RAYE knows more than most about hope, and music’s touching powers.
The London-born singer and songwriter is a former BRIT School student and nominee for BBC Music’s Sound award, a proven identifier of the next big thing. Then, a record deal with Polydor, a frustrating era that boiled over when, in 2021, she tweeted that the major label wouldn’t let her release an album.
RAYE parted ways with the music company and went independent, signing with distribution and artist services company Human Re Sources, a relationship that continues to this day.
What came next is the stuff of legend.
In January 2023, RAYE landed her first U.K. No. 1 single with “Escapism” (featuring 070 Shake) and went on make history. In March 2024, she collected a record haul of six BRIT Awards, including album of the year and artist of the year. That effort smashed the old record of four awards in one night, held jointly by Harry Styles (2023), Adele (2016) and Blur (1995).
In January 2026, she nabbed her second U.K. No. 1 with “Where Is My Husband?” It peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, the best placed of her three titles to impact the chart.
Today, RAYE enters the next phase of her independent career with This Music May Contain Hope, her sophomore album and the followup to My 21st Century Blues, which peaked at No. 2 in the U.K. following its release three years ago.
Spanning 17 tracks, including “Where Is My Husband,” which she performed overnight at the 2026 HeartRadio Music Awards, the album represents four distinct chapters in “a sonic journey that moves from darkness to light,” according to a statement.
Collaborators include Hans Zimmer, Al Green, the London Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Tom Richards), Flames Collective Choir, and her sisters Amma and Absolutely, with co-production from Mike Sabath, Tom Richards, Chris Hill, Pete Clements, Jordan Riley, and Punctual.
“Music is medicine, I’ve always said that,” RAYE explains. “I guess I’m in the process of making medicine for myself that I can share with the world. I want us all to say to ourselves that it’s going to be all right, and I’m going to have faith in the seeds that I’ve planted beneath the snow. I wanted to create something that is a hug, bed or soft place for that person who needs it.”
RAYE will support the new album with a sold-out North American tour, starting March 31 at Channel 24 in Sacramento, CA. Following a 51-date tour of the U.K. and Europe, additional homecoming dates are locked in for May and on the British festivals circuit this August. She’ll also join Bruno Mars as a special guest on The Romantic Tour of North America this summer, appearing on 26 stadium dates.
Stream This Music May Contain Hope in full below.
