25-year-old south Londoner RAYE has been on a real journey prior to her stratospheric rise to the top and notching the first #1 UK hit of 2023. Her long-awaited independent debut album, My 21st Century Blues, made an immediate impact hitting the #2 spot on the UK albums chart. As a welcome result of her self-fulfilling new work, RAYE unknowingly created the song that has become synonymous with 2023 – the chart topping, viral global smash “Escapism” featuring 070 Shake – that earned her first Top 10 slots at US Pop and Rhythm radio. From the radio to the club, it put RAYE on the map in a whole new way earning the Best Contemporary Song Award at the 2023 Ivors and contributing to her winning a BRIT Billions Award in recognition of 1 Billion career UK streams (globally, 4.5 Billion cumulative). RAYE also received the Best Female Award at the O2 Silver Clefs and is up for Best International Act at the BET Awards. RAYE has won critical adoration from press all over the world and toured with Lewis Capaldi, Kali Uchis and SZA on sold out shows across North America, Europe and the UK. She continues her mammoth year with the second installment of her M21CB World Tour, which finds her performing on Glastonbury’s acclaimed Pyramid Stage, a special sold out Royal Albert Hall debut backed by a 90-strong ensemble, and her first shows in Australia coming at the top of 2024. After playing and owning the pop game, RAYE bet on herself and won.

Absolutely first materialized seemingly out of the ether in South London. Born Abby Keen to a Swiss-Ghanaian mother and British father, the singer and songwriter initially introduced herself on a series of self-produced independent EPs throughout 2019. Eventually, she attracted the attention of S10 Publishing in partnership with BMG at the top of 2020. She dove headfirst into songwriting, emerging as a sought-after collaborator with a sharp pen. She notably co-wrote “Fair” for Normani, “Get Together” for David Guetta, and “Faking Love” [feat. Saweetie], “Gimme Your Number” [with Ty Dolla $ign], “Gata” [feat. Chencho Corleone], and “Maria Elegante” [feat. Afro B] for Anitta’s multiplatinum chart-topping global blockbuster Versions of Me in addition to “Sueltate” from Sing 2. Eventually, she linked with producer Dave Hamelin [Beyoncé, 070 Shake], finding a collaborator and kindred spirit. Spinning R&B-inflected pop through a prism of alternative adventurousness and extraterrestrial future-facing perception, she asserts herself as a sonic outlier on a series of 2023 singles for Epic Records and a whole lot more to come.