Biography
Who is Raye?
Early life and real name
Rachel Agatha Keen was born on October 24, 1997 in Tooting, London. Her father, Paul Keen, is from Yorkshire and worked as a musical director. Her mother is a mental health worker of Ghanaian and Swiss-German descent. She spent her childhood attending church where her mother sang in the choir. She later lived in Croydon.
She studied at Woodcote High School. At 14, she joined the BRIT School for two years before she decided to leave. She spent her teenage weekends in studios to learn professional songwriting.
Career and breakthrough
Raye uploaded her first EP, Welcome to the Winter, to SoundCloud in November 2014. Olly Alexander heard the track Hotbox and contacted Polydor Records. She signed with them and released Alien featuring Avelino in 2015. In 2016, she worked on By Your Side with Jonas Blue and You Don't Know Me with Jax Jones.
She co-wrote I, U, Us with Charli XCX and Noonie Bao. She also wrote songs for John Legend and Little Mix. She appeared on the song Dreamer from the project Number 1 Angel.
Independence and success
In 2020, she released the project Euphoric Sad Songs. This included the song Secrets with Regard. Raye left Polydor in 2021 because they would not release her debut album. In 2022, she joined Human Re Sources.
She released My 21st Century Blues in February 2023. The song Escapism reached number one in the UK. She collaborated with Cassö and D-Block Europe on the track Prada. Her second album, This Music May Contain Hope, was released in 2026. It became her first UK number one album.
Awards and achievements
Raye won seven Brit Awards and two Ivor Novello Awards. She is the first woman to win the Brit Award for Songwriter of the Year. In 2024, she won six Brit Awards in one night. This is a record for the most awards won by one artist in a year.
She has three Grammy nominations and two Mercury Prize nominations. She also received awards from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Recording Academy. She co-wrote the song Bigger for Beyoncé on a movie soundtrack.
Personal life and health
Raye has three younger sisters named Abby-Lynn, Lauren, and Katelyn. Two of these sisters also write songs. She learned the piano from her father. In Year 6, she wrote a song and performed it at Southwark Cathedral.
She has a diagnosis of ADHD. She also has post-traumatic stress disorder. She says this is due to being sexually assaulted by a producer at age 17.
Birthday and age
Raye was born on October 24, 1997, which makes Raye 29 years old today. That birthday falls under the Scorpio sign. Raye shares the date with 35 other famous people.
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