Following Q1 albums by Harry Styles, BTS and Gorillaz, the latest big release has arrived in the form of Raye’s This Music May Contain Hope (Human Re Sources/The Orchard).
With critics remarking on the 17-track record’s epic nature, Raye’s sophomore album is set to make a global impact. The Grammy-nominated South London star continues to operate as an independent artist with US distributor and services company Human Re Sources in partnership with The Orchard.
“My hope is simply that the album receives the attention it deserves,” said J Erving, founder & CEO of Human Re Sources. “Raye has poured an incredible amount of time, care, and intention into perfecting this body of work. As long as she’s proud of it, I’m proud of it, the rest is in God’s hands. Raye does the heavy lifting, and her managers are amazing, which is paramount for an independent artist. They will see to it that this classic album gets the proper light.”
Ahead of the album release, Raye has already played a run of well-received arena shows including at The O2. The dates continue in North American on a sold-out run, with performances at Radio City Music Hall (April 15 & 16) and Greek Theatre (May 12 & 13). She will also join Bruno Mars as a special guest on The Romantic Tour this summer, appearing on 26 stadium dates across North America.
“Raye herself is the driving force behind building on the success of the debut album,” said Erving. “Live performance has always been her super power, it’s where she truly separates herself. What she does on stage is what connected people so deeply to [debut album] My 21st Century Blues, and that same energy and authenticity continues to win over new audiences on this current tour. Ultimately, the growth comes from organic discovery as well as people experiencing just how special she is!”
Raye has poured an incredible amount of time, care, and intention into perfecting this body of work
J Erving
Peaking at No.2 in the UK, My 21st Century Blues (262,939 UK units – Official Charts Company) has since amassed strong sales and streaming numbers, particularly for triple platinum No.1 single Escapism feat. 070 Shake (2,375,335 UK units).
Following a series of recent hit singles and a second UK No.1 with the million-selling Where Is My Husband! (1,113,202 UK units), there are now big expectations for the new album at physical retail.
“Raye’s clearly stepping into a different league with this campaign,” said Rough Trade MD Lawrence Montgomery. “The scale of the live shows and the sustained success of the singles has built a much broader and more engaged audience than we saw on the debut, and that’s translating into genuine anticipation for the album as a physical release.”
Rough Trade has embraced the new generation of vinyl customers who are buying music by artists including Raye.
“We’re definitely seeing a continued shift where pop customers are valuing vinyl in a way that would have felt unlikely even a few years ago,” said Montgomery. “With an artist like Raye, who has both critical credibility and mainstream reach, that crossover into vinyl feels particularly strong for this campaign.”
Raye’s clearly stepping into a different league with this campaign
Lawrence Montgomery
“From our perspective, demand for the physical release is there and growing, especially off the back of the arena dates,” added Montgomery. “If anything, it highlights an ongoing challenge around the availability and depth of vinyl variants – an area where we’d expect the opportunity to match the level of fan engagement more closely.
“Overall, we see this as a really positive moment, both for Raye as an artist and for the continued expansion of vinyl within a mainstream pop audience.”
From a streaming perspective, Raye is one of the UK’s biggest musical exports. As This Music May Contain Hope drops, she has already amassed 10 billion streams across her catalogue.
“The album is already supported by a very strong lead single, Where Is My Husband!, which has been performing exceptionally well since its release in September, and we featured it editorially from the very beginning on Deezer,” said Nina Boulet-Gigliesi, music & culture specialist, Deezer. “The momentum of the single naturally sets high expectations for the album’s streaming performance.
“Beyond that, we expect the project to resonate with a very broad audience. Raye has shown an ability to connect with both younger listeners – in particular through widespread sharing on social media, especially on TikTok – and older audiences, which is not always easy to achieve. She has also demonstrated a real musical versatility, for example with collaborations such as the one with Hans Zimmer. “
Boulet-Gigliesi said the current tour underlines Raye’s increasing global reach.
“She’s clearly positioning herself as an international artist with the ability to engage audiences across multiple markets,” said the Deezer executive. “At the same time, she doesn’t seem interested in limiting herself to purely mainstream pop. The artistic diversity she embraces can sometimes be a risk when aiming for the widest possible audience, but it’s also what makes her stand out as an authentic and fully developed artist.”
Where Is My Husband! showcased the freshness and sense of fun Raye brings into the pop ecosystem
Nina Boulet-Gigliesi
With the album’s release following a long build-up, Deezer is “confident it will translate into strong streaming success”.
“Raye was already widely known thanks to major tracks like Genesis, Escapism or Prada, which helped build a very strong catalogue and establish her as a distinctive voice in the pop landscape,” added Boulet-Gigliesi. “However, Where Is My Husband! truly pushed things further, officially positioning her as a hitmaker and helping to firmly introduce the musical and visual universe of the upcoming album.
“The track also showcased the freshness and sense of fun she brings into the pop ecosystem. That energy resonates particularly well with younger generations who are looking for bold and original content. It helped create excitement around the project and set the tone for what audiences can expect from the album.”
Deezer will support the release across several playlists – hit and pop playlists on the UK side, but also within the soul and jazz space.
“The idea is to highlight the full musical range of the artist and maximize visibility across different audiences, ultimately helping to reinforce her position as a major artist on Deezer,” said Boulet-Gigliesi. “We hope this will be Raye’s year!”
PHOTO: Aliyah Otchere