Rita Ekwere, under the stage name Ray BLK, dropped the brand new single Lovesick yesterday and an accompanying music video was released alongside it. While Ray BLK did announce the single Warrior earlier this year, Lovesick will be her first single off her highly-awaited debut album that is set to be released in 2021.
Lovesick is a song inspired by women experiencing disrespect within their relationships. Over an R&B sound and a hip-hop beat, Ray BLK features as a powerful force for revenge in this brand new Labi directed music video. The combination of the British singer’s soul vocals and skilled rap verses gives Lovesick a modern London sound that has made her so popular this year.
The African-born singer debuted her first EP in 2015 called Havisham, named after the character Miss. Havisham in Charles Dickens’ epic, Great Expectations. This best of times/worst of times musical-literary take on the heartbroken nature of women in this Dickens’ novel was inspired by Ray BLK’s graduating degree in English literature at Brunel University.
In 2016 she debuted her first micro-album Dirt which catapulted her to popularity with a feature from the famous artist Stormzy and went on to help her win the BBC’s Sound of 2017 contest. Ray BLK was the first unsigned artist to do so in history. While Ray BLK was hesitant to sign with a label for fear of losing the rights to her music, she did eventually sign with Universal Island Records UK in 2018.
The success she found throughout 2016-2017 and her new label connections gave Ray BLK her biggest career opportunity to date by landing an opening-act for Nicki Minaj’s Nicki Wrld Tour in the United Kingdom for 2019. This experience helped Ray BLK gain a dense following and therefore her first full length album is highly anticipated for the coming year.
Ray BLK has received critical praise for her previously released EP’s and singles and many well-known musicians in the community have expressed their respect for the artist. Collaborations with Stormzy and Nicki Minaj have given her the platform to be recognized by Janet Jackson and recently Cardi B. has praised Ray BLK on all social media platforms.
After a a few successful EP releases without the help of a label, collaborations with well-known artists and the anticipation of her first full-length album, Ray BLK is officially on the upward climb in the R&B genre and community. Ray BLK has no upcoming events or tour dates for 2020 or 2021, making her popularity boost a virtual one. Lovesick is available on all streaming platforms and her new music video is now available through YouTube’s official VEVO channel.
