RAYE

Rachel Keen, who makes music as RAYE, spent years as one of the more visible examples of a particular kind of music industry injustice: an artist who was clearly talented, clearly popular, and being prevented from releasing her own work by a label that kept signing her to deals and then shelving her material.

She was signed to Polydor Records from 2014 and spent seven years watching songs she wrote become hits for other artists while her own albums were delayed, scrapped, or simply never released. Her songwriting credits are extensive, including tracks for Beyonce, John Legend, Little Mix, and others. She left Polydor in 2021 through a public campaign that drew significant attention to the situation and to the broader issue of label control over artists’ output.

My 21st Century Blues, released independently in 2023, was the record she’d been trying to make. It documented the specific anger and the specific circumstances with directness that was clearly therapeutic and also genuinely excellent. Six Grammy nominations followed, including Album of the Year.

What RAYE has built since the Polydor situation is a career that belongs to her in every meaningful sense: written, produced (co), owned, released on her own terms. THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE., her second independent album, is the evidence that this was always the right structure for her work. She’s one of the most complete artists currently working in British pop, and she got there by refusing to accept the alternative.

The ongoing “This Tour May Contain New Music” run continues through May 2026.