Raye has spoken out on her drug and alcohol spiral, admitting that 2019 ‘was a pretty dark year’.The Where Is My Husband singer, 28, whose real name is Rachel Keen, was signed by record company Polydor in 2014 and rose to fame at 19 years old by featuring on Jax Jones’ You Don’t Know Me.But five years into her record deal, Raye explained she was becoming disillusioned with the industry, as record executives pushed her into projects she didn’t want to take part in and withheld her debut album.It was during a stint living and recording in Los Angeles in 2019 that the star hit rock bottom as she blames ‘a large collection of traumas, frustrations and substance abuse, misuse, or whatever, that just kind of piled up and that year was just one blurry mess’.Calling it ‘a pretty dark year’, the London-born star explained how she wasn’t close to most of her family at this time, apart from her sister Lauren – known professionally as Amma – who came to live with her for a while.In a joint interview for CBS’ Sirius radio, Amma explained how ‘traumatic’ it was to see her sister spiral. Raye has spoken out on her drug and alcohol spiral, admitting that 2019 ‘was a pretty dark year’ (pictured in September 2026)’It would be me that had to double check that she was okay and yeah, she was still alive frankly,’ she said. Raye was asked during the interview whether she was using ‘drugs’ at that time, she nodded and replied: ‘Yeah other stuff,’ whilst explaining that she still drinks.’Interestingly there was a time when I was just not sober at all. I was really in the deep end,’ she explained, adding that it was her grandmother texting her a bible verse about sobriety that helped start her recovery.’She didn’t know anything that was going on,’ she explained. ‘I was very good at hiding what I was going through and what I was doing from my family. But that Bible verse kicked me in the teeth a bit,’ she said. ‘I was at a session in LA, I just remember I went to the bathroom and I shed some tears and I was like, “I need to start getting it together here”.In 2021, after years spent apart from her family, Raye hired her parents Paul and Sarah – with Paul serving as her manager and her mother Sarah helping with management tasks. Meanwhile she regularly performs with Amma and her other sister Absolutely.Raye has spoken openly about her years signed with Polydor, claiming she had ‘albums on albums of music sat in folders collecting dust, songs I am now giving away to A list artists because I am still awaiting confirmation that I am good enough to release an album.’In June 2021, Raye revealed that her record label had been withholding her debut album for several years and she went on a hiatus. It was during a stint living in LA in 2019 that the star hit rock bottom as she blames ‘a large collection of traumas, frustrations and substance abuse that just kind of piled up’ (pictured in 2019) ‘I was really in the deep end,’ she explained, adding that it was her grandmother texting her a bible verse about sobriety that helped start her recovery (pictured with her granda atr the 2024 BRIT Awards)She took to Twitter to tell her 50,000 followers at the time: ‘I have been on a 4 ALBUM RECORD DEAL since 2014. And haven’t been allowed to put out one album.’In a series of posts to X, formerly Twitter, she wrote: ‘Imagine this pain. I have been signed to a major label since 2014… and I have had albums on albums of music sat in folders collecting dust, songs I am now giving away to A list artists because I am still awaiting confirmation that I am good enough to release an album.’She said she had ‘done everything’ they asked her to do, including switching genres and working long weeks.’I’m done being a polite pop star. I want to make my album now, please that is all I want,’ she said.She was later released from her contract and struck out as an independent artist where she has found her biggest success.In an interview with Louis Theroux in 2023, she explained how she had felt ‘sedated’ for years after taking drugs to help her ‘get along with my career’.’I was able to get along with my career because I was in some form of sedation, whether it be weed or other things, which I wrote about on my album,’ she said. In 2021 after years spent apart from her family, Raye hired her parents Paul and Sarah – with Paul serving as her manager and her mother Sarah helping with management tasks. Meanwhile she regularly performs with Amma and her other sister Absolutely (pictured with her sisters)’I was just trying to get on with it Louis, and when I became sober I realised wow I can’t do this sober, it’s actually deep…what I’d actually been doing to myself as a person to try and be somebody they wanted me to be, it’s so sad.”I just got to a point where I was like what is my life right now. I was at a point where I had nothing left to lose.’By the end of 2023, her dance track Escapism featuring US rapper 070 Shake had gone viral on TikTok and shot up the charts to number one.It won the award for best contemporary song at the Ivor Novello Awards.The track was followed by her debut studio album, My 21st Century Blues, which was applauded by critics and peaked at number two in the charts.The 2023 album went on to be nominated for the acclaimed Mercury Prize, which celebrates the best of UK and Irish music.In 2024 she made history by winning six Brit Awards in a single night including British Album of the Year for My 21st Century Blues.After releasing her 2023 single Ice Cream Man, Raye shared her experience with being assaulted by a music producer who forced his hand between her legs when she was 17 years old. She said she still suffers from panic attacks and post-traumatic stress disorder from being sexually assaulted. Raye released her critically acclaimed second studio album, This Music May Contain Hope, in March 2026 independently.The album was preceded by the release lead single Where Is My Husband which became Raye’s second number-one on the UK singles chart and reached number six on the Billboard Global 200. On Friday, the star announced a one-off show at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall on Friday, October 23.THIS SYMPHONY MAY CONTAIN HOPE. will be a one-night-only symphonic reimagining of the star’s hugely acclaimed sophomore album, THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE., performed with RAYE’s band, The Heritage Orchestra and Flames Collective.Tickets go on sale Thursday, October 15 at 10am. Artist presale begins Tuesday, October 13, with presale sign-up available at rayeofficial.com.This will be RAYE’s second symphony reimagining, following the huge success of her My 21st Century Symphony shows at the Royal Albert Hall in 2023 and The O2 London in 2024.