Multi-platinum pop superstar RAYE makes her triumphant return with the release of her bold new single “Hard Out Here” available to stream on all digital platforms now via Human Re Sources.
Written and produced by RAYE with additional production by Mike Sabath (Selena Gomez, Lizzo, Camila Cabello), the emotionally raw, in-your-face anthem marks the singer-songwriter’s first solo music in over a year and her official debut as an independent artist – now signed to leading distribution and artist services company Human Re Sources (Ant Clemons, Amindi, Jensen McRae) – after racking up nearly 3 billion streams across her own catalog in addition to 3.5 billion streams for hits she’s penned for other chart-topping acts like Beyoncé, John Legend, Little Mix and Charli XCX.
Taking aim at her old label, the broader music industry, the patriarchy, and toxic masculinity, “Hard Out Here” revels in its unfettered honesty. RAYE said:
I was very angry and in a lot of pain when the bones of ‘Hard Out Here’ were solidified. I wrote this song because I needed this song. ‘Hard Out Here’ is about the bounce back, a rant reflecting on the last 8 years of my career, and me preparing to take control of my narrative, my art and my life truly for the first time.
The initial version of this song was created years ago, when I was 19 years old, I wasn’t given permission to release this song, so it sat in a folder collecting dust. However the instrumental represented something so important to me, I think it felt like freedom. No less than a week after I parted ways with Polydor, I got on the microphone with rage in my chest and vented it all out in one sitting. This isn’t about chasing chart hits anymore, this is about finally being allowed to articulate my truth, and express myself fearlessly.