My 21st Century Blues

My 21st Century Blues is the debut studio album by English singer and songwriter Raye. It was released independently by Human Re Sources on 3 February 2023.[4][5] The album 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 with 070 Shake and Mahalia.

My 21st Century Blues
Studio album by
Raye
Released3 February 2023 (2023-02-03)
StudioA log cabin in Utah[1]
Genre
Length46:48
LabelHuman Re Sources
Producer
Raye chronology
Euphoric Sad Songs
(2020)		 My 21st Century Blues
(2023)		 My 21st Century Blues Symphony
(2023)
Singles from My 21st Century Blues
  1. "Hard Out Here"
    Released: 30 June 2022
  2. "Black Mascara"
    Released: 24 August 2022
  3. "Escapism"
    Released: 12 October 2022
  4. "The Thrill Is Gone"
    Released: 12 October 2022
  5. "Ice Cream Man"
    Released: 2 February 2023[3]
  6. "Flip a Switch"
    Released: 21 April 2023

My 21st Century Blues received universal acclaim from critics, with some publications including Variety naming it as one of the best albums of 2023 so far.[6] It lyrically explores various themes including Raye's struggles with addiction, insecurity, body dysmorphia, and sexual assault.[7][8] Spawned by the release of six singles "Escapism" (featuring 070 Shake), topped the charts in Ireland, Denmark, UK, 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. It also received a nomination for "Best British Pop Single" at the Popjustice £20 Music Award Show. A fifth single "Ice Cream Man", peaked at number 69 on the UK Singles Chart, while the sixth single "Flip A Switch" featuring Coi Leray reached number 35.

The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, becoming her first top ten album in the UK. It charted in over 13 other territories, including reaching number 58 on the US Billboard 200. It was nominated for "Best Independent Album" at the AIM Independent Music Awards, and also for "Album of the Year" for the 2023 Mercury Prize.[9]

Background

In an interview for Rolling Stone UK, Raye stated that her debut album features some of her most personal songwriting to date, including her struggles with body dysmorphia, anxiety, and sexual assault. She credits some of songs on her album as helping her as part of her healing process by adding:

"Some of these songs have helped me process. I had just been needing to hear them in a more beautiful form. Like "Body Dysmorphia," it sounds so ugly in my head, but when you put it into that song, it makes it a little bit easier for me to digest. A lot of these stories are very medicinal and very raw and therapeutic for me. I think it's been really important for me to take it there, as hard as it's been sometimes."

Raye also talked about the first time she self directed a video for the song "Ice Cream Man" which details her experience with sexual assault. My 21st Century Blues also features tracks that were written by Raye from previous years, with many songs being cut from the final tracklist because they didn't fit the theme of the album.[10]

Release and promotion

In September 2022, Raye went on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge to perform "Black Mascara" and a cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill".[11] On 13 October 2022, Raye announced the project on her social media along with the release of the songs "Escapism" and "The Thrill Is Gone". Following the dual release, Raye performed both songs on Later... with Jools Holland.[12] Raye later performed "The Thrill Is Gone" on The Graham Norton Show.[13]

Singles

On 30 June 2022, Raye released the lead single "Hard Out Here", which was her first independent release following her separation from Polydor Records.[14][15] The second single, "Black Mascara", was released on 24 August 2022 after previously being teased at the end of the "Hard Out Here" music video, two days before originally scheduled.[16] A dual single release, "Escapism", and "The Thrill Is Gone" was released on 12 October 2022.[17] "Escapism" would later chart at number 1 in the UK Singles Chart. On 2 February 2023, a day before the album release, the fifth single, "Ice Cream Man", premiered on BBC Radio 1 as Radio 1's Hottest Record.

Tours

In support of the album, Raye embarked on a mini tour in October and November 2022 entitled The Story So Far, which marked her first headlining shows in Europe and North America. The tour consisted of an acoustic, intimate setting with a seated audience and Raye discussing her career in between performances of her discography in chronological order. This will be followed by the My 21st Century Blues tour, which will commence in February 2023.[18] A second European leg was announced in January and will commence in November 2023.[19]

The Story So Far Tour
Date City Country Venue
Europe[20]
11 October 2022 Amsterdam Netherlands Tolhuistuin
13 October 2022 London England The Tabernacle
18 October 2022 Berlin Germany Lido
19 October 2022 Paris France Silencio
North America[21]
7 November 2022 New York City United States Midnight Theatre
11 November 2022 West Hollywood The Sun Rose

