Raye on new album ‘This Music May Contain Hope’ : NPR

Singer-songwriter Raye didn’t need a complex marketing plan to build anticipation for her sophomore album, This Music May Contain Hope. Instead, it took just one simple question: “Baby, where the hell is my husband?” That catchy line originates from Raye’s now viral hit song “Where Is My Husband!,” which was released in September 2025, and has since flooded airwaves, social media feeds and the playlists of listeners across the globe.

A snippet of the song’s bridge in particular became one of the most well-known parts of the song — with some people using the sound for TikTok dance videos and others using it for wedding-themed content like engagement videos and wedding photos. There are currently over 100,000 TikTok videos featuring the song and over 285,000 reels on Instagram have the sound attached.

The lyrics to “Where Is My Husband!” are unapologetically outspoken as Raye asks for exactly what she wants. Raye says the song’s frankness mirrors her own approach to career as an independent artist.

“I like to express things fully, you know. I think also being an independent artist, I have zero A&R. Nobody’s telling me, ‘Oh, I think this is too much, or I think this is too long.’ Which, you know, may be a blessing and a curse,” Raye said in an interview with Morning Edition host Michel Martin. “That freedom I definitely don’t take for granted. So I love that there was no creative rules for me in making this album, which was a really special thing.”

This Music May Contain Hope, which was released in March 2026, follows the breakout success of Raye’s debut studio album, My 21st Century Blues, which was released in February 2023. My 21st Century Blues won British Album of the Year at the 2024 Brit Awards. That same year, Raye broke the record for the most Brit Award wins in a single ceremony, with her taking home six awards that night.

This Music May Contain Hope focuses on themes of optimism, healing and perseverance. In contrast, her debut album, My 21st Century Blues, was thematically more solemn and included songs on topics like sexual assault and body dysmorphia.

“I went through a lot in my life that I wanted to express quite viscerally and loudly and candidly through my songs, which then opened a dialogue on my stages about, you know, quite deep subjects,” Raye said in reference to My 21st Century Blues.

Though her career as an independent artist has afforded her great creative independence, Raye says she has still faced challenges and pushback to her artistry. She signed to Polydor Records in 2014 and left the company in July 2021. Raye spoke out on social media about how she was in a four-album record deal up until that point, but wasn’t allowed to put out a single album. “ALL I CARE ABOUT is the music. I’m sick of being slept on and I’m sick of being in pain about it this is not business to me this so personal,” she wrote in a post.

“I’m really grateful that I got to rewrite my narrative because there are so many talented artists out there being muted and stifled. And I know what that feels like, and I’m just so grateful to be out the other side,” Raye said.

The 28-year-old’s latest album has also found her continuing to sharpen one of the most acclaimed elements of her narrative as an artist — her live performances. Raye has graced many notable stages and venues, including the Grammy Awards, Royal Albert Hall with the Heritage Orchestra, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and NPR’s Tiny Desk — with Raye’s Tiny Desk performance being lauded for her seemingly effortless runs, riffs and charm.

Raye says her live performances provide her with an opportunity to make a real connection with her listeners.

“I feel one of my biggest purposes is to be a touring artist or an artist on stage — a musician on stage who gets to share something with a crowd,” Raye said.

The singer kicked off her This Tour May Contain New Music Tour at the beginning of the year, with it wrapping in May. She is then set to join Bruno Mars on his The Romantic Tour as a special guest opener from August through October. But even if you don’t end up experiencing This Music May Contain Hope live at one of her sold-out shows, Raye says you can enjoy the project just as much all by yourself.

“I think consciously, in the creation of the second album, I wanted the underlying theme to be something that anyone who needed it could press play and have a bath of sound to feel better,” Raye said. She added that she wanted to include lyrics that listeners could “repeat after me, and say this over yourself and maybe even come out the other side feeling a little bit more hopeful than you did before the song began.”

Listen to more about Raye’s musical journey by clicking on the blue play button above.

The web copy was written by Brittney Melton and edited by Treye Green.