Fantastic reaction! I have been a fan of Raye since 2015. Raye has been in the industry for a LONG time! She is a songwriter and has written songs for Beyonce, Rihanna, David Guetta, John Legend and Ellie Goulding. She has writing credits for every song on her debut album "My 21st Century Blues" For a really long time Raye was trapped in a predatory contract with the UK label Polydor, who would not let her release the type of music she wanted because they claimed that it wouldn't chart and the only music she was allowed to put out was electronic dance music. Raye finally got away from them in 2021 and released "My 21st Century Blues" to the world last year, 2023. This album won her a record-breaking SIX (6) BRIT Awards. The most anyone has ever won at the BRIT Awards and she was actually nominated for 7 awards (also a record for one single artist). I highly recommend listening to "My 21st Century Blues" it is an incredible listening experience and as the name suggests it encompasses so many genres. It is RnB, Jazz, Blues, Pop and Dance inspired and while you may not think those things go together, she always makes it work! There is also a live version of the album that can NOT be missed! The live album audio is taken from her performance of the whole album at the Royal Albert Hall. You watched one performance from this which was "Oscar Winning Tears." The full album performance is not currently available to view anywhere outside of the UK but the album is available on RU-vid, Spotify, and Apple Music and in my opinion, her live vocals bring the music to life even more than on the studio version of the album (but again you should listen to both because they're both masterpieces in their own right). Performing at the Royal Albert Hall was a BIG deal for Raye because that's one of, if not THEE most famous concert hall in Britain so you can tell how honored she was and how much it meant to her to be able to perform there after so many years of fighting to be heard. You comment on how excited she is in your reaction to that video so that's why. I do not know which version of the album is really better to react to if you'd like to upload it to RU-vid but whenever you're listening to the live "Symphony" version of the album, one fact you should remember is that when she performs "Body Dsymorphia" and "Ice Cream Man" she is performing them in her undergarments. If you listen closely to the lyrics on those songs it'll make sense why. She's taking back her power and agency over her own body and I love that. Raye almost always performs with a band and a choir and if you're interested in some more live performances she has two videos from when she performed on Saturday Night Live. She performed one of the songs from "My 21st Century Blues" called "Worth It" and this performance also includes some of "Genesis". She also performed "Escapism" there too. SNL Worth It/Genesis Medley: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hhf0Ob3o970.html SNL Escapism Performance: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rczQYjesX0g.html Raye also has a "Like A Version" video where she performs Nina SImone's "Feeling Good" here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wgrvrvtH59c.html Raye performed her song "The Thrill Is Gone" from her album "My 21st Century Blues" here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--DpSn8dHHmo.html This video is 40 minutes long but if you're looking to pass the time during your free time then this is her entire set at Capital's Summertime Ball 2024: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-U2yBW7ctbA8.html Raye has three music videos for songs off "My 21st Century Blues" other than Escpaism: 1. Hard Out Here (pay close attention to the lyrics on this one, it's a message to her old label) 2. Black Mascara (the only dance track on the album, it's about Raye getting drugged by someone she trusted, I believe it was an ex-boyfriend) 3. Flip a Switch ft Coi Leray (this is the remix, the official studio version doesn't have Coi Leray) Raye also has her own Tiny Desk Concert which can be found here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DL1zyUjzwno.html. She performs about 4/5 songs off of "My 21st Century Blues" during this concert and it is so intimate and sweet I highly recommend reacting to this one but maybe after listening to the album unless you want a tease for the album before actually listening to it then this would be good for that too. One thing I'll say about Raye that many people don't mention is that this is actually NOT the first album she's ever put out. It IS the first album she's ever put out as an independent artist but under Polydor Raye released the album "Euphoric Sad Songs" I know many people may be turned off that it was made under her old label but Raye worked hard on this album too and even released a 17 minute documentary on the making of it. You can watch the documentary here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WeZ_7SHnSH0.html. There are nine songs on the album and it's a dance album but this also showcases Raye's writing and as someone who became a fan of hers when she was releasing dance music I don't think all her previous music should just be ignored. She still put her hard work, blood, sweat, and tears into her art even then and I think it should be appreciated! Fun Fact: Raye almost always performs without shoes on! She says it makes her feel more grounded and connected while she's performing. 2nd Fun Fact: While Raye mixes genres in her music she also mixes vocal styles as she sings. I have watched upwards of ten vocal coaches analyze her vocals and they all have talked about how she effortlessly switches from RnB vocal techniques to Jazz vocal techniques and sometimes even a little classical vocal styling comes in while she's performing as well. She's truly a VOCALIST.
