), Raye is optimistic about what’s subsequent.
“When life provides you lemons, you make lemonade,” she says. “Dropping and successful and attempting and failing solely to strive once more, it’s part of life. After which perhaps by a miracle, you get to succeed once in a while. I’ll relentlessly pursue creating music that I like. And now I get to go away for so long as I would like and write a second fucking album.”
