Who is Raye? Meet the Grammy nominated British singer who performed at the Oscars

In late November, Raye was nominated for three Grammy Awards including best new artist. The news couldn't have been better timed.

"I was having a really tough, emotional day – maybe it was my time of the month – but it was one of those times when you're just overthinking everything," the British singer tells USA TODAY. She reluctantly agreed to watch the Grammy announcement with her team, having "zero expectations" for any nominations. After all, in early 2023, she released her debut album, "My 21st Century Blues," and assumed it'd been long forgotten by Recording Academy voters.

"Then it came on the telly, and I just started crying and screaming," says Raye, who was also nominated for best songwriter of the year, nonclassical, and best engineered album, nonclassical (Lucky Daye's "Algorithm"). "My day completely transformed; it was just the craziest feeling ever."

Raye, 27, is no stranger to recognition. She swept last year’s Brit Awards (the U.K.’s Grammy equivalent) with six trophies including best album, breaking Adele’s record for the most wins in one night. But there’s something uniquely special about the Grammys for the South London native, who first dreamed of pursuing music as a 9-year-old girl.

“As soon as you’re even old enough to envision that for yourself, you picture the ludicrous idea of one day having one of those beautiful, gold-plated gramophones with the etching of your name on the side,” Raye says. “I was like, ‘Will I ever be able to make something that cuts through enough that I could be recognized at the most prestigious music awards?’ It means everything.”

Although Raye didn't collect any gramophone trophies of her own on Music's Biggest Night, here's what you should know about the Grammy-nominated singer.

Raye is outspoken about the challenges of signing to a major label

Born Rachel Keen, the affable artist grew up singing in church with her English dad and Ghanian-Swiss mom. She signed to Polydor Records at 17, releasing six EPs and writing songs for other pop stars such as Beyoncé, Charli XCX and Ellie Goulding. But in 2021, Raye tweeted that she was barred from releasing her debut album if lead single “Call On Me” underperformed. And weeks later, she announced that she was an independent artist after parting ways with Polydor.

Now, Raye speaks candidly about the pitfalls of signing to a major label as a "young and vulnerable" singer with no established industry connections.

"You have no leverage when you're negotiating those contracts in your early years, which can have devastating consequences later in your career," Raye explains. "The label takes 85% and you take 15%. I was told that was a really good deal by my lawyers at the time. But what they don’t tell you is that every single penny they spend on you has to be recouped first out of your 15% before you’re going to get paid for your record sales."

That didn't even account for touring and merchandising percentages, she adds, which were separate negotiations within the contract.

"These are all very large, intimidating things that you don't realize until you’re five years deep in your contract like, 'Wait, why am I not making any money from these songs?'" she says. "It’s a lot."

The singer is inspired by everyone from Drake to Ella Fitzgerald

Although plenty of artists blur genre lines, Raye's music is almost impossible to neatly define.

Her viral hit "Escapism" is a silky blend of pop and hip hop, while last year's "Genesis" is a seven-minute odyssey through propulsive R&B, gospel choirs and big-band crooning. Some of her most popular singles are garage-house anthems with Disclosure ("Waterfall") and Rudimental ("Regardless"), as well as the fluttering EDM remix "Prada," which has more than 800 million Spotify streams.

"It's really exciting to continue to push those boundaries," says Raye, who counts Nina Simone and Lauryn Hill among her chief influences. "For so many years, I was told that was my weakness: that I didn’t know who I was, that fans couldn’t connect to me, and I needed to pick a genre. Especially as a woman of mixed heritage, it plays into this identity crisis you have in your everyday life.

"So it’s been a really beautiful thing, to be in a place now where I’m allowed to embrace that instead of beating myself up about it."

She hopes her achingly personal lyrics can be healing for fans

Even just chatting over FaceTime, Raye instantly feels like a best friend, as she lounges in her bedroom wearing a giant, fuzzy hat. ("I look ridiculous, by the way. Don't take me seriously!") Part of the reason her songs resonate are her diarylike lyrics, revealing her experiences with sexual violence ("Ice Cream Man"), drug abuse ("Mary Jane") and self-hatred ("Body Dysmorphia").

"The truth isn’t pretty, my dear," she admits. "But when you’re on stage, singing that music with listeners who empathize deeply can be so powerful. There are moments when I’m like, ‘Why did I share all of this?’ I’ll be doing an interview and someone will say, ‘So tell me about your experience with sexual assault …’ It’s definitely intense at times, but when I meet someone who’s expressing their pain to me, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude that I could have provided some musical medicine for them."

Raye is rooting for Doechii at the 2025 Grammy Awards

Raye is currently in the “very early days” of writing Album No. 2, having just wrapped her world tour in support of “My 21st Century Blues.” She recently shot a “tiny, tiny part” in an undisclosed project, and would like to dip her toe further into acting this year. But before then, she cheered on her fellow best new artist nominees at the Grammys ceremony in Los Angeles on Feb. 2.

“Doechii is an artist through and through,” Raye says. “Obviously we have to root for ourselves, but she absolutely deserves to clean up. Also, Chappell and Sabrina are just killing it right now, and I’m super happy for them. It makes me proud to see so many women in these nominations. I know how hard and ugly it can get, and it feels amazing to see so many girls out here making art that feels true to them. It’s brilliant to even be invited to the party.”

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Espa?ol RAINN.org/es.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Raye? Meet the British singer who performed at the Oscars