Song Exploder - Raye - Escapism (feat. 070 Shake)

Episode Date: December 6, 2023

Raye is a singer, songwriter and producer from London. Besides being an artist in her own right, she’s also been a songwriter for other artists since she was a teenager. She’s co-written songs for Beyoncé, Charli XCX, and Ellie Goulding. In 2023, she released her debut album, My 21st Century Blues. The first single, “Escapism," became her first song to hit #1 in the UK. It’s gone platinum in the US, the UK, and seven other countries. It features guest vocals from 070 Shake. When she was here in LA on tour, I talked to Raye about how she made “Escapism.”For more, visit songexploder.net/raye.

You're listening to Song Exploder, where musicians take apart their songs and piece by piece tell the story of how they were made. I'm Rishi Kesh Hirwe. This episode contains explicit language and references to drug use. Ray is a singer, songwriter, and producer from London. Besides being an artist in her own right, she's also been a songwriter for other artists since she was a teenager. She's co-written songs for Beyonce, Charlie XX, and Ellie Goulding. In 2023, she released her debut album. It's called My 21st Century Blues.

The first single, Escapeism, became her first song to hit number one in the UK. It's gone platinum in the U.S., the UK, and seven other countries. And it features guest vocals from 070 Shake. When Ray was here in L.A. on tour, I talked to her about how she made escapism and what inspired it. My name is Ray. I was with Mike Sabbath, a producer, one of my best friends. And I was like, we need to go to the middle of nowhere and write the rest of the songs for this album.

So we're getting ready. We packed Mike's car full of gear. And we set off on like a drive from L.A. to Utah. It was really cold and lovely. We went to this little log cabin. And then got ready to wake up the next day and start writing some songs. I had split with my label and I'd kind of got my head around some of the shit that I went through and landed in a positive mindset of, okay, I'm going to make the album that I always wanted to make. What was the situation with the old label and what you were doing versus what you wanted to do?

I think in the UK, and especially at the time, it's all about having hits and specifically with dance music. I was explicitly told, you know, until you have more big hits, you can't do your album. So then I went on this whole journey of trying to do that. Just trying to make music, though, be commercially successful. Exactly. So I did that. I did that for years. And I absolutely hated it.

You were writing those songs, though. I was creating within confines. You know, you get a brief, you get the boundaries in which you need to create. So I was ashamed of the artist that I was at that point in time. I hit my breaking point of like, I can't do this anymore. I've wanted to be a musician since I was seven years old. It's the only goal I've had in my life. But I got pushed to the point where I was like,

I'll give up because fuck this. This is horrible. So I became independent and it happened very quick. And so when the time came that I was like, I'm ready to put an album together, I was like, like, let's do it. I'm ready now. And then I remember Mike played me this beat with synth strings into the drums.

And this piano. And I was like, turn it up, turn it up, maxed out the volume. And I'm bopping my head to these drums. I'm like, oh my God, this shit is fire. Can you tell me about Mike? You said he was your best friend? Yeah, he's one of my best mates. I would say we met before Mike had facial hair.

I think we were both 19 or 20, something like that. It was like a little songwriting camp and Mike was there and I walked into the room and he was making this beat that nearly made me throw up because it was so good because it was so good, yeah

it was a disgusting beat you know what the it was amazing from then we really clicked and we'd started making songs together I'd written lots of titles of songs of stories that I knew I wanted to tell

and I had the title escapism just needed the right sonic bed to lie those lyrics in. So when I heard the beat, I was like, oh shit, it's time for this song. What was the feeling you got from the beat? And what was the feeling of the story that you wanted to tell? 2019 was a really dark year.

I'd kind of cut out the people in my life that cared. I didn't see my parents at all that yet. I didn't talk to my sisters, my friends, my real friends, and I was just trying to feel anything. other than how I actually felt. You know, and to be completely candid, being a suppressed artist, combine that with drugs and a sprinkler alcohol.

You get what is my definition of escapism. I remember being out one of these nights and I was literally in a car with... I didn't know any of these people. None of them gave a shit about me. I don't even think they knew my name, do you know what I mean? And they're just there in the back to in lines. Like, oh my God, we're going to go to the next place.

And I'm like, cool. Where am I? I just wanted to create that picture. And so the first part that I wrote was just a heart broke bitch, high heels six inch. In the back of the nightcloth sipping champagne. I don't trust any of these bitches I'm wet in the back of the taxi sniffing cocaine.

I think the conscious decision you have to make, especially when you want to create something a bit more honest or personal, was the wrestle between lyricism and melody. You know, you want melody, you want it to have catchiness, you want people to be able to connect to the melodies. But I'm a lyrics girl, like, for me, the story or painting the picture, I want you to close your eyes and see it all in your head.

