London-based singer Ray BLK is no longer willing to settle for less. She tells Nicole Vassell about rediscovering self-love, being the ‘dark-skinned poster girl’ and her sure and steady rise in the music industry
Occasionally, when people declare how little they care about what other people think of them, there’s an element of prophesy in their statement. Their mouths may say phrases such as ‘I love me, no matter what,’ and ‘Forget the haters, I’m doing me’, but sometimes, there’s a slight touch of trepidation, as if they’re speaking the positivity into their lives, without really feeling it in the moment. And there’s nothing wrong with that – any mindfulness guru will tell you that being at one with yourself is a journey that can sometimes take a lifetime.
Luckily, Ray BLK isn’t someone who suffers from this affliction; when she tells you who she is, and what she isn’t willing to take, you believe her. Whether in song or in conversation, she has a sense of central confidence that assures people that she’s been through the journey to self-love, and come out the other side feeling secure in who she is.
If you don’t know her yet, bookmark this, and prepare to hear lots from her in the coming months, as she’s one of British music’s brightest new stars. For nearly two years, Ray BLK (BLK pronounced ‘black’, an acronym for ‘Building Living Knowing’) has been hard at work putting music out and touring the country, often selling out venues that are packed with dedicated fans who, more often than not, can sing along with her every word. Having seen her perform live in Shepherd’s Bush in 2017, I can vouch for the electricity that goes through the crowd while she’s on stage as she performs songs about love and broken relationships (’50/50’, ‘Durt’), as well as social commentary about young people’s experiences in London (‘Baby Girlz’, ‘My Hood’).
Ray BLK. (Photo by Sequoia Ziff)
Regular Pride readers may also remember her from our ‘Black Girl Magic’ issue in March 2017, where she graced the cover alongside singer and broadcaster Jamelia, and comic London Hughes. While then, she had a growing catalogue of music with EPs Havisham (2015) and Durt (2016) under her belt, now she’s about to expand with her latest project, Empress. With lead singles ‘Run Run’ and title track ‘Empress’ having gained traction online and on the radio, it certainly looks as if things are on the way up – but how have things changed in her opinion, since the last time she released music?
‘When I released Durt, I was in such a different place,’ she tells me on the phone – though we were initially meant to meet in person, her packed itinerary meant that we had to reschedule so that she could shoot a music video, as well as rehearse for a national tour supporting Rudimental. This ‘new place’ is definitely a busy one.
‘I’m still a new artist, but I was super super new then, and I felt like I wasn’t really bothered about who was going to listen to my project, or what was going to happen. But all the attention it got was amazing, and now I know people will be listening, so now there’s a lot more pressure, and a bit more eyes on me, but it’s great to have people’s attention, musically.’
This pressure is undoubtedly added by the fact that at the start of 2017, she won the BBC Sound Of… 2017 Award, an annual poll by music critics and industry bigwigs to find the most promising acts for the coming year. Won previously by acts that have gone on to have successful careers (Sam Smith in 2013, and Adele in 2008 being her predecessors), Ray BLK is in good company. Something that made her win that touch more exciting, however, that she was the first unsigned artist to win this accolade – showing that she’s no stranger to finding success independently. (She signed to Island Records in January 2018.)
Born Rita Ekwere in Nigeria, 25-year-old Ray grew up in the south London district of Catford, moving there at the age of four. Along with a sister, and a disabled brother, she was raised by a single mother, which meant that rather than it being a conscious choice, her sense of independence was a given.
‘There was a lot of responsibility on my sister and I to make sure we helped with the chores, and came home on time,’ she explains. ‘I had to do a lot myself.’
However, it was this experience that gave her the first tools that have given her her dream career now. For one, she built a love for music and performance by singing in front of the TV with her sister, as well as forming a group with school friend and fellow artist MNEK when she was 13. Also, in terms of confidence, Ray’s mother is responsible for planting this seed of assuredness in her from a young age.
‘My mum is the most confident person I’ve ever met in my life; she literally looks in the mirror and goes “Wow, I’m so beautiful,”’ she laughs. ‘She always instilled that in me, and told me: “Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not beautiful, or that you can’t do something, or you’re not good enough, because you are.” My mum’s the kind of person who, if I went up to her and said I want to play football, she’d say, ‘Oh, well you’re gonna be the best footballer in the entire world, obviously.”’
