Raye stripped down to her underwear in order to make a powerful statement about body dysmorphia.
The singer, 25, was on stage at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday for a live album recording when she began to remove her clothing during a performance of her hit, Body Dysmorphia.
She has spoken candidly about her battle with the mental health condition – where you intensely worry about your appearance – with her candid lyrics including lines such as ‘I’m so hungry, I can’t sleep / But I know if I eat /Then I’ll be in the bathroom on my knees.’
In front of a cheering crowd, Raye removed her corset and trousers as she stripped down to a white bra and knickers, holding herself as she belted out the emotional lyrics.
She remained in her underwear to perform her next song, Ice Cream Man, about sexual assault, telling the audience: ‘I’m taking my clothes off at the Royal Albert Hall!’
Powerful: Raye stripped down to her underwear during Tuesday’s show at the Royal Albert Hall in order to make a powerful statement about body dysmorphia
Stripping off: The singer, 25, was on stage for a live album recording when she began to remove her clothing during a performance of her hit, Body Dysmorphia
Detailing her experience in an Instagram post after the show, Raye penned: ‘The show of my ENTIRE CAREER, I can’t HANDLE THIS I am losing my mind reflecting on this show, and yes I am posting the reviews cus we got 5 freaking stars across the board.
‘Headlining a sold out royal Albert hall accompanied by @heritageorchestra and the beautiful talents of the youth choir that is @flamescollective_ conducted and arranged by the monster genius that is @wakeuptom.
‘I CAN NOT BELIEVE THIS IS MY REAL LIFEEEEEE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS OF HUSTLE AND MONSTROUS DREAMS my city saw me for the artist I truly want to be and will continue to strive to be.
‘Thank you to Pete @moombaproductions for dedicating 10 years of your life pouring your heart into my project through thick and thin, when I didn’t even have money to pay you what you deserved to @jonny_famous for making my shows sound ridiculous for the crowd, my insane beautiful tour family my goooooooodnesssssssss I will NEVER EVER EVER EVER FORGET THIS NIGHT as long as I am alive [sic].’
Raye previously spoke about her battle with body dysmorphia after she was asked on Capital FM ‘what do you see when you look in the mirror?’
She explained: ‘I don’t know. It’s a very 50/50 experience. Maybe a lot of people can relate. Sometimes you’ll look in the mirror and be like “that’s nice” or “that’s good”, and then sometimes it will feel like the opposite.
‘But that’s OK, it’s just part of life and I think it’s something I’m very much working through.
‘I don’t think it’s good to spend too much time in the mirror, or you’ll just start pointing out all the flaws. I just use music as my therapy to try and process stuff.’
Success story: Raye’s album My 21st Century Blues is Raye’s first project following her departure from Polydor Records in 2021
Raye’s album My 21st Century Blues is Raye’s first project following her departure from Polydor Records in 2021.
The singer touches on substance abuse, assault and sexual violence and anxiety in her lyrics, and previously explained why she didn’t want to shy away from ‘difficult’ topics.
She told MailOnline: ‘I just want to be a woman discussing uncomfortable topics that we don’t talk about, these are all things I battled with in the darkness and in silence.
‘You hope in writing about these songs and putting them out into the world, you just hope that people hear them, and and relate to them also.
‘It’s very much medicine in a way that you have a different feeling to to put quite a painful emotion to it.
‘For me is just very empowering, and I hope it can be medicine for anyone else who who needs it.’
While the process of writing the songs was cathartic, it also led to candid and frank conversations with her loved ones – some of whom had no idea she had battled past demons.
The songs were ones that Raye had been working on for years but was unable to while locked in a battle with her old label Polydor, who she says ‘controlled and manipulated’ her.
Up until 2021, outsiders saw Raye – who first rose to fame for featuring on Jonas Blue’s 2016 single By Your Side – thriving after having seven top 20 hits to her name and songwriting credits for Beyonce, John Legend and Charli XCX.
But she felt trapped in a four-album record deal without an album to her name.
She informed the world of her situation in a strongly worded tweet posted when she had ‘hit breaking point’ and was able to leave her label last year.
For help and support with eating disorders contact Beat at beateatingdisorders.org.uk
