Minutes into her first O2 Arena headline show, Raye asks a favour of the audience. “I forgot to put my nipple covers on,” she says with a laugh. “Can you guys hold me down, yeah?” It’s a request that the 20,000-strong crowd accepts with gusto – any and all wardrobe malfunctions will stay in this room. “Not the professional way to start a show!” she jokes.
The 26-year-old singer-songwriter was on this very stage making history as she tearfully collected six of the seven Brit Awards she was nominated for.
It was the cherry on top of a glittering 12 months that followed a less-than-amicable split with her former label. With the release of her long-awaited debut album, My 21st Century Blues, South London-born Rachel Keen became the artist she’d always dreamed of being. The record combined R&B, house, blues and pop with powerhouse.
Last September Raye at the Royal Albert Hall stripped down to her underwear as part of a triumphant show.
This was an unforgettable performance that must have been quite galling for her former record company.
Raye took to its extreme during a performance at London's Royal Albert Hall last night. The singer-songwriter, who has previously spoken candidly about suffering from body dysmorphia, stripped down to her underwear mid-rendition of her song, “Body Dysmorphia.
@soph24p1 body dysmorphia live in london one of the powerful woman i know #orchestra #raye #royalalberthall #london #fyp #rayelive
The sweet sound of revenge: Raye has had a difficult few years, but her work is really paying off.
Raye looks to see an incredible return to the Top 10 with My 21st Century Blues following her clean sweep at last weekend’s BRIT Awards, vaulting 96 spots midweek (7). The London-born singer-songwriter won a record-breaking six awards at the 2024 BRITs ceremony: Album of the Year, Song of the Year (Escapism. ft. 070 Shake), R&B Act, Artist of the Year, Best New Artist and Songwriter of the Year.
“The theme of the show today is honesty,” Raye announced before confessing to Bristol’s heaving O2 Academy that she had forgotten to wear nipple covers and was hoping that nothing “pops out”. This was how the star talked all night, using her frankness to joke with the crowd before deploying it for gut-punch ballads.
The 26-year-old singer, née Rachel Keen, has had a tumultuous few years. She parted ways with her label Polydor in 2021, frustrated by her endless features on syrupy dance hits beloved by beach clubs. As an independent artist last year she released her debut album, My 21st Century Blues — an amalgamation of her R&B and neo-soul influences. And last month she received a record-breaking seven nominations for this year’s Brit
Ahead of this week’s Brits, where she’s up for a record seven gongs, the singer-songwriter draws on her famously hardwon debut album in a show poised between raw truths and joyous bangers.