Rather than running things on the football pitch though, Ray BLK always knew that singing was her end goal. On the way to pursuing it fully, she got a degree in English Literature (“I grew up in a Nigerian household; not going to uni wasn’t really an option!”) and worked a job in PR before getting her first publishing deal in late 2015 and making the leap to music full time.
Though it seems everyone with a trusted musical opinion is excited and optimistic for the rise of Ray BLK, she’s been open about the fact that there have been naysayers that have tried to advise her otherwise, all because of her skin tone. In September 2018, she revealed that she’d been told by a producer that she should focus on being a songwriter and not a solo artist, because as a dark-skinned woman, there’d ‘no point’ in trying to make it in the industry.
‘I am different, in comparison to other faces you see,’ she says, regarding those comments. ‘I guess I’ve been blind to it because I’ve never seen it as a disadvantage for me. When I was told that I should “just be a songwriter”, I was so confused and thought, “What a stupid comment to make, of course I’m gonna be fine.”’
Ray BLK – Empress video, 2018
Despite the fact that apart from herself, and electro-soul singer NAO, much of the British R&B landscape is dominated by mixed race and black women with lighter complexions, Ray doesn’t feel as if she’s being held back; instead, she’s hopeful that in years to come, she and NAO won’t be the only points of reference when it comes to dark-skinned women in British R&B.
‘It makes me happy to see that people are seeing me and thinking “Oh my gosh, I can do it too.” It’s something I have pride about, in that black girls see me and feel more confident, or like they can pursue their dreams in music, and at least feel like there is someone there as a poster girl, rather than think that there are no dark skinned girls in the industry.’
And as for those who doubted her in the past? Rather than seek their grovelling, she’s far more concerned with focusing on her own path:
‘I feel like success is the best revenge; I’m never looking for an apology, but things always come full circle. Coming up in the industry as a new artist, it’s hard getting people to work with you; they’re like, “Why should I work with you? What do you have to offer?” I’m a big believer of working with people because of talent, rather than their accolades. There have been instances where people who have said no in the past, now have said yes, or “I’d love to work with you” – but that opportunity has passed now, without it being in a vengeful way. I hope that people who didn’t give me an opportunity learn to work with people based off of talent.’
As her first release after getting signed to a record label, Empress is filled with bops that make it clear that she’s ready to shake things up. The title track follows Ray namechecking various men who’ve fallen short of her standards by bringing drama, being immature and/or taking out the ills of his past relationships on her.
‘I don’t want to settle for less / ‘Cause I’m an empress / I need the best, not the runner up / ‘Cause that’s what I deserve’, she tells us in the title track, before telling herself that she needs to ‘big up her chest’ even when it hurts. Interestingly, the song doesn’t resolve in her finding the perfect man; instead, she insists to hold out until someone worthy of her comes along. To be frank, it’s a true anthem for anyone dating in 2018 – and one that was clearly borne out of some personal experience.
‘‘Empress’ came from being in a bad relationship where I really let somebody make me feel small on a regular basis,’ Ray explains. ‘I feel like so many girls experience that as well, where you’ll be dating somebody and maybe they’re not giving you enough attention, or they cancel on you, or just the way they make you feel isn’t good, and you’re unhappy – or they make you look in the mirror and think, “Why doesn’t he want me? Do I need to change something about myself? Do I need to look like those girls?”
‘I think that anybody who makes you feel that way is a waste of your time, and self love is not accepting anything, or anyone, that makes you unhappy. If I’m dating a guy and he makes me feel bad about myself, why would continue dating him? For me, it was that realisation… after I broke up with him, I really had to take some time and sit down and say, “Fair enough, he was a d**k, but I was there for a year and a half.” I have to take some responsibility for letting someone treat me that way for so long, and why? I took some time to love myself first.’
Before long, it’s time for Ray and I to end our call so that she can go back to rehearsing for her performances. Before she goes, however, she lets me in on something vital that she’d tell her younger self if she had the chance – and that’s to resist shying away from minimising her achievements at all costs.
‘In the humblest way… I’d tell myself: stop being humble. When I work with people in America, they will tell you who they are, what they’ve done, and wear it with pride. I feel like I, and a lot of women, spend a lot of their life being humble to the point of… You know when you’d be in class and the teacher would ask a question, and you know you know it, but you don’t wanna look like a showoff? It’s that, being worried about looking like a showoff, and not going for what is yours. I’d say: don’t be scared of looking like a showoff.’
And with prospects like hers, I’d say that she has every reason to show off – she’s an empress, after all.
Ray BLK’s latest project, Empress, is out now
