RAYE has spoken out about the comparisons she gets to Amy Winehouse, and looked back at the “evil way” the late singer was treated by the media.
READ MORE: RAYE: “I became a ‘rent-a-verse’. People knew my songs, but they didn’t know me”
The South London pop star opened up about the topic during a new interview with Elle, and looked back at how her distinctive blend of jazz, soul and hip-hop have led to her drawing similarities to other artists including Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald.
One name she has consistently been compared to over the years is Amy Winehouse, and in the interview, she revealed a snippet of a new song to the journalist which contains a line referencing the comments.
She revealed that both she and the ‘Back To Black’ singer both “lived and breathed” a lot of the same musical influences, hence some common ground in their music.
Despite this though, she has never wanted to imitate Winehouse. “I’m aware that what she did is irreplaceable and inimitable and that is what it is. Amy done it so well that no one can ever do what she did,” RAYE said.
“And God rest her soul she gave her her whole life for us to enjoy the music that she left behind.”
Going on to address the hurtful comments categorising them together, RAYE shared: “What’s difficult for me is when people are so horrible, rude, nasty, and evil with their words, ‘You’ll never be her. You are an absolute failure. You disgust me trying to think that you could even be remotely like she was.’ And it’s like the funny thing to me about the way they’re speaking to me is, it’s that same evil [that Amy faced].”
“I’m not saying I’ve experienced even a hundredth of what that girl was put through, but it comes from a similar place,” the singer added.
“Our beloved Amy would probably still be here today if she didn’t have to be subject to all this hate when she was alive. So it’s quite an intense thing to address so early on in this album, but I felt in my heart that I really wanted to.”
The album RAYE refers to is her long-awaited sophomore album, and the follow-up to the critically acclaimed ‘My 21st Century Blues’. Details about the record remain under wraps, although it is expected to contain the viral hit ‘Where Is My Husband!‘, which topped the charts recently.
In the Elle interview, the journalist mentions that RAYE showed a handful of songs from the record during their discussion, including a “big and dramatic” track called ‘I Will Overcome’ and one called ‘Girl Under the Gray Cloud’.
Speaking of the new record, the ‘Escapism’ singer told the outlet: “I don’t want this album to feel like it was made in a studio. I want it to feel like it was informed by the live experience.”
She also said that while her debut album was about helping herself overcome tough times, this one will be about uplifting the people around her and the listeners.
“Music is medicine. I’ve always said that. And I guess I’m in the process of making medicine for myself that I can share with the world,” she said. “I want us all to say to ourselves that it’s going to be all right, and I’m going to have faith in the seeds that I’ve planted beneath the snow. I wanted to create something that is a hug or bed or soft place for that person who needs it.”
RAYE. Credit: Aliyah Otchere
“The most beautiful lesson that I’ve been learning is self-love, which is so hard,” she added. “My gosh, being able to spend an evening with yourself, just you, is humbling. Bit by bit, I’m shining a torchlight in the shadows of my life—areas I’ve neglected, areas I’ve buried, things I’ve been running from.”
More details about the new album are set to be announced soon, and later this year RAYE will embark on a lengthy ‘This Tour May Contain New Music Tour’. Dates kick off in Europe this month, before she hits the UK in February. He sisters Absolutely and Amma will support her across all dates, and RAYE will head over to the US for more shows afterwards.
UK tickets can be purchased here, while tickets for her North American and European shows can be purchased here. You can view the full list of dates here.
Later this year, the pop star will to headline Reading & Leeds 2026 alongside Fontaines D.C., Florence + The Machine, DAVE, Charli XCX and Chase & Status.
As for the new album, in October 2024, the South London singer-songwriter announced that the album would be delayed following the theft of her car with her songwriting books inside.
She then revealed in October 2025 that she had found her stolen car with her songwriting books “untouched”, meaning she could go back to working on the album.
As well as addressing the comparisons to Amy Winehouse, RAYE has also opened up many times about the “evil” practises within the music industry, claiming that “songwriters are being manipulated”.
Speaking at Coachella in 2024, the singer said that one common industry practice was record labels forcing songwriters to approve a 10 per cent split and no master royalty points.
They did this by threatening to withhold their songs: “If you don’t sign this agreement right now — the songs not going to come out. We’re not going to use it. All your hard work will go to waste.”
The multi-BRIT winner also spoke to NME in 2022 those same struggles, saying: “When you sign with a record label, technically they work for you: you’re signing to a company for them to work for your career and take you to that next level. But as a woman, it just doesn’t feel like that. It feels like you’re working for them. And you know, some of the things I had to put my body through to even be able to that… it’s really quite sad.”
The post RAYE speaks out on Amy Winehouse comparisons and the “evil way” the media treated her appeared first on NME.
