This Music May Contain Hope[a] is the second studio album by the British singer-songwriter Raye. It was released independently on March 27 2026 through Human Re Sources. Raye wrote and co-produced the album with various collaborators, including Chris Hill, Mike Sabath, Tom Richards, and Hans Zimmer. It includes features from Zimmer, Al Green, and Raye's sisters, Amma and Absolutely. The album incorporates sounds of jazz, big band, soul, blues, and orchestral pop, and explores themes of hope and liberation, and the complexities of human emotion.
The album was preceded by the release of three singles; the lead single "Where Is My Husband!" was released on 19 September 2025, the second single "Nightingale Lane" was released on 27 February 2026, and the third single "Click Clack Symphony" was released on 20 March 2026. The former became Raye's second number-one on the UK singles chart and reached number six on the Billboard Global 200, while the latter two songs entered the top twenty on the UK charts.
Upon release, This Music May Contain Hope was met with universal acclaim from music critics, who praised the album's hopeful theme, diverse array of genres, and Raye's vocal performance. It topped the charts in Flanders, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Scotland, and Switzerland, while also reaching the top ten in sixteen countries. To support the album, Raye embarked on a concert tour, This Tour May Contain New Music, which began in January 2026 and is set to conclude in May of the same year.
Background
Following the release of her debut, My 21st Century Blues, in February 2023, Raye embarked on a two-year promotional cycle, including a world tour.[1] During this period, she released the live albums My 21st Century Symphony (Live at the Royal Albert Hall) (2023), and Live at Montreux Jazz Festival (2024). J Erving, founder and CEO of Human Re Sources, attributed the success of her debut and the anticipation for her second album to this extensive live presence.[2]
On her birthday in October 2024, Raye shared to her Instagram that song books containing material for her upcoming second studio album had been stolen along with her car, and that there would be "no second album any time soon".[3] In 2025, Raye began teasing the album on her social media, including a post shared to her Instagram in October 2025, where she mentioned that she was "writing a lot" and that she "cant wait to show [her fans] this new music".[4] During a September 2025 interview with the BBC, Raye explained that she planned to put out an album "in first half of next year", but that she still needed to finish it.[5] In a subsequent interview with Capital UK the following month, she revealed that her stolen car containing the song books had been found, which she was informed of "two to three months ago" by the police, and that the books were untouched.[6]
Writing and recording
Music is medicine, I've always said that. I guess I'm in the process of making medicine for myself that I can share with the world. I want us all to say to ourselves that it's going to be all right, and I'm going to have faith in the seeds that I've planted beneath the snow. I wanted to create something that is a hug, bed or soft place for that person who needs it.
Development for This Music May Contain Hope began in late 2023. Throughout the recording process, Raye aimed to maintain a central theme of hope, and to create a project that is "not just for [her]" but to encourage other people to "not give up on life".[8] Raye likened the process of making the album to creating "medicine" for herself that she could "share with the world".[9][10] In an Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe, Raye discussed the creation of the songs on the album. She explained that she and Mike Sabath took a trip to Big Bear Lake, California, in early 2025, where the pair came up with the tracks "Where Is My Husband!", "Skin & Bones", "Joy", and "Beware.. the South London Loverboy".[8]
Raye came up with songs for the album with producer Mike Sabath during a trip to Big Bear Lake, California (pictured) in early 2025.
The album's opening track "Intro: Girl Under the Grey Cloud", aims to expand on the idea that "we are all the main characters of our own lives". The term "sonder" inspired Raye while creating the song,[8] meaning "the awareness that other people all have their own complex set of feelings and experiences".[11] For "Joy", Raye incorporated a vocal loop sampled from a James Brown recording, specifically selecting a section where Brown utters the phrase "Miss Ray, are you somebody?".[8]
Raye addresses comparisons to British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse (pictured) on the track "I Will Overcome".
