MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Singer and songwriter Raye broke a record with her debut album. At the 2024 Brit Awards, she claimed more prizes in one night than ever before, six of them. She was back at the Brits this year with a nomination for a new song.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!")
RAYE: (Singing) Baby, where the hell is my husband? What is taking him so long to find me? Oh, baby.
MARTIN: This is from her latest album, "This Music May Contain Hope." And Raye is with us now to give us some hope. Thank you so much for talking with us.
RAYE: (Laughter) Hello. How are you doing?
MARTIN: Oh, great now. All right, so let me start with this song, "Where Is My Husband?" because, yes, it is a bop. And it's been a backdrop already to viral wedding videos. I got to tell you, one of the reasons this song stood out to me because I feel that as women, we are judged for wanting anything.
(LAUGHTER)
MARTIN: We're not supposed to be ambitious. We're not supposed to want a big job or to be famous or whatever. But we're also not supposed to want a partner.
RAYE: It's true (laughter).
MARTIN: And so I just felt like this song was like, forget all that. Like, I'm allowed to say that. And I just wondered, how did it come to you?
RAYE: I really agree with your point, actually. It's so interesting. There's such an opinion on a woman being outspoken about something she would like, especially loudly and passionately. But, you know, quite explicitly, it's quite a tongue-in-cheek and, like, fun, lighthearted message. But also at the same time, I'm like, where is my husband, you know? I left school at 16 to pursue being an artist full-time, you know? I've fully dedicated my whole life to the pursuit of music, which zero regrets, you know? But it takes everything. And I definitely think I'm getting to the point in my life where I'm like, yeah, I'm ready to, you know, share that existence with someone else.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!")
RAYE: I need you to tell me. (Singing) Baby, where the hell is my husband? What is taking him so long to find me? Oh, baby.
MARTIN: Tell me about the album overall. I mean, it's beautiful. It has a beautiful arc. I mean, it tells lots of stories. Did you start with an overall theme?
RAYE: Yeah. I think the word hope was kind of my focal point. Some of my songs on my debut album, on "My 21st Century Blues" are very heavy, very deep songs. Some about body dysmorphia, some about, you know, sexual assault.
MARTIN: Sexual assault, yeah.
RAYE: So I think, consciously, in the creation of this second album, I wanted the underlying thing to be something that anyone who needed it could press play and have a bath of sound to, like, feel better. Even some words in there to repeat after me and say this over yourself and maybe even come out the other side, feeling a little bit more hopeful than you did before the song began.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "JOY.")
RAYE: (Singing) I may cry through the night, I may cry through the night, I may cry through the night, but my joy comes in the morning. Joy. Joy. I may cry through the night, but my joy comes in the morning.
MARTIN: You also collaborated with the composer Hans Zimmer.
RAYE: Yes.
MARTIN: He's known with his work with film scores. Do you mind to tell me how did that come about?
RAYE: Yes. So we made a song together for "Planet Earth III," which is this incredible, like, nature documentary that I'm obsessed with. Yeah. So when I started making this album, I was obsessed with orchestral compositions. And I wanted the orchestral arrangement and the DNA of the orchestra to be a big part of this album. So when we were creating this song, I just - my brain was just like, oh, why don't I just text Hans Zimmer? - which, as you do.
MARTIN: (Laughter).
RAYE: Yeah. It makes me cry. My tear ducts can't handle it. I'm just literally...
MARTIN: Oh, no.
RAYE: ...Listening to my own mixes, like, crying.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CLICK CLACK SYMPHONY.")
RAYE: She must hold on and she must let go. She'll be all right. No riding, shining-armored knight. She will save herself this time. And, in fact, tonight, she did confirm the cold never lasts, my darling. It just teaches the heart how to burn.
MARTIN: It feels like it wants to be in a movie, right?
RAYE: It's definitely - you know, I keep saying on stages, this is my dramatic era.
MARTIN: (Laughter).
RAYE: And I think I've always been a maximalist. Also, being an independent artist, nobody's telling me, oh, I think this is too much - oh, I think this is too long - which, you know, may be a blessing and a curse. But the beauty in that is I could make a five-minute song with Hans Zimmer, with a movie score outro. And that freedom I definitely don't take for granted.
MARTIN: Let me ask you about that. Actually, that reminded me of something that you said when you were here at NPR for a Tiny Desk concert three years ago. Yes, I'm humblebragging that I was here. And...
(LAUGHTER)
MARTIN: This is something that you said. Let me just play that.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
RAYE: It's been a long journey in my career. And all I've really wanted is to be respected and seen as a musician, and that's exactly what this moment is for me. So I'm almost a little bit emotional. Like, this is really beautiful, and I'm so grateful, so grateful, so grateful.
(CHEERING)
RAYE: Aw.
MARTIN: I have read that you, like other independent artists, have really had to fight to make your music your way.
RAYE: Yeah.
MARTIN: What gave you the fortitude to say no to kind of doing the same thing the same way over and over again, you know, just to get the check?
RAYE: You know, what I think from a very young girl was, you know, don't compromise on your art. You know, it's not about making money, it's about artistic integrity. And then, you know, slowly over the years, watching myself be ushered into compromising every single one was a pretty soul-destroying experience, creating music you're not proud of, creating music to appease other people. But everything I went through means I'm the artist I am today.
I don't think I would be capable of or even - maybe even have the desire to create the type of music that I do today, which is so the opposite. (Laughter) It's so in rebellion to the artist that I was told I had to be. I'm really grateful that I got to rewrite my narrative because there are so many talented artists out there being muted and stifled. And I know what that feels like, and I'm just so grateful to be out the other side. Yeah.
MARTIN: Well, it has been a delight to speak with you. Raye, thank you so much for speaking with us.
RAYE: Thank you.
MARTIN: Her latest album is called "This Music May Contain Hope."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NIGHTINGALE LANE.")
RAYE: (Singing) I tell myself, in fact, I dare myself to go on, just say it. Somebody loved me once. Someday, somebody will again. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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