A Night Out with… Raye
In 2023, I went to see SZA touring her record-breaking album SOS in Zürich’s biggest concert venue, the Hallenstadion. While SZA put on a great show, one of that night’s highlights was the memorable performance from South London-based support act Raye. In around 30 minutes Raye (legal name Rachel Agatha Keen), who attended London’s prestigious BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology, displayed her impressive vocal range and songwriting ability. Her electric stage presence marked her as one to watch. However, I would have never thought that I would return so soon to the Hallenstadion to see the singer headline her own arena show. As she took to the stage performing hits from her debut album as well as some not yet released tunes from her upcoming second album THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE., Raye proved why she is one of pop music’s shining lights.
Raye on stage in her sparkling red dress backed by her large band.
Joining Raye on her “This Tour May Contain New Music” tour are her two younger sisters, the youngest Abby-Lynn (known professionally as Absolutely) and middle child Amma. Amma and her band started us off with some smooth RnB and cute audience interactions, her on-stage charisma somewhat reminiscent of her older sister’s. Following Amma’s 30-minute set, Absolutely, definitely the shiest of the Keen sisters, performed her more rock-influenced catalogue of songs – “Nowhere To Hide” and “I Just Don’t Know You Yet” from her upcoming album Paracosm being the standout tracks. Together, the two sisters warmed up the crowd for their older sister and the night’s main event.
Raye entered the stage in – what would turn out to be – typically dramatic fashion in front of a huge red curtain singing “I Will Overcome”, an unreleased song, before lifting the curtain to reveal her band set up like an orchestra with a brass and string section. To big cheers she really got the crowd going with her smash-hit “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!”. Raye and her backing singers performed the song – with its catchy chorus and rapped bridge – brilliantly.
“WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” is one of Raye’s biggest hits to date.
The set kept us in the audience on our toes, seamlessly going from jazz club to orchestra to nightclub setting, highlighting the breadth of genres the singer draws inspiration from and is comfortable in. The set included some particularly poignant moments: a song dedicated to Raye’s Swiss grandfather who recently passed away, the crowd cheering her on and chanting her name when she burst into tears because she was struggling with her voice, and her solo performance of “Ice Cream Man.”, a heartbreaking ballad about sexual assault, abuse and rape. In the song, Raye reminds herself that despite all she’s gone through she remains a strong and brave woman. This is the woman we saw on stage that night. Courageous and charismatic, she mixed music with storytelling and heartfelt audience interaction. Ending the show with “Joy”, another unreleased track, and singing the final chorus together with her sisters, seemed a fitting way to get across Raye’s message of holding on to hope even when going through times of darkness.
Raye’s solo performance of “Ice Cream Man.” was a particularly poignant moment.
Certainly, the show is not without fault: I found the way it hopped across genres and stage designs slightly disorienting (random appearance by a “composer” in the orchestra section, somewhat incomplete narrative storytelling in the jazz club section, the dance section of the show kind of took the spotlight away from Raye’s performance), a few songs were not quite my cup of tea and when it was all said and done it clocked in at over two hours of runtime – fairly long, it’s no surprise that she is struggling with her voice. However, these faults are easy to overlook thanks to the great music and the hopeful message at the heart of the show. The South London artist has entered what she termed her “dramatic era” in style and as she left the stage for the last time after the encore (her 2023 hit “Escapism.”) the crowd went home tired but highly satisfied. Before Raye releases her second album at the end of March, I am confident in my verdict that this is one of pop’s most exciting acts of the 2020s and I am looking forward to listening to THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE. when it is finally out.