August 24, Little John’s Farm: The Camden singer brings both the heart and the energy to the festival “It’s always been my dream to play this festival, but I didn’t think we would start off on the main stage with all these people here,” RAYE says to the packed crowd at Reading 2023 . “This is fucking crazy.” It’s been an immense couple of years since the Camden singer shared her emotionally raw debut album ‘My 21st Century Blues’ .
This year alone, she’s sold out London’s iconic O2 arena and made history after taking home a record-breaking six trophies at the 2024 BRIT Awards . It’s a pretty impressive feat, given her battle to re-establish herself as an independent artist in recent years. However, with her set at Reading today (August 24), the singer is adamant that this isn’t the time for looking back at past struggles but rather embracing the joy that follows when you overcome them.
“I’m going to take you through some different motions in this set, and we’ll have some good times. I promise,” she says at one point. For any artist, making a festival debut on the main stage is a challenging feat.
But while some could shrink away when placed in front of a crowd of thousands, for RAYE, the stage immediately feels like a second home. It’s clear from when she launches the set with ‘Flip A Switch’ and makes her presence immediately known, her powerful vocals just about managing to cut through the eruption of applause. Raye performs during .