RAYE

Raye was born Rachel Keen in Tooting, South London to a Ghanaian-Swiss mother and an English father.

Inspired by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Aaliyah, and Amy Winehouse, Raye started composing her own songs at the age of 10. She auditioned for Britain's Got Talent a year later, but never made it through.

Raye signed a publishing deal at 14. At the same time, she enrolled at South London's BRIT School, home to alumni such as Amy Winehouse, Adele and Jessie J. Raye took the train after class to songwriting sessions, often "working with 35-year-old white guys," she recalled to Billboard. "It was important to get my skills up."