In a Black History Month special, Dotty is joined today by Ray BLK and Kojey Radical. Ray BLK discusses the recent release of her debut album 'Access Denied', and explains why it was important to her to create the project at her own pace. She also teases a forthcoming collaboration with Tamera and reveals she'd love to work with Jvck James. Kojey Radical also joins the show to talk about collaborating with Ray on 'Smoke', telling Dotty that he considers her to be "one of the most authentic souls that you can ever come across."
Kojey Radical Tells Apple Music About Working With Ray BLK…
It was half a happy accident because I think that particular session, I was just in the building. I was in the building somewhere and I think we ran into each other in the hallway, and it was like, "Yo, I'm going to come check your session as soon as I'm done." So I wrapped up my thing super quick, found the room, Ray and Nana Rogues was in there. Nana Rogues, that's the big bro. So that's a lot of love in the room already. And as soon as I heard the beat, I said, "Yeah, what we doing?"
Kojey Radical Tells Apple Music That Ray BLK Is ‘One Of The Most Authentic Souls’…
Do you know what? I think she's one of the most authentic souls that you can ever come across, and I think even down to the fact that no matter how far she's gotten, Ray's definitely still from South London and that ain't never going to change. And I think that's what makes you feel like you're around somebody that feels familiar and someone that you can relate to. So for me, that's what makes Ray special.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About Working With Kojey Radical on ‘Smoke’…
He just brings a different energy to it. His pocket is very different. Just me and him together in the studio, I knew he was going to bring energy out of me as well, because Kojey's a bit of an extrovert where sometimes I might be a bit like “Oh, I don't know if I can”, he's like, "No, we got to go ham." Do you know what I mean? All of that big energy. And so I just knew together in the studio, we were going to make something hype. And he's an incredible writer, poet, artist, singer, even, so I knew it was going to be multidimensional.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About Waiting To Release Her Debut Album…
I was working on it for probably two and a half years. I've got a song on there called '25', I'm now 27, just to put it into context. It's a little bit nerve-wracking, I guess, because it's been a long time coming so you can't not have an album for three years, four years, and then it's a bit meedi, because it's like what were you doing all that time? So it's nerve-wracking, so I hope people like it and connect to it.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About The Pressure She Felt To Release Her Debut Record…
Yeah, there definitely was pressure. The expectation was you win the Sound Of poll and then you release your debut album, because that's what everyone else who had won it had done, so people actually plan their albums around the possibility of winning the poll, but the reality is I had no idea that would even happen. To me, that was so far from what would happen to me. We weren't preparing for anything. I was just enjoying the ride. I've dropped an EP, I'm performing, I'm doing radio, this is all exciting. But I didn't expect to suddenly be on the news and in newspapers, and "Where's the music?" Because I was like, "There isn't any because I've just been enjoying what's going on, and maybe there'll be an album." So there was a lot of pressure but the reality is I just hadn't prepared for it, so I had to take my time.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About Making Music That Felt ‘Authentic’ To Her…
So authentically me. I think the most authentic I've been even just because me taking my time meant that I got to create the sound that I wanted with the people that I wanted, and without all of that pressure as well, because at the time when I won the Sound Of poll, there was this expectation for me to make super soulful music. Lauryn Hill was the name they kept bringing around my name, who is a legend, a goddess, whose music I love, but I also wanted to make strip club music. So I'm glad that I got the time to really just develop myself, work on my sound, and do what feels natural to me, and show my personality.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About Becoming More Confident As An Artist…
As a writer, I've changed the way I work, I used to be so nervous and shy about my ideas in the studio. I would write the whole song in my head and on paper, and then put it on a mic, and the producer would be like, "You didn't say a word and you've just written all of that." And now, I'll freestyle on the mic. So I'm a lot more relaxed, I think, with the process of making music, and I'm a lot more comfortable in myself, really. I feel like I can express myself a little bit more because people, they don't believe it, but I can be a little bit shy and everything was so new to me.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About Recording ‘50/50'…
I remember being so gassed that day because that was my first day being in a big studio. Before then, I was working out of my friend's studio, but this was a big studio with lights and stuff, and I remember just thinking this is so sick. And the producer, Aston, he was just running the beat and just making all these interesting sounds, and I was like it's giving me Timbaland vibes, I've got to come with something hard as well. And I just enjoyed myself. I was just happy to be there.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About A Possible Collaboration with Tamera…
I'm listening to Tamera. She's really fire. She dropped another song. A good few songs, I love. I like her wave that she's on right now. It's going to happen. We've been talking. It's in motion. We're on route. Yeah, it's happening.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About The Artists She'd Like To Work With...
