The ultimate rule-breaker hasn’t lost her momentum. Last year, RAYERAYE Delivered A Jazzed-Up Rendition Of ‘Escapism’ On Her Debut ‘Saturday Night Live’ Performance released her debut album, My 21st Century Blues, after nearly decade-long battle with her previous record label. Tonight (May 7), she kicked off a new chapter with a new song, “Genesis.”
“Genesis” is a seven-minute long track, on which, RAYE shows she is a master of a multitude of genres. Over the course of the song, she displays her rap chops, over orchestral and instrumentation, and later showcases powerful R&B vocals.
“I see a sad little sinner, in the mirror / The devil works hard, like my liver / I don’t wanna be alive, but I don’t wanna die / A fist full of pills and rivers in my eyes / I’ve nothin’ left to lose, dear God in the sky / Hear my cry, hear my cry / When it’s too dark to see / Let there be light.
RAYE has been working on this song for quite some time. She’s performed versions of the song — which was previously nicknamed “Let There Be Light” by fans — at festival appearances, and earlier this year on Saturday Night Live.
“There is a Nina Simone quote, ‘It is an artist’s duty to reflect the times’. This quote is everything to me and I believe the best way I can try to do this is through my art and my music,” said RAYE in a statement. “There is so much darkness and pain in this world we live in, and I wanted to create something both as deeply personal and as raw as I could find myself to be about my own mind and the world I see around me. The song is a 7-minute piece that I have crafted and scrutinized over the last year and a half, experimenting with different genres and sonic expressions, beneath all the layers and the lyrics, the underlying message is ‘Let There Be Light’. It is a prayer and a plea and a cry for help and I really hope this song will be able to bring some hope, the way this music does for me, to those who need it most.”
You can listen to “Genesis” above.