My 21st Century Blues Tour
Date City Country Venue
Europe[22]
25 February 2023 Amsterdam Netherlands Melkweg
26 February 2023 Berlin Germany Franz-Club
27 February 2023 Copenhagen Denmark Vega
1 March 2023 Stockholm Sweden Debaser
2 March 2023 Paris France La Maroquinerie
4 March 2023 Dublin Ireland 3Olympia Theatre
5 March 2023 Belfast Northern Ireland Limelight
7 March 2023 Manchester England O2 Ritz
8 March 2023 London The Roundhouse
North America[23]
14 March 2023 San Francisco United States Rickshaw Stop
15 March 2023 West Hollywood Troubadour
17 March 2023 Toronto Canada Velvet Underground
19 March 2023 Chicago United States Lincoln Hall
21 March 2023 New York City Music Hall of Williamsburg
Europe[24]
10 June 2023[A] Manchester England Heaton Park
23 June 2023[B] Odense Denmark Tusindårsskoven
24 June 2023[C] Pilton England Worthy Farm
1 July 2023[D] Dublin Ireland Marlay Park
6 July 2023[E] Madrid Spain Villaverde
5 August 2023[F] Mitchelstown Ireland Mitchelstown Business Park
12 August 2023[G] Newquay Endgland Watergate Bay
15 August 2023 Seattle United States Lumen Field
18 August 2023 Oslo Norway Bislett Stadium
19 August 2023[H] Tampere Finland Ratinanniemi
25 August 2023[I] Portsmouth England Southsea Common
26 August 2023[J] London England Victoria Park
27 August 2023[K] Islington Scotland Royal Highlands Centre
1 September 2023 Bristol England Clifton Downs
3 September 2023 Munich Germant Super Stage
14 September 2023 Baden Baden Germany Festspielhaus
22 September 2023 Las Vegas United States Downtown Las Vegas
26 September 2023 London England Royal Albert Hall
29 September 2023 Washington DC United States 9:30 Club
01 October 2023 Coulmbia Merriweather Post Pavilion
18 November 2023 Paris France La Cigale
19 November 2023 Amsterdam Netherlands Melkweg
20 November 2023 Esch-sur-Alzette Luxembourg Rockhal Club
21 November 2023 Amsterdam Netherlands Paradiso
23 November 2023 Berlin Germany Huxleys Neue Welt
24 November 2023 Warsaw Poland Progresja
26 November 2023 Copenhagen Denmark Vega
29 November 2023 Bridlington England Spa Theatre
30 November 2023 Glasgow Scotland O2 Academy
1 December 2023 Newcastle England NX
2 December 2023 Manchester O2 Apollo
5 December 2023 Birmingham O2 Institute
6 December 2023 London TBA
7 December 2023 Bristol O2 Academy
Festivals and other miscellaneous performances
A This concert is a part of "Parklife"[25]
B This concert is a part of "Tinderbox"[26]
C This concert is a part of the "Glastonbury Festival"[27]
D This concert is a part of the "Longitude Festival"[28]
E This concert is a part of the "Indiependence Music & Arts Festival"[29]
E This concert is a part of the 2023 edition of "Mad Cool"
[G]This concert is part of the Independence Festival 2023
[H]This concert was performed at the Broadmasters Festival
[I]This concert is part of the Blockfest 2023
[J]This concert is part of the Victorious Festival
[K]This concert is part of the All Points East Festival
[L]This concert is part of the 2023 edition of the Connect Festival
[M]This concert is part of the 2023 edition of the Forwards Festival
[N]This concert is part of the 2023 edition of Superbloom
[O]This concert is part of the 2023 edition of the SWR3 New Pop Festival
[P]This concert is part of the 2023 edition of the Life Is Beautiful Festival
[Q]This concert is part of the 2023 edition of the All Things Go Festival

Canceled shows
List of 2023 canceled concerts, showing date, city, country, venue and reason
Date (2023) City Country Venue Reason Ref.
October 11 Newport United States MegaCorp Pavilion To appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon [30]

Live album

On 16 October 2023, Raye released the live album My 21st Century Symphony (Live at the Royal Albert Hall), recorded at her concert there on 26 September 2023. The album is a collaboration with The Heritage Orchestra who accompanied Raye in her performance alongside a gospel choir. The tracklist includes every song from My 21st Century Blues alongside several orchestral interludes.[31]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.6/10[32]
Metacritic82/100[33]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash6/10[34]
DIY[35]
Dork[36]
Financial Times[37]
The Guardian[2]
The Independent[38]
The Line of Best Fit7/10[39]
NME[40]
Pitchfork6.6/10[41]
The Telegraph[42]

