RAYE Unveils Musical Masterpiece With ‘Genesis’

As each day goes on, RAYE becomes that much more popular. Her latest project, Genesis,  is an infinitely expanding project for the ears of both new and OG fans. We’ve never heard RAYE in this way before, and she is showing her artistry on a completely different level than we heard on tracks like ‘Escapism.’ If you were not a fan before, Genesis will completely change your mind. 

Stream the outstandingly gorgeous EP here as we take a trip through each of the EP’s four tracks. 

Trigger Warning: the songs discussed in this article reference drugs, suicide, and other sensitive material. 

“Let There Be Light”

To many listeners’ surprise, the first track of the EP, ‘Genesis,’ is exactly 7 minutes long. Long albums with shorter songs were a trend in the industry earlier this year, but we are beginning to see shorter projects with longer songs that express a range of emotions, melodies, and beat drops. ‘Genesis’ does exactly this. The entire project is essentially one song, spanning across one EP in four different parts/songs.

The EP opens with ‘Genesis,’ a song full of deep-cutting and hard-hitting themes. We hear RAYE exploring her image in the media and within her personal relationships. She covers themes in her lyrics that most of us have a hard time discussing, such as body image, overconsumption, drugs, alcohol, suicide, and war. It’s quite a hard song to listen to, so we caution all our readers to hit play with caution. At the end of the day, we’ve all had thoughts about disliking ourselves. This is RAYE’s call for an end to those painful thoughts. We can hear her aching, and it’s utterly painful yet beautiful. “I pray, let there be light,” she sings, for doctors, teachers, farmers, and chefs – essentially everyone around the world is deserving of peace. This is RAYE’s call for social justice, and as listeners, we love to hear her using her music to spread awareness about causes close to her heart.

“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. 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.”

RAYE stated about the song in a press release.

At the 4-minute and 40-second mark, the song abruptly transitions into a smooth jazz version of the same song that we know RAYE to live in with her other songs that gained her popularity. RAYE + jazz makes us go feral. If butter had a sound when you cut it, it would probably sound like RAYE’s voice.

‘Genesis pt. i’ And Beyond 

‘Genesis pt. i’ is song number two, but is already familiar to listeners. The song is essentially the first half of ‘Genesis,’ but is only 1 minute long. This theme carries through the rest of the songs, ‘Genesis pt. ii’ and ‘Genesis pt. iii.’

Each of the songs is a different snippet of the first track, ‘Genesis.’ This is a really interesting way to design an EP, but we are completely here for it. To say that RAYE’s newest project is a piece of 13 minutes of pure musical innovation would be an understatement. We say thank you, RAYE, for voicing what we’ve all been thinking about ourselves and our society at present.

What were your opinions on the themes presented in Genesis? Which of the four parts was your favorite? Let us know in the comments below or by buzzing with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram 🐝

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