British singer-songwriter RAYE is entering a bold new chapter in her career, but it hasn’t come without some emotional hurdles. Over the weekend at Governors Ball in New York City, the rising star revealed she was initially terrified to work with Grammy-winning producer Mark Ronson—largely due to his legendary collaborations with the late Amy Winehouse.
Ronson, who co-produced Winehouse’s acclaimed 2006 album Back to Black, holds a revered status in the music world—and for RAYE, the pressure was intense. “Honestly, I’m not gonna lie, I actually was quite nervous and scared to work with him,” she told People backstage at the festival. “I just do want to say that I know I can never, ever, ever, ever, ever attempt to replace or imitate Amy. I’m in awe of her. We all are, and we miss her.”
That vulnerability didn’t stop RAYE from moving forward with the collaboration. In fact, she embraced it. “It’s quite a tough thing to even allow myself to create so freely with him,” she said. “But I really just wanted to be like, ‘Do you know what? I just need to forget what anyone else is gonna say about this.’ I absolutely love this producer. I’ve always wanted to work with this producer since I was a little girl.”
The result of that creative leap? Two upcoming tracks with Ronson—beginning with “Suzanne,” which is set for release this Friday. The second track, intriguingly titled “Grandma Calls the Boy Bad News,” will be featured on the official F1 soundtrack and is slated to drop later in June.
RAYE describes the new music as joyful and deeply meaningful, despite her early nerves. “We’ve made music together that I’m so proud of, and I love,” she shared. “I play it, and it makes me happy and joyful, so I’m proud.”
This new material comes as RAYE begins shaping her next album, following the critical and commercial success of My 21st Century Blues in 2023. However, she admitted she’s still struggling to land the perfect name for the upcoming project.
“I don’t have an album title,” she confessed. “I’m like, ‘What is it gonna be called?’ It’s stressing me out right now, I can’t lie, because I’ve got the music starting to really come there. I just don’t know what this album’s gonna be called. In my humble opinion, My 21st Century Blues is such a fire album title, and I can’t hand in an album title that’s less good than that.”
As one of the most compelling voices in British pop and soul right now, RAYE continues to chart her own path—facing the weight of legacy, fear of comparison, and the high stakes of expectation with authenticity and grace. If her work with Ronson is any indication, her next chapter is going to be as powerful and fearless as ever.