It’s a big year for Raye. First, the English pop singer broke the record for most BRIT award nominations in a single year, then broke the record for the most wins in a single year at the BRITs. She contributed to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, then made her SNL debut. Now, she’s releasing ‘Genesis,’ produced with Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins.
“There is a Nina Simone quote, ‘It is an artist’s duty to reflect the times.’ This quote is everything to me and I believe the best way I can try to do this is through my art and my music,” Raye said in a statement. She continued: “There is so much darkness and pain in this world we live in, and I wanted to create something both as deeply personal and as raw as I could find myself to be about my own mind and the world I see around me. The song is a 7-minute piece that I have crafted and scrutinized over the last year and a half, experimenting with different genres and sonic expressions, beneath all the layers and the lyrics, the underlying message is ‘Let There Be Light.’ It is a prayer and a plea and a cry for help and I really hope this song will be able to bring some hope, the way this music does for me, to those who need it most.” [via Stereogum]