RAYE Is Entering Her Fitness Era With H&M Move
British singer-songwriter RAYE just made history and already, that's not even the biggest part of her 2024. Alongside being nominated for seven BRIT awards this year (beating out the likes of Craig David, Robbie Williams and Gorillaz who previously held the title for most nominations), the soulful songstress is embarking on a new fitness journey with H&M Move.
Teaming up with the multi-national clothing company to create a new movement-inspired collection, RAYE also stars in the brand's campaign, showcasing a slew of fashion-forward activewear designed to make you look and feel your best.
"When they approached me to be part of this campaign I was initially a bit confused because I'm not really giving fitness queen, but I liked that they just wanted me to be me," the artist tells us. "They didn't want me to pretend to be something I'm not, fitness and body wise and I really loved that," she adds.
We caught up with the record-breaking BRIT Award nominee to find out more about her new collection with H&M Move, style inspiration and what the rest of 2024 holds.
Read on for the full interview.
Tell us a bit about how the partnership with H&M came about. What is it you admire about the brand?
When they approached me to be part of this campaign I was initially a bit confused, because I'm not really giving fitness queen but I liked that they just wanted me to be me. They didn't want me to pretend to be something I'm not, fitness and body wise and I really loved that. There's no editing, it's just raw and I think that's really refreshing.
How involved were you in the creative process? What was it like?
I worked closely with the team at H&M Move on the creative and we're all really pleased with how it turned out.
The collection is partly inspired by HIIT training and promises to make our new year, new us workouts all the more stylish -- what's your relationship with exercise like? What can you tell us about your workout routine?
I love training. I think that every person will be good at or struggle with different things. For instance, running isn't for me but I love to box. I love hit training. I love high intensity, sweaty classes. There's also a lot of things I haven't tried. I also love to dance. To get in a room and move to music. That's my thing.
As someone who travels the world performing for fans, we can imagine that keeping fit is pretty important to you. How do you balance it all?
I try hard to balance it all when we're on the road. We all try and find classes as when we're in different places. So if we're gonna be in say Berlin tomorrow, we'll go and find a spin class and go in the morning. We kind of just go with the flow.
It's been said that things like matching underwear and matching sports clothes can make all the difference when it comes to improving your confidence. How does style play a part in increasing confidence for you?
I think on those days when I leave the house with my hair messy and not making much effort, then maybe I feel a bit lower in confidence. But when you make an effort, from the little things to even the more time consuming things, I just think it's good for you. You feel confident and you think 'I look nice today' and it's nice to feel like that. It's good to feel you're happy with your presentation.
How would you describe your style?
When I'm on stage and as an artist, I really love the '50s and '60s. I love dresses, and big blow outs, that pin up girl look. For me not working, I'm very much a jumper and jeans kind of style. More on the casual side, comfortable. I think I'm kind of the opposite on and off stage.
Where does your fashion inspiration come from? Who do you look to?
My fashion inspiration comes from the '30s, '40s, '50s and '60s eras. I love the way the makeup and the hair used to be, and I love the way the girls used to dress. Some of my favourite singers are a big inspiration like Dinah Washington, Nina Simone, Etta and Ella.
Finally, what's next for you -- what are your goals for 2024?
My goals for 2024 are just to keep creating art I'm proud of and to enjoy myself as much as possible. We worked really hard in 2023 and I'm hoping 2024 we will continue to work hard, but also just stop to smell the flowers a bit more.
Head to the H&M website to check out the new collection.
