Review: The sky is the limit for this stunning vocal talent from the U.K.
Amid all the wonderful razzle and dazzle, which included an orchestra clad in tuxedos, a jazz nightclub setting and a full-on EDM rave, rising soul-pop star Raye took the time to slow things down and reach out to the one person in the capacity crowd who might be going through a particularly tough time and may even be thinking about ending it all.
Raye didn’t know who that person was on Sunday night. But she knew that, statistically speaking, there was a really good chance that person was indeed out there — and feeling hopeless — among the thousands of other concertgoers in attendance at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.
“I just want to take a moment to speak to that person, wherever you are, and I want to tell you a few things,” the 28-year-old London-born vocalist said to the crowd during this Mother’s Day concert. “The first thing I want to tell you is you’re not here by accident. When I say that, I don’t mean this show — just as the show. I mean, you’re meant to be born. You’re meant to be here. The second thing I want to tell you is there is nobody else on this planet like you. There’s nobody on this Earth like you. You are uniquely and divinely you.
“I don’t know what it is that you’re going through or what it is you’re up against, but I just want to encourage you to keep trying. I want to tell you, when you hit rock bottom, the only one is to be up.”
It was one of those “you could’ve heard a pin drop” moments, where thousands of fans — who had turned out to hoot and holler along with some of the most joyous R&B/pop tunes of the last few years — collectively went silent to embrace what the artist had to say and, even more so, to offer.
And what Raye had to offer on this night — even above and beyond her stellar vocal work — was hope. So, for at least once in recent memory, we can chalk it up to truth in advertising as Raye is out on the road in support of her recently released sophomore full-length, “This Music May Contain Hope,” which certainly ranks as an early contender for album of the year.
During her approximately two-hour show, Raye underscored all of the reasons why she’s one of the hottest young artists on the planet — including her equally captivating and versatile vocal work; a comfort level on the big stage that belies her relatively short time under the white-hot spotlight; the ability to deeply connect with fans at all points in a show; and a pop/R&B/dance/jazz musical mix that somehow manages to come across as both wonderfully nostalgic and refreshingly new at the same time.
She’s the real deal, which is why she’s been able to skyrocket from playing the small Rickshaw Stop on her last trip through San Francisco — back in 2023 in support of the debut album “My 21st Century Blues” — to now playing the several-times-bigger Bill Graham Civic.
And you know what? It doesn’t feel like Raye is even close to reaching her potential yet as a headliner. Indeed, without a single ounce of inside information, I’m going to go out on a limb right now and predict that Raye will headline the 2027 Outside Lands.
Speaking of big venues, Raye is already scheduled to perform later this year (Oct. 10-11) at one of the Bay Area’s very largest — Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara — as part of Bruno Mars’ The Romantic Tour. And let’s just say that Mars will need to bring his A-game if he doesn’t want to get upstaged by the opening act.
Taking the stage after short sets from her sisters Amma and Absolutely — the latter of whom is also set to perform at the BottleRock Napa Valley festival later this month — Raye wasted little time in taking the party to the next level. As the elegant red curtains parted, the singer stood in front of her big band, complete with string and horn sections, and belted out the new album’s new lead single — “Where Is My Husband!” — which comes across like a hip-hop-inspired/Queen Bey-esque refresh on ’60s “girl group” R&B-soul pop. (I know that the last sentence is a lot to take in, but there’s so much going on in Raye’s music that multi-modifiers are occasionally necessary.)
Raye kept right on rolling along, moving through “Beware .. The South London Lover Boy” and “Winter Woman” while wowing the crowd with a vocal range that moves from jazzy, slow and sultry to full-on pop-diva theatrics — stopping for plenty in between — in seemingly effortless fashion.
Telling us she preferred sitting to standing — although she did relatively little of the former during this 22-song set — Raye brought us into a nightclub setting (which basically consisted of a few tables topped with red table clothes and glowing glass candle jars) to rest her feet as she belted out a superb version of the standard “Fly Me to the Moon.” Unlike some of the other modern artists who lean retro but certainly shouldn’t be labeled as jazz singers, Raye illustrated a touch and feel for this material — especially during a jazz scatting segment — that was truly impressive. I wouldn’t go so far as to label Raye as a “jazz singer,” but she can definitely sing jazz.
Moving into the most impactful song segment of the night, Raye transitioned over to the piano to sing the epic wounded-yet-hopeful love ballad “Nightingale Lane.”
“The act of grieving someone who is still alive is just torture,” the singer reflected. “This song is about the greatest heartbreak I’ve ever known.”
From there, things would get even more intense as Raye opened up to the crowd — both in dialogue and in song — about her own experience with sexual assault that is chillingly outlined in “Ice Cream Man.” She used the moment to further connect and identify with her fans, saying that statistics show that one in four women have — like the singer herself — been sexually assaulted. Then, as always, she’d lead listeners right back to hope, defiantly saying and singing that she refused to have a moment like the one detailed in “Ice Cream Man” — as horrible and as wrong as it was — define who she is moving forward.
She’d then get down on her knees, right at the center of the stage, to sing a powerful version of “I Know You’re Hurting,” which tied into the amazing outreach moment to that person in the audience who might be considering ending it all.
“I want to tell you happy times must be ahead,” Raye said prior to singing “Life Boat.” “I want to tell you, you are beautiful. I want to tell you, you are good enough. I want to tell you, you will get them. I want to tell you it’s going to be all right.”
And then she asked everyone in attendance to join her in speaking words of comfort over this unnamed struggling person, resulting in a chorus of thousands repeating over and over again,” It’s gonna be all right.”
From that touching moment — the kind that will stick with attendees long after the actual setlist fades in their heads — Raye took the crowd into the so-called “symphony segment” for big versions of “Oscar Winning Tears” and “Click Clack Symphony.” Minutes later, Raye would go full-on rave, bringing us right into the dance club for “Black Mascara” and “Prada.”
Raye closed the main set as a family affair, bringing back Amma and Absolutely to sing on “Joy,” then returned to finish off this wonderfully hopeful and musically rich night with an encore of “Escapism.”
Raye setlist:
1. “I Will Overcome”
2. Where Is My Husband!
3. “Skin & Bones”
4. “Beware.. The South London Lover Boy”
5. “Winter Woman”
6. “Hard Out Here”
7. “Genesis, pt. ii”
8. “Fly Me to the Moon”
9. “Worth It”
10. “Nightingale Lane”
11. “Ice Cream Man”
12. “I Know You’re Hurting”
13. “Life Boat”
14. “Introduction”
15. “Oscar Winning Tears”
16. “Click Clack Symphony”
17. “Secrets”
18. “You Don’t Know Me”
19. “Black Mascara”
20. “Prada”
21. “Joy”
Encore:
22. “Escapism”
If you or someone you know is struggling with feelings of depression or suicidal thoughts, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, round-the-clock support, information and resources for help. Call or text the lifeline at 988, or see the 988lifeline.org website, where chat is available.
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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 11:06 AM.