Singer-songwriter RAYE has defied the conventional path to success - and after bagging herself a record-breaking six BRIT awards, she's well and truly made her mark on the music industry.
Nominated for artist of the year, album, song (twice, for both 'Prada' and 'Escapism'), new artist, pop act and R&B act at 2024's BRIT awards, RAYE made history by becoming the artist with the most nominations in a single year before the show had even started.
But as she took home the BRIT award for Mastercard's Album of the Year, RAYE's sixth win of the night saw her add even more records to her name. Having already picked up awards for Songwriter of the Year, Best R&B Act, Best Song, Best New Artist, and Artist of the Year, RAYE found herself breaking records as the artist with the most BRIT awards in a single year.
With six awards under her belt, the win saw her beat the likes of Harry Styles, Blur, and Adele, who all held the record of four wins in one year.
When accepting her final award of the night with her nan by her side, an emotional RAYE said, 'You just don't understand what this means to me. Is this happening right now?'
'I'm so proud of this album. I'm in love with music. All I ever wanted to be was an artist, and now I'm an artist with an Album of the Year.'
Earlier in the night, RAYE touched on being an independent artist when accepting her award for Best New Artist. She said, 'I released my first single when I was 16, but I do feel like a new artist. I got to star again. The artist I was three years ago would not believe the sight she's seeing today. I’m in control, I’m my own boss now’
It's been a journey for RAYE, who after years of being pigeon-holed as a dance track feature artist, ended her contract with her record label Polydor in July 2021 and became an independent artist.
After going viral on TikTok with 'Escapism' in 2022, she released her debut album My 21st Century Blues as an independent artist in February 2023 to critical acclaim. The R&B singer has since been shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, performed on the pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival, had her album peak at number two in the UK charts, and now made history with her BRIT record.
RAYE now has 34.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify, has written more than 125 songs, and 'Escapism' alone has been streamed more than 708 million times. She is a fully fledged artist in every sense of the word, and anyone who hasn't heard her name yet is bound to hear it soon.
Here's everything you need to know about the record-breaking singer, RAYE.
Who is RAYE? The singer who made BRITS history
RAYE, whose real name is Rachel Keen, is a singer, songwriter and producer from Tooting, South London. Before making it as a solo artist, she worked as a songwriter for several big names including Beyoncé, Little Mix, Rihanna, David Guetta, John Legend and Ellie Goulding.
She first rose to fame as a featured artist on Jonas Blue's 'By Your Side' and Jax Jones' 'You Don't Know Me'. After leaving her label in 2021, RAYE's 2022 single 'Escapism' (featuring 070 Shake) became her first song to peak at number one in the UK Singles Chart, as well as taking home the award for Best Song at this year's BRITs. It also reached the top ten in over 22 countries, and became her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.
RAYE's BRIT nominations
In February 2023, her debut album My 21st Century Blues was met with critical acclaim and has earned RAYE seven BRIT nominations. This is the most nominations for a single artist in BRITs history. The record was previously six and was jointly held by Robbie Williams (1999), Craig David (2001) and Gorillaz (2002).
For this year's BRITs, she is nominated for prizes including best new artist, artist of the year, best pop act, best R&B act, album of the year and she also has two entries in the song of the year category for 'Escapism' and 'Prada'.
How old is RAYE?
RAYE was born on 24 October 1997, making her 26 years old (and an ambitious and loyal Scorpio). Born to a Swiss-Ghanaian mother and an English father, shes's been active in the music industry since 2014. As a teenager, she even attended the infamous BRIT school - which was home to the likes of icons Amy Winehouse and Adele - before dropping out after two years because she felt 'confined'.
It all paid off in the end, with RAYE fast becoming one of Britain's biggest stars. While there’s no confirmed figure when it comes to her net worth, reports have said RAYE could be worth around £4.7m to £7m following her recent success.
What happened with RAYE's record label?
RAYE terminated her contract with Polydor label in 2021, which is part of Universal Music Group, after allegedly being refused the opportunity to release her own album. Before making the decision to leave, RAYE took to social media to express her frustration, writing, 'I have been on a four album record deal since 2014, and I haven't been allowed to put out one album.'
The singer added that her music was 'collecting dust' because she was 'awaiting confirmation' that she was 'good enough' to release an album. In mid-July 2021, she swiftly left her contract and became an independent artist. Her public display of frustration was a risky move, but it paid off. Speaking to The Guardian shortly after she said, 'The fact that they did let me go, I’m so grateful because it could have gone all matters of dark.'
RAYE's story is not unique, with many artists tied into long-term contracts with the promise that they can release an album, only to be sidelined by their label. In RAYE's instance, the head who signed her in 2014 left Polydor in 2016 - and, according to her interview with The Guardian, she began to feel less of a priority from that point on.
In November 2023, RAYE was interviewed by Louis Theroux as part of his series Louis Theroux Interviews, where she spoke in greater detail about her struggles in her previous contract. She spoke about self-medicating with drugs as a way of coping during that period and said, 'I was able to get along with my career because I was in some form of sedation, whether it be weed or other things.'
However, she said that following the success of her debut album, she received flowers from her former label. 'I got some flowers [from Polydor] so that was nice,' she said. 'It’s just… honestly…. It makes me annoyed. I have to come to really find true peace, which I wrestle with. At the end of the day it should come down to a creator believing in what they’ve created. I just want to be a person who’s in control of my life.'
Later on in the interview – and something that is referenced in some of her songs from My 21st Century Blues, such as 'Ice Cream Man' – RAYE spoke about being a victim of assault and the abuse of power early on in her career. She said, 'When you’re young, and up and coming, and you have a dream, and you cross paths with powerful people… some people abuse their power and the effects of that can be crippling.'
'I applaud women who speak out and are loud and brave and bold about the disgusting things that they’ve been dealt. I don’t personally have that strength to do that. Sadly for me, it’s not one instance, it’s many things that have occurred.'
Who manages RAYE now?
RAYE is currently managed by her father, Paul Keen. He also manages RAYE's younger sister Abby Keen (known as Absolutely), who is also a singer-songwriter!
Nikki Peach is news and entertainment writer at Grazia UK, working across pop culture, TV and current affairs.