Another central track, "I Will Overcome", discusses comparisons to British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse with the lyrics "And it's funny, some people say I remind them of Amy / Some spit through their keyboards, I'll never amount / And the evil in insults, the arrows from your tongue / Is the same devils you tortured her with". Regarding the track, Raye explained that "everyone around the world loves [Amy Winehouse] now and loves what she created now" but that "she is not here anymore". Raye compared insults she has received to what the British press put Winehouse through, which she labelled as "so evil and so dark", though clarifying that her experience is a "microcosm" of what Winehouse endured. The song is about "encouraging herself" and not listening to the "wicked world that wants to whisper you that you can't and you won't [sic]".[8]
Raye identified "I Know You're Hurting" as one of the first songs recorded for the album. She explained that during a trip for her 26th birthday in October 2023, she was having a "really real conversation talking about mental health in men [sic]" with her band, after which she "got on a piano and said a little prayer" asking for a song "to tell this story really beautifully". The result was her and her band writing the song in real time and ending up with a twelve minute demo. She later decided to address the song as a "letter to her friend who was going through a lot", and stated that the wider purpose of the song is to allow people to "grieve and feel and hopefully come out the other side".[8]
The song "Fields" was recorded in London as a collaboration between Raye and her grandfather, Michael. A former songwriter whose work had previously been used without credit, Michael travelled to London to co-write and record the track with Raye. The collaboration was intended to honour his musical legacy and provide him with a professional platform.[8]
Composition
Consisting of 17 tracks with a total runtime of 73 minutes, This Music May Contain Hope is structured around four distinct seasons: autumn, winter, spring, and summer, with each side of the vinyl representing the different seasons. The autumn section includes tracks 1–4, the winter section includes tracks 5–8, the spring section includes tracks 9–12, and the summer section includes tracks 13–17.[12] According to Ashanti Meadows from Melodic Magazine, This Music May Contain Hope is intended to "span the complexities of human emotion".[13]
Musically, This Music May Contain Hope blends sounds of jazz, orchestral pop, blues, big band, and soul.[14][15] As noted by Riff Magazine and The Diamondback, Raye also works electropop into the track "Life Boat",[16] blending "distorted vocals" and "spoken interludes".[17] Raye has described the album's sound as a "form of rebellion" from the "former model she existed in for so many years" of everything being "so simple and so minimal". Speaking to Apple Music, she stated the record "embraces maximalism" and that she "expressed and explored any genre [she] wanted to, from big band swing to hip hop [sic]".[8]
NME likened This Music May Contain Hope to an "extravagant theatre performance" and highlighted Raye's vocal performance on the album,[18] while Slant Magazine described Raye as refusing "to be pigeonholed into any one genre".[19] Meanwhile, Rolling Stone described the project as being full of "old-school show-tune[s]", with elements of big-band, "retro Sixties" R&B, the "occasional club beat", and endless "glamorously tragic" scenarios.[20]
Release and promotion
On 19 September 2025, Raye made the album available for pre-order and gave a 2026 release date.[21] On 22 January 2026, she announced that the album, titled This Music May Contain Hope, would be released on 27 March, through Human Re Sources.[22][23] In an interview with Elle in January, Raye revealed that the record's intro and first track would be "Girl Under the Gray Cloud" and "I Will Overcome", respectively.[24][25] The full track list was posted to Raye's Instagram on 11 March.[12] Regarding the vinyl LP release, Raye clarified that the mixes aren't the finalised versions heard on digital editions of the album, describing it as a "first edition", due to the deadline for the vinyl to be pressed.[26]
Raye first performed material from This Music May Contain Hope at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2025, including the live debut of "Where Is My Husband!", known at the time as "Where the Hell Is My Husband?".[27] In July, Raye performed new material from the album at the Montreux Jazz Festival.[28] Her performance of "I Know You're Hurting" and "Where Is My Husband!" from the festival were later released on 12-inch vinyl through Raye's official store on 26 December.[29][30] On 18 September, Raye announced on her social media that the album would be supported by a concert tour, set to begin in January 2026.[31] In October 2025, Raye performed a seven-minute set at the NFL London Games halftime show, where she sang "Where Is My Husband!" as part of her setlist.[32] On 6 December, Raye performed at the Capital Jingle Bell Ball, where she sang songs from This Music May Contain Hope, including "Where Is My Husband!" and "I Know You're Hurting".[33][34]
In January 2026, Raye embarked on her concert tour entitled This Tour May Contain New Music, which is set to conclude in May of the same year. The tour will span 51 shows across Europe and North America.[35] On 28 February, Raye performed "Where Is My Husband!" at the Brit Awards, as well as the live debut of "Nightingale Lane".[36] On 27 March, Raye performed "Where Is My Husband!" at the iHeartRadio Music Awards ceremony.[37]
Singles, promotional singles, and videos
German film composer Hans Zimmer (pictured) co-produced "Click Clack Symphony" and is credited as a featured artist on the track.
