RAYE has topped the UK Albums Chart for the first time with her new release This Music May Contain Hope.
The 28-year-old singer went straight in at number one on Friday (03.04.26) with her latest record, eclipsing the number two spot she achieved with her 2023 debut My 21st Century Blues.
This Music May Contain Hope – which was released last week – becomes RAYE’s second chart-topper of the year following the hit single Where Is My Husband!, which reached top spot on the Singles Chart in January.
Olivia Dean’s record The Art of Loving is at number two in the chart, with Kanye West’s new release Bully at number three.
RAYE recently suggested that making her second album had been a gruelling process that she had put every “blood cell” into getting right.
She confessed on The Zane Lowe Show on Apple Music: “It’s taken every blood cell.
“If I wasn’t on a stage, I was pouring into this body of work. I’m honestly exhausted — mentally and physically — but in a good way.”
The Escapism artist detailed how she took total creative control on the record, acting as executive producer whilst writing every lyric and melody as well as working with orchestras, big bands and a sizeable cast of musicians.
She said: “It’s been a labour of absolute passion and love.”
RAYE also revealed that the album became a quiet act of rebellion after years spent writing to order for other artists.
She said: “There’s a subconscious rebellion in there. For so long everything had to be simple, minimal, to brief — this BPM, this length, this vibe. It was a miserable existence for me.”
The singer added that being told she “didn’t know who she was” only fuelled the fire: “How can I define myself when you keep sending me into rooms with strangers to write top lines in a day?”
RAYE said she refused to shrink herself to fit the industry’s expectations.
She insisted: “I’m not just one thing.
“I’ve grown up with many cultures — my identity isn’t one thing. So how can you ask me to choose one thing? On this record I embraced maximalism… any genre I wanted to explore, I did.”