My 21st Century Blues received a score of 82 out of 100 based on 12 reviews on review aggregator Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".[33] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.6 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[32] Writing for Clash, Alex Rigotti felt that "In her haste to tell her story, "My 21st Century Blues" suffers from a frenzied second half that cushions the gut-punch it could have been".[34] Hayley Milross of The Line of Best Fit writes that "My 21st Century Blues will be labelled as an iconic debut" and that "the album has excellent high points [which are] tracks that showcase what brought Raye to the forefront in the first place."[39] Ben Tipple from DIY states that the record "[are] mirroring Raye's desire to explore all facets of herself, and it is autobiographical to its core, whether touching on heartbreak, discrimination, or distorted self-image."[35] Neive McCarthy of Dork called Raye "unstoppable on her latest offering" and added that she's "tackling every hardship that has befallen her of late and doing so with smooth, jazz-leaning vocals and slick beats."[36]

In a positive review for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis writes that "Whatever its failings, though, there's enough in the way of potential hit singles – moreover, potential hit singles with attitude and character to spare – on Raye's debut to ensure that her current success amounts to more than a sympathy vote or a flash in the pan."[2]

Year-end lists
My 21st Century Blues on year-end lists
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref.
Esquire (magazine) Best Albums of 2023 — [43]
Variety Best Albums of 2023 — [44]
Consequence (publication) Best Albums of 2023 — [45]

Track listing
My 21st Century Blues track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicProducer(s)Length
1."Introduction"Rachel Keen
  • Austin Lichtenstein
  • Pete Miller
Sabath0:57
2."Oscar Winning Tears"Keen
Sabath3:03
3."Hard Out Here"
  • Brandon Colbein
  • Sabath
Sabath3:11
4."Black Mascara"Keen
  • Keen
  • William Lansley
  • John Morgan
Punctual3:59
5."Escapism" (featuring 070 Shake)
  • Keen
  • Sabath
Sabath4:32
6."Mary Jane"Keen
  • Keen
  • Sabath
3:52
7."The Thrill Is Gone"
  • Keen
  • Isabella Sjostrand
  • Keen
  • Anton Goransson
  • Sabath
  • Raye
  • Sabath
3:19
8."Ice Cream Man"Keen
4:08
9."Flip a Switch"Keen
3:21
10."Body Dysmorphia"Keen
  • Keen
  • Sabath
Sabath2:33
11."Environmental Anxiety"
  • Keen
  • Jenna Felsanthal
  • Keen
  • Sabath
  • Raye
  • Sabath
3:14
12."Five Star Hotels" (featuring Mahalia)
  • Sabath
  • Luca Buccellati
  • Pete Miller
3:24
13."Worth It"
  • Raye
  • Sabath
4:06
14."Buss It Down"
  • Keen
  • Eyelar Mirzazadeh
  • Keen
  • Antionette Smith
  • Sabath
  • Raye
  • Sabath
  • Miller
2:36
15."Fin"KeenKeen
  • Raye
  • Sabath
  • Miller
0:33

Notes

  • All tracks are stylized with a period at the end

Charts
Chart performance for My 21st Century Blues
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[46] 97
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[47] 38
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[48] 139
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[49] 25
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[50] 30
French Albums (SNEP)[51] 97
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[52] 34
Irish Albums (OCC)[53] 13
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[54] 80
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[55] 16
Scottish Albums (OCC)[56] 4
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[57] 95
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[58] 17
UK Albums (OCC)[59] 2
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[60] 1
US Billboard 200[61] 58
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[62] 8

Release history
Release history and formats for My 21st Century Blues
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various 3 February 2023
Human Re Sources [63][64]

