Rachel (Raye) Keen
Rachel Agatha Keen, known professionally asRaye, is an English singer, songwriter and producer. Her debut studio album, My 21st Century Blues (2023) received both commercial success and widespread critical acclaim. At the Brit Awards 2024, she earned seven nominations—breaking the record for the most nominations for a single artist in a year—and became the first female recipient of Songwriter of the Year. Furthermore, she broke the record for the most wins received in a single night with six in total. She has over ten million certified sales in the UK.
Before her breakthrough as solo artist, Raye was involved in the music industry through her songwriting and production work for other acts, namely Beyoncé, Little Mix, Rihanna, David Guetta, John Legend and Ellie Goulding. She rose to prominence after her guest appearances on the commercially successful 2016 singles "By Your Side" by Jonas Blue and "You Don't Know Me" by Jax Jones, as well as her co-performances on the singles "Secrets" (featuring Regard) and "Bed" (with David Guetta and Joel Corry) in 2020 and 2021. She gained media attention following her departure from Polydor Records in the latter year, after the label allegedly refused to release her debut album. Her 2022 single, "Escapism" (featuring 070 Shake) achieved virality on TikTok before becoming her first song to peak atop the UK Singles Chart. Furthermore, it reached the top ten in over 22 countries, and became her first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100. It preceded the release of her debut studio album My 21st Century Blues (2023), which earned Album of the Year nominations at the 2023 Mercury Prize and won the 2024 Brit Award for Album of the Year. That same year, "Prada" (with Cassö and D-Block Europe) topped charts across Europe and, along with "Escapism", was with the latter winning the Brit Award for Song of the Year.
In 2019, she was given a BMI Film & TV Award for her "groundbreaking artistry, creative vision and impact on the future of music." She has also won a Brits Billion Award—becoming one of its first recipients—as well as an Ivor Novello Award, MOBO Award, 6 Brit Awards, and a Global Award. In summary, she has been nominated for eleven Brit Awards, one BET Award, three Popjustice £20 Music Prize, three Ivor Novello Awards, four Global Awards, and three AIM Independent Music Awards. In March 2024, Raye performed a medley of a few of her hits at the BRIT Awards, where she won six out of seven nominations including Artist of the Year.
