by mariah estran
photo courtesy of willow raye
“I’ve always wanted to sing, but I didn’t know if I should,” says the up-and-coming alt-pop songstress Willow Raye. The same artist who in, 2019, released her first single. She had a friend play her a track, she wrote over it, and the creative spark never dulled. Now, as she enters 2021, her eyes are set on a debut album, but executing that goal didn’t come before figuring out who she is, and what she wants to say.
Being an independent artist, Raye has a great deal of creative freedom that her venturesome demeanor fits right into. However, musical soul searching is at the forefront. “I had to figure out a lot very quickly on my own,” she explains. “Figuring out the right people to work with, what your sound is — that’s been a huge thing for me, navigating what I want to have my concrete sound to be.” In the last two years, her tracks have acquired more self-identity after experimenting with different genres. “I feel like I have evolved a lot over the last two years,” she says. Her initial 2019 tracks like “Déjà Vu” and “Turn Me On” exhibit chill-out EDM influences. “Déjà vu” even got a remix EP due to its good bones. But that genre isn’t where the singer wanted to stay. She has now progressed to an era that she confidently feels is her “sweet spot.” “I’ve officially released music — I’m proud of my branding, what I’m doing with my style and music,” Raye affirms.
Her new style is grungy emotion intertwined with boldface, pop jabs. She knows what is catchy, and she is using that to her advantage. In October, she released “ADHD.” A two and a half-minute anthem that would make a group of friends sing out a car window. “I wrote something funny that makes no sense,” she shares while laughing about the track. Adding: “It’s just fun, it’s catchy, and it matched the beat.” But don’t let that lightsome answer fool you. The singer has made room to share a side of her that might not be in strategically placed cheeky visuals and hype inducing beats.
Raye recently released "Manic," her vulnerable dark tune that unpacks a past of mental illness. She became inspired by an unpleasant break-up that had her questioning her sanity. “It went into both sides of having mania moments to being depressed,” Raye describes. “It explains the story of what it is like to go through a break-up when you feel crazy already. It is about questioning yourself and still blaming it on the other person. Like a mental dialogue, I would say.”
Like any individual, musician or not, she’s still human. We do not stay the same, and that’s okay. “I consider my music multidimensional,” she shares. “I can feel like that ‘hot-girl’ one day, but then the next day I can feel like crap about myself, and confused or lonely — lost in it all.” Aware of a climate where we hide our emotions, Raye has no problem reciting her notable highs and painful lows. A quality she hopes listeners will find comforting. “I want them to feel like bad bitches, feel good about themselves, but also know it’s okay to not feel amazing all the time.”
photo courtesy of willow raye
Becoming aligned with who she is has taken time, but she’s finally found it. Raye adores gloomy vintage aesthetics and film photography. She’s got the creatives on her same wavelength to aid in developing content that defines her. “At the beginning, you’re constantly thinking of a branding scheme, but I’ve realized the best branding scheme is being yourself and figuring out what you like,” the singer recounts. The last two years were about becoming more in touch with herself, even during the chaotic year of 2020. She got time to work heavily on her tracks while also learning about herself, and it shows. “I just started doing things that I like more, not because I thought people would like it. I do what I want, how I want it,” Raye affirms as her courage exudes from every syllable spoken.
Her confidence, her passion for elevating her artistry is refreshing after we've lived through months that could be labeled uninspiring. “I want to skip the EP and go straight to the album,” she replies when asked about her next move. A perfect answer considering where her mindset is. “It is the music I would listen to," she says. "It is music I am very proud of writing, it explains my inner psyche."
Raye is collaborating with people she knows comprehends her vision. That includes her voice coach, who is producing the LP. It will take inspiration from alternative-pop acts like BANKS, and genre innovators like Lil Peep, as Willow Raye brings in her rebellious twist.
If we can predict anything, we know it will be a sincere chronicle of what she’s been waiting to share. “I feel like it resonates more with people than me trying to act like some pop princess that has everything perfect in her life. That’s not me. I like to be vulnerable, raw, and real.”