RAYE captivated the crowd with a moving, majestic performance at the 2025 Grammys. Accompanied by an orchestra, the British soul/R&B singer gave a belting rendition of “Oscar Winning Tears”, a track from her 2023 album ‘My 21st Century Blues’. She was one of a handful of nominees to perform on the night.
Elegantly styled in a sequined black dress, RAYE sang with striking delivery. The orchestral arrangements and backing vocals brought a grandiose sound to the proceedings. In the song’s outro, her delicate vocal runs earned a roar from the crowd. She received a standing ovation, with the camera catching Beyonce, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys smiling and raising their hands. You can watch the performance below.
@raye #raye #grammys #oscarwinningtears ♬ Oscar Winning Tears. – RAYE
RAYE was nominated for three Grammys this year, ‘Best New Artist’ and ‘Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical’. She missed out on both, with Chappell Roan taking ‘Best New Artist’, and Amy Allen taking home ‘Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical’. She was also nominated for ‘Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical’ as a contributor to Lucky Daye’s album ‘Algorithim‘. While she may have lost out on the awards, the nominations were a proud feat for the Tooting-born singer. In November, she shared an emotional clip on Instagram after learning she’d been nominated for this year’s awards. With crying eyes, she wrote in her video “Grammy nominated tears”, and in her caption put “God knows all it took to get here”.
In an interview with People in 2024, RAYE said that winning a Grammy was a childhood dream of hers. “When I was little, the first image I saw was that gorgeous golden gramophone,” she said. “For a British girl, you watch the Grammys at home, like, ‘Wow, one day maybe I’ll make it there.’”
She humbly acknowledged the strong competition for ‘Best New Artist’, appearing alongside fellow nominees Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Teddy Swims, Benson Boone, Shaboozey, Doechii and Khruangbin. “And I think that’s why for that award, I’m not even holding my breath,” she joked.
She added, “I’m just happy to be listed amongst these incredible artists who are just absolutely killing it and having Billboard No. 1s and selling out freaking huge arenas. I still feel like I’ve got a lot of work to do and a long way to go, but it’s just a really beautiful thing.”
RAYE was one of many live acts on the for the 2025 Grammys – Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Lady Gaga also gave memorable performances. There was a surprise appearance from The Weeknd, who had previously boycotted the awards show. Doechii and Sabrina Carpenter took to the stage, and a Quincy Jones tribute featured Janelle Monáe, Stevie Wonder, Cynthia Erivo, and jazz legend Herbie Hancock. You can see a full list of the performances here.
