the photos and the lineup of the concert at the Unipol Arena in Bologna

Photo by Andrea Ripamonti

A new chapter opens for the star of My 21st Century Blues, the artist who transformed vulnerability into strength and pain into art: RAYE.

Once one of the most requested authors on the British scene, today an icon of international pop, RAYE embodies one of the most powerful stories of redemption in contemporary music.

Born Rachel Agatha Keen in the early 1990s in south London, she grew up in a family where music was a native language: her mother in the church choir, her father a music director, and her as a child who wrote her first song before even high school. After leaving the Brit School because she felt “trapped”, she spent her teenage years locked in the studio, building – piece by piece – the artistic identity that would conquer the world.

The first contract arrives soon: in 2015 he signs with Polydor and publishes Alien. From then on it's a crescendo. He signs and collaborates with names such as Charli XCX, Beyoncé and Jonas Blue, opens the tours of Years & Years and Jess Glynne and also appears in the video for Stormzy's Big For Your Boots. Yet, behind the spotlight there is also growing frustration over an always postponed debut. In 2021 RAYE breaks the silence and leaves the label, gaining the support of colleagues and industry insiders. It's the turning point.

As an independent artist, in 2023 he finally released his album My 21st Century Blues, an openly personal work that talks about freedom and healing. Driven by singles such as Hard Out Here and the global success Escapism, the album explores the thousand facets of the soul of RAYE: from the dance sounds of Black Mascara to the elegant soul of Mary Jane, passing through the funk groove of Worth It and the gospel ballad Buss It Down. “An album that powerfully comes to life, overwhelming you with one extraordinary song after another,” wrote The Guardian.

Success was not long in coming: My 21st Century Blues reached number 2 in the official British charts and first place in the independent charts. This was followed by The Story So Far tour, performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Glastonbury and a memorable show at the Royal Albert Hall with the Heritage Orchestra — recorded and released as a live album in September 2023. From there on, RAYE becomes unstoppable: Grammy nominations, record awards at the 2024 Brit Awards, opening Taylor Swift's Eras tour and her first headliner at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend, all the way to triumph at All Points East in summer 2025.

Now, with new music promoted at Glastonbury 2025, a European tour follows which also passes through Bologna at the Unipol Arena, RAYE is ready to open an extraordinary new chapter. And the music world can't help but listen.

Click here to see photos of RAYE in Milan or browse the gallery below

RAYE: the setlist of the Bologna concert

Intro: Girl Under the Gray Cloud.

ACT I

1. I Will Overcome
2. WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!
3. The Thrill Is Gone.
4. Skins & Bones
5. Suzanne
6. Beware the South London Lover Boy
7. Flip to Switch. / Decline
8. Five Star Hotels.
9. The Winter Woman
10. Hard Out Here.
11. Genesis, pt. ii
12. Fly Me to the Moon
13. Worth It.
14. Nightingale Lane
15. Ice Cream Man.
16. I Know You're Hurting

ACT II

1. Oscar Winning Tears.
2. Click Clack Symphony
3. Secrets
4. You Don't Know Me
5. Black Mascara.
6. Prada
7. Joy

BIS

1. Escapism