Rae Morris Is Back With New Music and a New Record Label

The first album since 2018, Rae Morris has given birth to a new album and a baby!

With the latest album, Rae Morris is turning a corner. The previous albums, Unguarded and Someone Out There were released under record label giant, Atlantic. But, this time around, Rae Morris had to adapt to a new label, having been let go of her contract. The result, however, is an experimental new sound, which takes advantage of Rae’s expanded artistic freedom.

Rae Morris (From BBC)

Rae’s latest album is the unusually titled, Rachel@Fairyland. The name hints at the Mary Poppins-esque theme, which spills into the music video and album artwork. The album is an otherworldly step into a more conceptual era, in comparison to her usual stripped-back aesthetic. The album was released last week with mixed reviews from critics, but a roaringly positive response from fans.

The lead single, ‘No Woman is an Island’ is a play on the quote by English poet, John Donne, who infamously said, “no man is an island.” The ballad was inspired by the sexism that Rae faced in the music industry, after signing a huge record deal at the impressionable age of 19. In an interview with BBC, Rae talks about the inspiration for the leading track, “someone at my old label described me as ‘an island’, because I didn’t give enough of myself to people at parties and events,” she explains. “He said ‘You’ve got such a great smile, Rae. You need to go out more and let people experience that’. I took that as a deep misunderstanding of who I was. It really bothered me for a long time,” said Rae.

Rae rose to fame shortly after the release of the acclaimed debut album, Unguarded. Since then, she has enjoyed steady success in the alternative-pop genre and has been often compared to a “80’s era Kate Bush” (the Independent). Despite making waves in the UK pop music scene, Rae is yet to break through on the charts, which ultimately led to her being dropped from Atlantic Records. “I’m not afraid of the ‘dropped’ word,” said the singer, to BBC. “A lot of people avoid it and say things like, ‘I was let go’ or ‘we parted ways’. I was definitely, fully dropped.”

Rae Morris on Blackpool beach (Red Light Management)

Now a mother, Rae has a different outlook on life and has different priorities. To Rae, motherhood was a period of enlightenment, which banished “a tendency to stress about things that didn’t warrant it.” In an interview with the Guardian, Rae jokes about the unbearable likelihood that her child will have a posh southern accent, “I think she’ll sound like she’s from Primrose Hill, and I’ll just have to deal with it,” said the Blackpool based singer.

In just three albums, Rae Morris has seen incredible creative growth. Despite having a fluctuating relationship with record labels, and stagnant sales for a pop star, Rae has managed to stay around due to her heartfelt songwriting, and bright character. Rae has found her lane and is now content within it.