I kind of chose one note. So in that I'm prioritising the lyric. It's not like, there's a whole broke bitch high, he's accent. Is that I don't want you to sing it. I want the lyric to be the priority of the melody. Dun, done, da, da, na, na, na, na. One note, one note, all about the story. Drunk calls, drunk text,

drunk tears, drunk sex, I was looking for a man who is on the same page. Now, it's back to the intro, back to the bar, to the Bentley, to the hotel, to my old ways. So you get a little, la la, little sprinkly melody thing at the end. And then when you get to the chorus that I don't want to feel, You get a little sweet, emotional breath. I don't want to feel how I did last night. I don't want to feel reality.

And I want to feel honest feelings. Those times are for me, specific times in my life, where you're just trying to run away from reality as fast as you can. You'll take whatever is on the table, whatever's on offer, whatever you can get your hands on, wherever you can run. Do you think you could have written about this period in your life while you were in it? Or do you think you needed to have this many years' distance from it to be able to write this song? I think it's complicated to say whether I could have.

Because at the time, I didn't feel like I had permission to tell the truth in such a intense way. Really, the artist that I've decided I want to be today is explicitly honest, no matter what. You know, I'd rather be explicitly uncomfortably honest than glaze over the truth. Last night really was the cherry on the cake. Been some dark days lately and I'm finding it crippling. Excuse my state. I'm as high as your hopes that you'll make it to my bed. Get me hot and sizzling.

If I take a step back to see the glass half full, at least it's the Prada two piece that I'm tripping in. I wanted to ask you about this one part that I just love and I didn't fully appreciate it until I got the stems. Just a heart broke bitch High heels six inch in the back of the nightclothes sipping champagne Ah the harmony Yeah can you tell me about writing that part? Yeah I do so many layers

And so many harmonies And then it'll be a case of Take it out That's not take it out I'll keep it there It's nice over that one phrase We'd originally done a three part Four part harmony over that section

But it took away the kind of grit of it It softed it didn't need to be soft. Juxtaping I love in music. If you was to really zone into the lyrics, you'd be like, oh shit, this is a sad story. But musically is the opposite thing. So we went back to LA.

I remember listening back to all the demos we'd made. And escapism was my favourite. I loved it so much. But it had a lot of work to do. I had way more things I needed to add. We needed to take the production to the next level. And so we woke up one morning. We were kind of all slept at the studio.

We'd been there for a couple of days. I woke up, hadn't showered. I was just like, can we just play Escapism really quickly? So there was a choir section. We were like, do we keep this in? Did we take it out? It was originally going to be the outchos, that bit. So we took this section and we kind of looped it around and around.

around and then done this thing where you can send it left, send it right, send it left. When you've got headphones on, it will go to be rotated between ears. Like, this feels so good. I was like, we can't end it here. We just got to keep going. And Mike's like, whoa, I got a great idea. He'd like voice noted some thunder that he heard. He'd held his phone up during a thunderstorm.

He's like, we've got to add this thunder in. I'm like, you're sick. And I was like, fuck it, let's do a key change. Just pitch shift everything. Yes, give me my symptoms, doctor. I was just gassed all over again. That bit of the end made me just imagine this blurry chaos. Just coming to her head musically, that's what it sounded like to me.

I was like, I need to wrap at the end. I was like, fuck it, I don't care. I want to rap against it. So in the morning, in my pajamas, just in the mic, like lipstick, smudge, like, modern art. Trying to figure out the right little eight bars to go in there. Lipsticks much like modern art. I've done where the fuck I am and who's driving the fucking car speeding down the highway

sipping. Mixing pills at the look of car, fuck these fins. I left everyone I love on red. It's been a secret to the stranger in my bed. I remember nothing so there's nothing to regret other than this four-fork kick drum pounding in my head. I feel like it's a story of someone who's having a really bad night dressed up as a good night. Yes.

And it just gets worse and worse and worse. Absolutely. It is a bad night. I don't realize it's a bad night because you're in the product of escapism. You're standing on top of the bar, screaming and singing lyrics, both hands in the air. You're in a car with your hands out the windows. I'm in a movie. Obviously it's not a good night, but it feels like it is.

The last thing that happened with the song is getting out of seven Oshakes vocal. Her name is Danny, but she goes 5070, no shake. And she's one of the, in my opinion, greatest artist making music today. Because I don't want to feel like I felt last night. I don't want to feel. I felt last night. Yeah, peace with the things you can't change. I'll be naked when I leave and I was naked when I came.

I met her a couple of years before and, you know, when she's like, oh, you know, what music do you make or whatever? I was like, don't listen to anything that's released, you know, like, don't. I really wanted her to think that I was good because I was such a fan of her. It was just around the time, two, three months before I went independent. I phasedime to her and we're talking and I was like, I was just explaining what a time. time I was having and I was really struggling and her perspective is Ray. Like, nothing else matters but the music. None of these other things matter.

