Raye - My 21st Century Blues

My 21st Century Blues is the debut studio album by English singer songwriter Raye, released in February 2023 via Human Re Sources.

Four times Brit nominated; Raye is one of the most streamed artists in the world with over 2.3 billion streams of her music. She has a double-platinum, four platinum, two gold and three silver singles to her name. She is also indisputably one of the UK's premier songwriters. Her songs have amassed over 3 billion streams, having written for some of the world's biggest artists including: John Legend, Ellie Goulding, Khalid, David Guetta, Diplo, and Beyonce. In 2019 she was awarded The BMI Impact Award in recognition of her 'ground-breaking artistry, creative vision and impact on the future of music. In 2022 she was nominated for the Ivors Songwriter of the year, landed R1 Brits List and made her debut solo TV performance on Jools Holland.

My 21st Century Blues is Raye's first project following her departure from Polydor Records in 2021. Largely co-written and produced by herself, she worked with notable names including Mike Sabath, BloodPop, Punctual, and Di Genius.

The album features guest appearances from 070 Shake and Mahalia.

My 21st Century Blues received acclaim from critics, with some publications including Variety naming it as one of the best albums of 2023. It lyrically explores themes including Raye's struggles with addiction, misogyny, insecurity, body dysmorphia, and sexual assault.

Spawned by the release of several singles "Escapism" (featuring 070 Shake), topped the charts in Ireland, Denmark, and United Kingdom, and entered the Top Ten in over 20 countries. It won "Best Social Trended Song" at the Global Awards, "Best Contemporary Song" at the Ivor Novello Awards, and was nominated for "Best Independent Track" and "Best Independent Video" at the AIM Independent Music Awards.

The album was shortlisted for "Album of the Year" at the 2023 Mercury Prize. In 2024, it won British Album of the Year at the Brit Awards, in which it re-entered the UK Albums Chart the following week at #5.

This album is on black vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve with a printed inner sleeve, pressed in Europe via Human Re Sources.