References
  1. Richards, Will (6 January 2023). "RAYE talks scoring UK Number One single with 'Escapism': "It's the ultimate validation"". NME.
  2. Petridis, Alexis (2 February 2023). "Raye: My 21st Century Blues review – major label escapee makes revenge taste sweet". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 February 2023. Her confident DIY debut, mixing house, pop, blues and dancehall, is a vindication
  3. "The Smashing Pumpkins, Peach PRC & More: This Week's Best New Music". The Music. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  4. "RAYE announces debut album titled 'My 21st Century Blues'". REVOLT. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  5. "Raye announces debut album 'My 21st Century Blues'". DIY. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  6. Willman, Chris; Aswad, Jem; Garcia, Thania (29 June 2023). "The 20 Best Albums of the Year (So Far)". Variety. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  7. "RAYE announces debut album titled 'My 21st Century Blues'". REVOLT. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  8. "Raye announces debut album 'My 21st Century Blues'". DIY. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  9. Snapes, Laura (27 July 2023). "Mercury Prize 2023: Arctic Monkeys tie Radiohead's record for most nominations". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  10. Mier, Tomás (1 February 2023). "Raye Is Brutally Honest and Finally in Control on Her Debut Album that was considered her authentic self. Getting There Wasn't Easy". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  11. Skinner, Tom (8 September 2022). "Check out RAYE's haunting cover of Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill'". NME. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  12. "Guests for Later… with Jools Holland tonight have been confirmed". www.nationalworld.com. 15 October 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  13. "Find out who's on The Graham Norton Show tonight". Darlington and Stockton Times. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  14. Magnocavallo, Fabio (1 July 2022). "RAYE – Hard Out Here". EUPHORIA. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  15. Mier, Tomás (1 July 2022). "Raye Is 'Done Being a Nice Polite Pop Star' as She Debuts Unapologetic Comeback". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  16. "RAYE unveils new single "Black Mascara"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  17. "RAYE delivers new tracks "Escapism." featuring 070 Shake and "The Thrill Is Gone."". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  18. Olaroya, Ezra (3 February 2023). "RAYE Drops Much-Anticipated Debut Album 'My 21st Century Blues'". Complex. Complex Networks. Archived from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  19. Carter, Antwine (3 February 2023). "Raye Mocks Old Record Label While Promoting 'My 21st Century Blues' Debut Album". Hyperfresh. Archived from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  20. "RAYE ANNOUNCES INTIMATE TOUR OF EUROPE AND USA" (Press release). London, England. Simon Jones PR. 13 September 2022. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  21. Sources for tour dates in North America, November 2022:
  22. Richards, Will (13 November 2022). "RAYE drops new single 'Escapism' and announces 2023 world tour dates". NME. NME Networks. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  23. Holden, Finlay (10 November 2022). "RAYE has announced a huge world tour for 2023, and shared a new music video for recent single, 'Escapsim.'". Dork. Bunker Publishing. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  24. Sources for tour dates in Europe, June-December 2023:
  25. Campbell, Jenna (1 February 2023). "Parklife line-up 2023 revealed with The 1975, Aitch and The Prodigy". Manchester Evening News. Reach plc. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  26. "TINDERBOX AFSLØRER STOR MUSIKPAKKE: 19 nye, med store internationale navne iblandt" [TINDERBOX REVEALS BIG MUSIC PACKAGE: 19 new ones, with big international names among them]. Gaffa (in Danish). 27 January 2023. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  27. "Check out the full Glastonbury 2023 line-up and stage times here". NME. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  28. O'Neill, Claire (24 February 2023). "Longitude Festival adds Ice Spice to Saturday line-up". Hot Press. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  29. Rountree, Sara (30 January 2023). "More unreal acts confirmed for Indiependence 2023 line-up". MSN. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  30. "Tweet by Raye". Twitter. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  31. Jones, Simon. "'RAYE with The Heritage Orchestra - My 21st Century Symphony'". Press Party. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  32. "Raye – My 21st Century Blues". AnyDecentMusic?.
  33. "My 21st Century Blues by RAYE Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic.
  34. Rigotti, Alex (20 January 2023). "Raye - My 21st Century Blues". Clash.
  35. Tipple, Ben (1 February 2023). "RAYE – My 21st Century Blues Album Review". DIY.
  36. McCarthy, Neive (1 February 2023). "RAYE – My 21st Century Blues". Dork.
  37. "Five stars for Raye's exhilarating debut My 21st Century Blues — album review". Financial Times. 3 February 2023.
  38. Brown, Helen (2 February 2023). "Raye review, My 21st Century Blues: Polydor will be kicking themselves after hearing this exceptional debut". The Independent.
  39. Milross, Hayley (31 January 2023). "RAYE opens her heart on her long-awaited debut My 21st Century Blues". The Line of Best Fit.
  40. Mylrae, Hannah (2 February 2023). "RAYE – 'My 21st Century Blues' review: a triumphant, hard-fought debut". NME.
  41. Cliff, Aimee (8 February 2023). "Raye: My 21st Century Blues Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  42. "Best Albums of the Week". The Telegraph. 3 February 2023.
  43. "The Best Albums of 2023". Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  44. "The Best Albums of 2023". Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  45. "The Best Albums of 2023". Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  46. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 13 February 2023". The ARIA Report. No. 1719. Australian Recording Industry Association. 13 February 2023. p. 6.
  47. "Ultratop.be – Raye – My 21st Century Blues" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  48. "Ultratop.be – Raye – My 21st Century Blues" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  49. "Raye Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  50. "Dutchcharts.nl – Raye – My 21st Century Blues" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  51. "Lescharts.com – Raye – My 21st Century Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  52. "Offiziellecharts.de – Raye – My 21st Century Blues" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  53. "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  54. "2023 6-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  55. "Album 2023 uke 06". VG-lista. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  56. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  57. "Raye – My 21st Century Blues" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  58. "Swisscharts.com – Raye – My 21st Century Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  59. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  60. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  61. "Raye Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  62. "Raye Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  63. "RAYE – 'My 21st Century Blues'". raye.orcd.co. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  64. "My 21st Century Blues". Apple Music (NZ). 4 January 2023.
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