The multi-platinum independent global pop star RAYE uunveils new brilliant single “Black Mascara” via Human Re Sources
Paired alongside a hypnotic, pulsating dance beat, “Black Mascara” finds the artist reuniting with electronic songwriting and production duo Punctual known for their remix of RAYE’s 2020 hit “Natalie Don’t” and collaborations with artists like Amber Mark, Armin van Buuren, and Years & Years.
The new standout is notably the only dance song featured on the upcoming LP — a bold departure for the recent BBC Radio 1 Brit List winner whose previous catalog includes numerous chart-topping dance features. However, this time around, RAYE’s intention for the record is clear as she utilizes a captivating dance beat as a vehicle to allow the song to exist.
RAYE shares: “This song is about another story that has contributed to my ‘blues’. I used the juxtaposition of an upbeat dance track to tell this awful story of being misled by someone I really loved and trusted. While it was a dark low moment, it was also cathartic for me. The lyric ‘once you see my black mascara run from me to my mother’s hands’ is me saying, ‘if only you could actually see the damage that’s been done.’
She also adds: But I don’t want the story to end there, it’s meant to be empowering, to lend a voice to women like me who may have experienced their own blues in this 21st century. That’s what my album is about really – tackling all of those blues that we experience as a generation. Ironically, this is the only upbeat dance track on the album, but I used my voice this time to tell a raw unfiltered story.”
“Black Mascara” is the second single released from RAYE this year following her triumphant return earlier this summer with bold comeback single, “Hard Out Here“, which marked her official debut as an independent artist as well as her first solo release in over a year after racking up nearly 3 billion cumulative streams across her solo catalog. The holds-no-barred anthem garnered widespread support from critics at The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Billboard, PAPER, Consequence, PEOPLE, and NME.
Frustrated at the fact she’d been continually denied the chance to release her debut album by her then major label – despite more than 12 million monthly Spotify listeners, 7 top 20 UK singles, and 4 Brit Award nominations to her name, plus songwriting credits that have clocked more than 3.5 billion global streams for other chart-topping acts like Beyoncé, John Legend, Little Mix and Charli XCX to name only a few – she posted a series of viral tweets that shed light not only on her own struggles but on the plight of female artists caught in an endless loop of faceless dance features and broken promises.
Now, the promising young star is settled with a supportive infrastructure that can allow her to focus on building on the platform all those years of hard work have afforded her as the chart topper readies her highly anticipated debut album via leading distribution and artist services company Human Re Sources known for their success with Brent Faiyaz, Cordae, YBN Nahmir, Pink Sweat$, and GRAMMY-nominated Ant Clemons.
Listen to RAYE’s new single “Black Mascara” available now on all digital streaming platforms.
