"I wanted to create something that is a hug, bed or soft place for that person who needs it"
By Max Pilley 22nd January 2026
RAYE. Credit: Aliyah Otchere
RAYE has announced her hotly anticipated second studio album, ‘This Music May Contain Hope’.
- READ MORE: RAYE: “I became a ‘rent-a-verse’. People knew my songs, but they didn’t know me”
The South London musician’s debut record ‘My 21st Century Blues’ was a major breakthrough, winning the British Album of the Year prize at the BRITs and picking up Mercury and Mobo nominations.
AdvertisementLast September, she returned with the new single ‘Where Is My Husband!’, which was named as one of the best songs of 2025 by NME, and was described as a “jazzy, soul-pop bop” that “showed off her formidable vocal chops with the help of a larger-than-life brass band”.
Now, RAYE has confirmed that the new album will be titled ‘This Music May Contain Hope’ and it will be released on March 27. You can pre-order your copy here.
The album will be set in four “seasons”, with each side of the vinyl release covering a different season.
View this post on Instagram
RAYE has said: “Music is medicine, I’ve always said that. I guess I’m in the process of making medicine for myself that I can share with the world. I want us all to say to ourselves that it’s going to be all right, and I’m going to have faith in the seeds that I’ve planted beneath the snow. I wanted to create something that is a hug, bed or soft place for that person who needs it.”
RecommendedThe singer is also heading out on an extensive tour across Europe, the UK and North America, which kicks off tonight (January 22) in Lodz, Poland. It will include shows in Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin and two huge shows at London’s O2 Arena at the end of February. See all of the dates here and find any remaining tickets here.
The new album has been a long time coming for RAYE’s fans, who began to worry when the singer admitted in late 2024 that her next record wouldn’t be arriving any time soon, as the books she had written new material in were stolen from her car.
In a more recent interview, RAYE spoke about the new record, saying: “I don’t want this album to feel like it was made in a studio. I want it to feel like it was informed by the live experience.”
AdvertisementShe also said that while her debut album was about helping herself overcome tough times, this one will be about uplifting the people around her and the listeners.
‘My 21st Century Blues’ scored a four-star review from NME, which read: “RAYE recently said such bold and brave declarations wouldn’t have been released had she still been signed to a major label. Granted her creative independence, though, the hard-fought ‘My 21st Century Blues’ is unequivocally RAYE from start to finish.”
Later this year, the pop star will to headline Reading & Leeds 2026 alongside Fontaines D.C., Florence + The Machine, DAVE, Charli XCX and Chase & Status.
