RAYE just opened up about the draining, years long process behind her new album .0, admitting she poured “a lifetime’s worth of work” into the record and pushed herself to the brink in the process.
The Where Is My Husband! singer said the project demanded everything she had and confessed on The Zane Lowe Show on Apple Music: “It’s taken every blood cell.”
“If I wasn’t on a stage, I was pouring into this body of work. I’m honestly exhausted — mentally and physically — but in a good way,” the singer added.
She explained that she took full creative control, acting as executive producer and writing every lyric and melody while working with orchestras, big bands and a huge cast of musicians.
“It’s been a labour of absolute passion and love,” RAYE assured.
The Escapism. artist also revealed that the album became a quiet act of rebellion after years spent writing to order for other artists.
She said: “There’s a subconscious rebellion in there,” she said, adding, “For so long everything had to be simple, minimal, to brief — this BPM, this length, this vibe. It was a miserable existence for me.”
She added that being told she “didn’t know who she was” only fueled the fire: “How can I define myself when you keep sending me into rooms with strangers to write top lines in a day?”
The star said she refused to shrink herself to fit the industry’s expectations and insisted, “I’m not just one thing.”
“I’ve grown up with many cultures — my identity isn’t one thing. So how can you ask me to choose one thing? On this record I embraced maximalism… any genre I wanted to explore, I did,” RAYE explained as she talked about defying all norms of the industry.
