- Have YOU got a story? Email tips@dailymail.co.uk
Raye has revealed that she won’t write a single song for her next album until she falls in love as she discussed her career in a new interview on Friday.
Speaking as part of The Sunday Times Young Power List 2026, the singer, 28, also told of how she’s pushed herself to the brink over fears she will lose her career if she stops working.
Just weeks after the release of second album, This Music May Contain Hope, Raye is already thinking about her next project, but has a ‘silent protest’ when it comes to matters of the heart.
She said: ‘My third album, I think I’ve named it already. It’s going to be called And Then She Fell in Love.
‘And I’m not writing a single song — be it one year, five years, ten years — until that chapter of my life begins. That’s my silent protest.’
But Raye has little time to go on dates as she ‘pushes herself’ as hard as she can with her schedule, touring and woking on her latest album in between dates.
Raye added: ‘I think we’re in an age where you can feel like if you stop, no one’s going to care, or it’s all going to be over. And because I’ve worked so hard to get to this point, part of you is like — “feed the machine. Feed the beast.”‘
She spent years battling with music industry executives to release her first album in 2023 – despite signing a four record deal back in 2014.
But, Raye kicked off her year with a chart triumph when her single, Where Is My Husband, became the first UK singles chart Number One of 2026, with the hit track finally reaching the top spot after a 15-week climb.
Her success comes after a long and difficult rise in the music business.
Born Rachel Agatha Keen, she first signed with Polydor but the partnership eventually ended after years of frustration, when multiple album releases were delayed or shelved.
She has spoke openly about feeling creatively stuck and sidelined during that period.
After breaking away, Raye rebuilt her career on her own terms, teaming up with independent distribution label Human Re Sources and taking full control of her music.
The move proved pivotal, allowing her to release songs on her own schedule and reconnect with fans without compromise.
She now works with a small team that ‘meet in her living room’ after becoming an independent artist.
Reflecting on the period of her life when she reached ‘breaking point’ with her previous record label, Raye said she ultimately just wanted ‘to be a person who’s in control of my life’ after misusing drugs and alcohol to get her through.
Over the past few years, that resolve has paid off in spectacular fashion.
From critical acclaim for her debut album 21st Century Blues, to record-breaking wins at the Brit Awards and now a long-awaited return to the top of the singles chart, Raye’s journey has become one of pop’s most talked-about comeback stories.
