The emotion-fuelled track serves as the pop vocalist's first solo single in over a year, though she did team up with Disclosure on Waterfall back in March. Penned and produced by Raye herself, with additional production by Mike Sabath, it also marks the start of a new chapter for the star, who parted ways with Polydor Records in 2021.
Catchy and brutally honest, it takes a swipe at her old label, who she claims stopped her from putting out her debut LP, the broader music industry, and the patriarchy, and toxic masculinity. She commented:
"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 eight years of my career, and me preparing to take control of my narrative, my art and my life truly for the first time."
She added: "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."
Check out the powerful accompanying video below.
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