Raleigh Ritchie has finally made a proper comeback to the music scene. He just premiered a new song called “Aristocats” from second studio album ‘Andy‘, set to drop on June 26 via Alacran Records. The song also incorporates with a music video produced the singer himself.
With only less then one-day notice, Bristol musician and actor Jacob Anderson, or Raleigh Ritchie as his music persona, has surprised fans with the start of his second era, ‘Andy‘. The new album is a follow-up to Ritchie’s 2016 debut ‘You’re a Man Now, Boy‘.
The alternative R&B singer has picked “Aristocats” to be a proper lead single for the album. Produced by frequent collaborator Chris Loco, the track retains Ritchie’s signature cinematic sound filled with heavy bass and orchestral strings that will force us to head-bop hard.
“Aristocats” also lyrically deals with the topic of race and class in the UK. The star talks with Complex, who premiered the track, about the inspiration behind the song: “British history is complicated, especially as a POC, and history is everything! It’s what we learn from to help us build our future. Back in school, I didn’t learn much about British history aside from the country’s victories and a version of some of its atrocities. Sometimes it’s a confusing place, and although I love my country, I don’t always feel loved by it. With this video, I wanted to explore this and my relationship to my own history and the history of those who came before me.”
The “Aristocats” video features the crooner together with other black actors and actresses dressed up in so-called British aristocrat attire. He shared a statement about the “mad” making of this visual, which can be seen in the post below alongside the single cover.
Tags and credits over on Instagram (and on the poster). This team of people showed me a level of dedication and craft unlike anything I’ve ever seen pic.twitter.com/QaS8mgc9kl
— Raleigh Ritchie (@RaleighRitchie) May 6, 2020
The 29-year-old star is known for his acting role as Grey Worm in immensely popular television series ‘Game of Throne‘. Apart from the acting career, Anderson has adopted a stage name Raleigh Ritchie for his singing career.
Signed to Columbia Records in 2013, Ritchie jumpstarted his music by releasing debut EP ‘The Middle Child‘, followed by the ‘Black and Blue‘ EP in 2014. 2016 was the year he eventually dropped the very first full-length ‘You’re a Man Now, Boy‘, spawning singles like “Stronger Than Ever“, “Bloodsport ’15“, and “The Greatest“.
In 2018, the singer teased the coming of his second LP by releasing two singles: “Time in a Tree” and “Me Myself and I“. Then, he married British actress Aisling Loftus in December and disappeared from the spotlight, leaving his fans wanting more of new music.
Now, Ritchie is eventually ready to launch his second era with an upcoming album, ‘Andy‘. Set for the release on June 26, the album will contain twelve tracks, featuring a previously released “Time in a Tree“. Meanwhile, “Aristocrats” is available now everywhere. Check out the album cover and the tracklist below.
‘Andy‘ tracklist
1. “Pressure”
2. “Time in a Tree”
3. “Aristocrats”
4. “Party Fear”
5. “Worries”
6. “Stfu”
7. “27 Club”
8. “Sadboi”
9. “Shadow”
10. “Structure (Interlude)”
11. “Squares”
12. “Big & Scared”
