“Allow me to set the scene…” our story begins at 8:30 p.m. on an evening in Boston. As the final runners crossed the finish line for the 130th Boston Marathon, inside MGM Music Hall at Fenway, RAYE was about to deliver a showcase of stunning musicality.
Against a red velvet curtain, RAYE’s sisters, Amma, followed by Absolutely, opened the show. Their performances spanned genres, but the throughline was undeniable; talent runs in the family. That was especially clear in Absolutely’s cover of ABBA’s “I Dreamed a Dream.” The crowd fell nearly silent, hanging on every note, waiting to hear how her unique voice would move through the familiar lyrics.
As the room settled into something resembling the opening moments of a Broadway production, a hand-painted storm cloud descended from the ceiling. Draped in a faux fur coat and dark sunglasses, RAYE delivered the monologue from “Intro: Girl Under The Grey Cloud.,” the opening track from her sophomore album “This Music May Contain Hope.” The theatrics were only a glimpse of the spectacle waiting behind the velvet curtain.
As the curtain opened, it revealed a full orchestra, complete with a wind and string section and percussion. The crowd roared, realizing that they were in for a treat.
Barefoot, with a long mic cord slung over her shoulder, RAYE promised a set that blended old and new, moving fluidly across genres. The performance unfolded in five acts, including a vignette set in “RAYE’s Jazz Club” and a full-fledged “RAVE.” She had the audience laughing with stories about the bleakness of London’s dating scene, then singing along to jazz standards like “Fly Me to the Moon.”
For all its grandeur, RAYE managed to make the 5,000 capacity venue feel intimate. She took time to acknowledge individual audience members, even calling out to a woman in a glittering red top seated at the far edge of the mezzanine, asking her name and how she was enjoying the night.
Despite the evening’s overarching message of hope, RAYE didn’t shy away from vulnerability, speaking candidly about one of the darkest chapters of her life. Before a tearful performance of “Ice Cream Man.,” she opened up about her experience with sexual assault, sharing it with the belief that opening the wound might help others begin to heal theirs.
“One in four women and men will be put through this trauma in their lifetime,” she told the crowd. “If we take a moment to look around this beautiful room, that’s a quarter of us, and that’s devastating.”
In the same way music can soothe, it can also spark joy. “I say a lot on this album, we’ve got one little life, because we do,” she said. “We’ve talked about all the different shades of it, but I want to encourage you to fight for joy in every corner of your life. If you find even a spark of it, hold onto it. Share it with a friend.”
She invited her sisters back onstage for a performance of her aptly named track, “Joy.” Watching them sing and dance together, it was impossible not to feel exactly what the song promised.
RAYE closed the evening with a simple piece of advice: be kind, and enjoy a cup of coffee, one of life’s “great pleasures.” More than anything, she expressed gratitude, especially as an independent artist, for a crowd willing to spend their time and money to be there.
“This is all a musician could ask for,” she said. “An audience who cares.”
Judging by the standing ovation that followed, the feeling was mutual. RAYE gave Boston everything it could have asked for, and then some.
For tickets to experience the “This Tour May Contain New Music.” Tour, visit rayeofficial.com
Amelia Cordischi, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Juice Box Press, is an accomplished digital marketing professional with over a decade of experience in media and communications. Her work has been featured in notable publications, including The Boston Globe. A communications graduate of Simmons University in Boston, Amelia served as manager of Simmons College Radio (“The Shark”), where she also launched and co-hosted her radio show, The Find.
In addition to her editorial work, Amelia is an established freelance photographer, with bylines in Blended Magazine and CelebMix, capturing artists and cultural moments across the music and media landscape. Her career began at WCVB-TV’s Chronicle, the ABC affiliate in Boston, where she gained firsthand experience in broadcast journalism and storytelling.
When she’s not taking photos from the photo pit, interviewing emerging artists, or crafting the next Juice Box Press feature, Amelia can be found thrifting and exploring the world of sustainable fashion.