At 18 years old, south London R&B singer RAYE knows what she wants, and she knows how to go after it. After writing, recording, co-producing, and releasing her own debut EP Welcome To The Winter at the age of 17 last year, RAYE turned enough heads that her new EP Second arrives today, August 11, on major label Polydor. As well as the previously released "Ambition" (f. Stormzy), the EP also features a co-write with Charli XCX.
"I, U, Us" is a synth-driven, mellow kiss-off to relationships that were never worth bothering with to begin with; the cooler, younger sister of "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." The video — a directorial debut from Charli XCX —captures all of the song's glow, showing RAYE hanging with her crew at the ice rink as she relishes the hook: I, U, Us/ Never, never, never again.
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“We had the most fun, we were jumping around in the studio like little kids when we wrote ‘I, U, Us,'" RAYE told The FADER over email. "We got a day in to write together and went in hard and wrote four tunes in one day. 'I, U, Us' was one of them that we did with a producer called Fred and another sick artist called Noonie Bao.
"The song is me empowering myself, and making myself feel bigger and better than the person who tried to make me feel small. I was chatting with Charli and she had a vision for the video so it was obvious to me that she should be the one to bring that to life. It’s about me feeling free and letting loose with my boys, and Charli nailed it.”
"When RAYE asked me to direct this video I was so down," Charli elaborated. "She’s one of my favorite people to collaborate with right now. She’s a total star and an amazing subject to work with. I love her and really enjoyed making this video with her.” Watch "I, U, Us" exclusively above.
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