Raye

“As a musician, I feel quite powerless when it comes to anything to do with climate change, politics, and world issues. When we see things happening that we have to step back and be a bystander, I think that does create quite an overwhelming sense of anxiety.”

“Even though the people decide very much what's consumed on the outside, inside, the music industry is still very much a gatekept society.”

“My dad had a big CD collection that I would rummage through. I fell in love with powerful female vocalists: Alicia Keys, Billie Holiday, Jill Scott.”

“You can't force things down people's throats.”

“I lived in Pollards Hill in a council estate with my parents until I was about seven and then they wanted to move to Croydon, to Purley.”

“We have in us an innate feeling that gives us a sense if something isn't right. But it's really tricky. I've had it in the past when I felt a kind of way about a song or a person, and I felt like, 'Oh, this doesn't feel right,' but I've just gone against it anyway because everyone around me thought otherwise.”

“Creating something that makes you feel better or feel great or excited or allows you to process them tricky emotions.”

“There's a lot of demons trying to claw at you and drag you to somewhere you don't belong, so I'm really grateful I have this faith. It's honestly pulled me out of a really dark place.”

“I'm in love with music.”

“I remember when I was younger watching interviews with Lady Gaga and Beyonce, and the one thing they would say is that you have to work hard to be successful. I thought, 'Okay, if I want to achieve my dreams, I'm going to have to sacrifice all my time and work as hard as I can.' I was really inspired by that.”

“I was having to go out there and be this happy pop character when, in reality, I was processing this unaddressed trauma and coping with an immense amount of pressure.”

“Years & Years invited me to support them on tour, it was really epic.”

“Always support the women around you. I think that's so important.”

“I was skewed and manipulated for years. I was giving my heart and soul to music, while my confidence was being constantly chipped away and compromised.”

“I'm obsessed with playing cards. I bring a pack everywhere I go; they really calm me down.”

“The industry will say whatever it needs to say to get you to do what they want you to do. The manipulation behind closed doors is insane.”

“I'm no stranger to a corner shop. That was my second home, growing up.”

“I don't want to care about stats.”

“I just want to be a person who's in control of my life.”

“Being an artist means being unapologetically yourself, and I get to be that now.”