Raye is the focus of the latest Amazon Music’s +44 Podcast, hosted by Zeze Millz and David “Sideman” Whitely.
Raye discusses topics such as leaving her old record label to become independent, her thoughts on the current music industry scene, and gives truthful insight into song royalties. As well as this, Raye also touches on what she thinks of her new album, My 21st Century Blues, and how she felt when she became No.1 in the charts.
On Raye leaving her record label
“To do something like that (leave the record label) you have to be willing to accept the worst case scenario. Because you’ve got my life in a contract.”
“It was never about money. It was never about being the biggest artist I can be. I want to be an artist I’m inspired by, where I’m making music that I close my eyes to and it sets my heart alight.”
“The most beautiful thing is realising that I don’t have to ask permission anymore, that I genuinely am in control of my career. That took some serious adjusting to. You know, you really have to back yourself financially, and you have to go and go, and every detail matters. But the positives for me well outweigh the cons.”
On Raye’s thoughts on the music industry
“At the end of the day, being a musician is tough anyway, because you’re putting out something to be judged, right? Being judged is always a difficult and intimidating thing for any human. But as a musician, you have to be at peace with the fact some people will hate what you do. Some people will like it. Some people will love it.”
“But my purpose was, I have to love it. Otherwise, what’s the point? And I started releasing these songs with no intention of being these big chart hits.”
On Raye finding out about being No.1
“That day I cried all day. This is exactly why you can’t listen to anyone else’s opinions.”
On Raye working with new artists
“When I go into a new session with a new artist, I’m like I have to leave this room and I want them to want to work with me again and speak highly of me. That is the goal until we leave.”
“I make a point now with the artists that I’m working with that I want to create their story. I’ve been writing a lot with Halle at the moment and I’m so excited by her. She’s so sick. But we got to know each other on a level and there’s trust there. As much as I love those songs, they’re not my story.”
On song royalties in the industry
“For every song that is released in the world, there are 100 royalty points on a record. A songwriter who has contributed to a record, written the record and even crafted the record entirely is entitled to zero points.”
“I have spent so much time with so many incredible songwriters with Top 10 Billboard hits and they can’t pay rent. It’s evil and you want to know what’s worse, record labels are taking eighty points for marketing.”
On Raye’s new album
“It’s a mix of different genres and sounds. Some are R&B, some are more pop, some are kind of ballads. The freestyle is very, very honest, very blunt. The irony is, I’ll feel uncomfortable talking about most of these subjects.”
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