So, stuff, so what? Street small, but it go both ways. So you're going to never escape. Set, set in the maze. Is it ever hard for you to listen to this song? because you did too good of a job capturing the experience of what was a darker time in your life? I don't think I could have handled that story if the music didn't feel how it did. I think that's the whole point of what escapism is.

It's transcending above your sadness or your pain for a moment in time. And that's what I needed this song to feel like. It could never have been a ballad, sad piano and strings. and freaking sprawled out on the bathroom floor crying. You know what I mean? That would have been so sad. And I wouldn't have been honest. That's not how I would want to hear an emotion like that.

And I think some people just like the song. So to anyone who just wants to listen and feel nice, just play it. But to anyone who actually needs to acknowledge their pain, or the people who empathize maybe or listened a bit more to the lyrics in detail and found that they really related and needed it. Like that, I think that's the whole point, isn't it? I don't know how, but it makes something beautiful and so powerful out of something so ugly. And that is something I'm proud of.

Coming up, you'll hear how all of these ideas and elements came together in the final song. I have a new album of my own coming out on April 24th. It's been about 15 years since I last put out of full length. And this is the first one that'll be out under my own name, Rishi Kesh, Her Way. I started making Song Exploder when I was feeling lost in my own music career. And then for over a decade, I've gotten to have these incredible conversations about the process of making music, talking to other artists. And it made me completely rethink my relationship to music and my way of writing songs. And this album is the product of all of that.

It features contributions from some of my favorite artists, including some folks that you may have heard on this podcast, like Iron and Wine, Kevin Morby, Vagabond, Fenlily, and the producer Phil Wine, rope. I'm going to be on tour playing in cities across the U.S. starting in April, and I'm trying to bring the spirit of the podcast with me. So every show that I'm playing will begin with a conversation about the album with a different amazing guest moderator in each city, like Adam Scott, Samin Nasrat, Jason Manzuchas, Josh Molina, Minjin Lee, Ken Jennings, John Roderick, Austin Cleon, and more. They're all going to be my conversation partners on stage, and then I'll play with my band. The album is called In the Last Hour of Light, and the first couple songs are out now. You can listen to the music and get tickets for the shows on my website, rishikash.co.

Or just go to songexploder.net slash live. That's songexploder.net slash live. Thanks. Now, here's Escapeism by Ray, featuring 070 Shake in its entirety. I was 12 a sudden, I ordered two more wines, cause tonight I want a little context if you care to listen. I find myself in a shit position. The man that I love sat me down last night,

and he told me that it's over, done decision. And I don't wanna feel her my heart is ripping. Back, I don't wanna feel, so I'll stick to sipping. And I'm out on the town with a simple mission. In my little black dress, and this shit is sitting. Just a heart broke, bitch, high heels, six inch in the back of the nightclothes, sipping champagne. I don't trust any of your time.

these bitches I'm wet in the back of the taxi sniffing cocaine drunk calls drunk text drunk tears drunk sex I was looking for man who's on the same page back to the intro back to the bar to the bentley to the hotel to my own way take this pain away yes give me my symptoms doctor i don't want to feel to this joint how I'm blowing this thing back to my ways like 2019 no 24 hours since my ex did day go to no man on me it's about to get sweating last night Really was the cherry on the cape in some dark days lately and I'm finding it crippling Excuse my state I'm as high as your hopes that you make it to my bed get me hot and sizzling If I take a step back to see the glass hard full at least it's the broader two-piece that I'm tripping in

And I'm already acting like a dick, know what I'm eat? So you might as well stick in Just a heart broke bitch high hill six inch in the back of the nightclubs sipping champagne I don't trust any of these bitches I'm wet in the back of the taxi sniffing cocaine drunk calls drunk Drunk Tears drunk sex I was looking for man Who's on the same page Back to the intro back to the bar to the Bentley To the hotel to my old way Because I don't even take this back

To him stork though I don't want to feel Like I felt like I was naked when I came I did I don't feel no way So stuck so what Street's small but it comes both ways So you're on.

You never escape. Let's say, it's never nothing so there's nothing to regret. For more info, visit songexploader. net slash ray. You'll find links to buy or stream escapism. And if you like this episode, you might like Christine and the Queen's episode from 2018.

Christine and the Queens and 07 Oshake have also collaborated together. You can find a link to that episode in the show notes. This episode was is produced by Craig Ely, Theo Balcom, Kathleen Smith, Mary Dolan, and me. The episode artwork is by Carlos Lerma, and I made the show's theme music and logo. Song Exploder is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a network of independent, listener-supported, artist-owned podcasts. You can learn more about our shows and support our work at Radiotopia.fm. You can follow me at Rishi Hereway, and you can follow the show at Song

Exploder. You can also get a Song Exploder t-shirt, at SongExploder.net slash shirt. I'm Rishi K. Shareway. Thanks for listening.