On 19 September 2025, Raye released "Where Is My Husband!" as the lead single from This Music May Contain Hope, alongside its music video directed by The Reids.[21][38] The song reached number one on the UK singles chart in January 2026, becoming Raye's second number one single in the country.[39] Elsewhere, it reached number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number six on the Billboard Global 200.[40] The song was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2026 Brit Awards,[41] while the music video won the award for Video of the Year at the MOBO Awards 2026.[42] On 14 November 2025, a remix of "Where Is My Husband!" by French DJ David Guetta and Italian producer Hypaton was released to streaming services.[43]
On December 26, Raye released a live version of "I Know You're Hurting" as a B-side to "Where Is My Husband!", both performed at Montreux Jazz Festival, on 12-inch vinyl as the album's first promotional single.[44] The vinyl was made available on Raye's official store, and a video of the live performance of "I Know You're Hurting" from the festival accompanied the release.[45] "I Know You're Hurting" reached number 22 on the UK singles chart.[46]
On 27 February, the album's second single "Nightingale Lane" was released. A video of a live performance with the Flames Collective and the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London, England accompanied the release.[47] The song was issued on 7-inch vinyl with a B-side featuring the live performance at Abbey Road.[48] "Nightingale Lane" reached number 20 on the UK singles chart.[49]
On 20 March, the album's third single, "Click Clack Symphony" featuring German film composer Hans Zimmer, was released alongside a music video directed by Dave Meyers.[50] It reached number 11 on the UK singles chart,[51] and number 68 on the Billboard Global 200.[40]
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, This Music May Contain Hope received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 87 out of 100 from eleven critic scores.[53] The review aggregator Any Decent Music gave the album a weighted average score of 8.4 out of 10 from sixteen critic scores.[52]
Critics praised the ambition and scale on This Music May Contain Hope. Andy Hill of Clash described Raye's ambition as "staggering" and noted her "fourth-wall-breaking familiarity", while referring to "Click Clack Symphony" as a "Beyoncé-level anthem".[54] Ben Tipple of DIY similarly dubbed the album a "stunning showcase of her ever-growing confidence", observing that Raye traverses themes of "love, heartbreak, life, and death [sic]".[56] Helen Brown of The Independent likened the album to an "epic Technicolor movie", highlighting Raye's "matey warmth" and calling the work a "pure audio spectacle".[58] Puah Ziwei of NME agreed that while the album is "a lot to take in", its "unrestrained, all-in approach" makes the journey worthwhile, calling it an "extravagant theatre performance" grounded in relatable experiences.[18]
Reviewers also praised the production, stylistic elements and vocals. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone dubbed the album a "lavish 73-minute narrative", and John Murphy of MusicOMH noted its "rare scale and energy", saying it feels designed to be revisited "time and time again".[20][59] James Hall of The Daily Telegraph observed a wide range of influences and commended Raye's "extraordinary voice and quick-fire delivery", though he did note the project "occasionally slips into self indulgence".[55] Steve Erickson of Slant Magazine wrote that the album "reaffirms Raye's refusal to be pigeonholed into any one genre", adding that even when lyrics verge on cliché, Raye is "refreshingly unconcerned with sounding corny".[19] Boutayna Chokrane of Pitchfork emphasised the meticulous arrangements, "immaculate production value", and praised Raye's choice to be "inconvenient" in a "TikTok-driven" industry, highlighting anthemic moments like the brassy "Where Is My Husband!" and the six-minute centerpiece "I Know You're Hurting".[60]
Alexis Petridis of The Guardian found the album to be "a lot" - overstuffed with ideas - and said it "wobbles unsteadily along the line that separates unbridled self-expression from self-indulgence". He criticised lengthy spoken-word interludes and dialogues on tracks like "Life Boat", but conceded that the album "pays off more often than it fails".[57] Petridis concluded that in a risk-averse era, Raye's boldness stands out, stating "the climate of the 21st century has led artists to be risk-averse", but that's "not a label you could pin on Raye".[57]
Commercial performance
In the United Kingdom, This Music May Contain Hope debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Raye's first album to do so.[61] It opened with 46,976 album-equivalent units, consisting of 28,701 pure album sales, 2,723 downloads, and 15,552 sales-equivalent streams.[62] Additionally, it debuted at number one on six other charts in the country; the Independent Albums Chart,[63] the Album Sales Chart,[64] the Album Downloads Chart,[64] the Vinyl Albums Chart,[61] the Albums Streaming Chart,[64] and the Physical Albums Chart.[64] In its second week on the UK Albums Chart, This Music May Contain Hope placed at number two, selling an additional 15,571 copies,[65] and was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for total sales of over 60,000 copies.[66]
In the United States, This Music May Contain Hope debuted at number eleven on the US Billboard 200, with 41,000 album-equivalent units,[78][79] while also debuting in the top ten of four other Billboard album charts, including at number three on the Independent Albums chart.[80]
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