A good couple people. Obviously Tamera, I really love Jvck James. He's really fire. I really like Bellah. I'd like to work with her.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About Winning The BBC Sound Of Poll…
I feel like it was happening to me, but I wasn't experiencing it. I don't know if that makes sense. So much was happening so quickly. I didn't even realise there was a buzz around me. When people kept saying, "Oh, there's buzz around you," I was like, "Really?" Because I'm just living my life. Do you know what I mean? And I'm living out my dream. So for me, I was just enjoying the fact that what I wanted to happen in my life is actually happening. I'm actually an artist full-time. This is what I'm doing. So I was loving it, but I had no clue what was going on around me.
Kojey Radical Tells Apple Music About Working With Ray BLK…
It was half a happy accident because I think that particular session, I was just in the building. I was in the building somewhere and I think we ran into each other in the hallway, and it was like, "Yo, I'm going to come check your session as soon as I'm done." So I wrapped up my thing super quick, found the room, Ray and Nana Rogues was in there. Nana Rogues, that's the big bro. So that's a lot of love in the room already. And as soon as I heard the beat, I said, "Yeah, what we doing?"
Kojey Radical Tells Apple Music That Ray BLK Is ‘One Of The Most Authentic Souls’…
Do you know what? I think she's one of the most authentic souls that you can ever come across, and I think even down to the fact that no matter how far she's gotten, Ray's definitely still from South London and that ain't never going to change. And I think that's what makes you feel like you're around somebody that feels familiar and someone that you can relate to. So for me, that's what makes Ray special.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About Working With Kojey Radical on ‘Smoke’…
He just brings a different energy to it. His pocket is very different. Just me and him together in the studio, I knew he was going to bring energy out of me as well, because Kojey's a bit of an extrovert where sometimes I might be a bit like “Oh, I don't know if I can”, he's like, "No, we got to go ham." Do you know what I mean? All of that big energy. And so I just knew together in the studio, we were going to make something hype. And he's an incredible writer, poet, artist, singer, even, so I knew it was going to be multidimensional.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About Waiting To Release Her Debut Album…
I was working on it for probably two and a half years. I've got a song on there called '25', I'm now 27, just to put it into context. It's a little bit nerve-wracking, I guess, because it's been a long time coming so you can't not have an album for three years, four years, and then it's a bit meedi, because it's like what were you doing all that time? So it's nerve-wracking, so I hope people like it and connect to it.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About The Pressure She Felt To Release Her Debut Record…
Yeah, there definitely was pressure. The expectation was you win the Sound Of poll and then you release your debut album, because that's what everyone else who had won it had done, so people actually plan their albums around the possibility of winning the poll, but the reality is I had no idea that would even happen. To me, that was so far from what would happen to me. We weren't preparing for anything. I was just enjoying the ride. I've dropped an EP, I'm performing, I'm doing radio, this is all exciting. But I didn't expect to suddenly be on the news and in newspapers, and "Where's the music?" Because I was like, "There isn't any because I've just been enjoying what's going on, and maybe there'll be an album." So there was a lot of pressure but the reality is I just hadn't prepared for it, so I had to take my time.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About Making Music That Felt ‘Authentic’ To Her…
So authentically me. I think the most authentic I've been even just because me taking my time meant that I got to create the sound that I wanted with the people that I wanted, and without all of that pressure as well, because at the time when I won the Sound Of poll, there was this expectation for me to make super soulful music. Lauryn Hill was the name they kept bringing around my name, who is a legend, a goddess, whose music I love, but I also wanted to make strip club music. So I'm glad that I got the time to really just develop myself, work on my sound, and do what feels natural to me, and show my personality.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About Becoming More Confident As An Artist…
As a writer, I've changed the way I work, I used to be so nervous and shy about my ideas in the studio. I would write the whole song in my head and on paper, and then put it on a mic, and the producer would be like, "You didn't say a word and you've just written all of that." And now, I'll freestyle on the mic. So I'm a lot more relaxed, I think, with the process of making music, and I'm a lot more comfortable in myself, really. I feel like I can express myself a little bit more because people, they don't believe it, but I can be a little bit shy and everything was so new to me.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About Recording ‘50/50'…
I remember being so gassed that day because that was my first day being in a big studio. Before then, I was working out of my friend's studio, but this was a big studio with lights and stuff, and I remember just thinking this is so sick. And the producer, Aston, he was just running the beat and just making all these interesting sounds, and I was like it's giving me Timbaland vibes, I've got to come with something hard as well. And I just enjoyed myself. I was just happy to be there.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About A Possible Collaboration with Tamera…
I'm listening to Tamera. She's really fire. She dropped another song. A good few songs, I love. I like her wave that she's on right now. It's going to happen. We've been talking. It's in motion. We're on route. Yeah, it's happening.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About The Artists She'd Like To Work With...
A good couple people. Obviously Tamera, I really love Jvck James. He's really fire. I really like Bellah. I'd like to work with her.
Ray BLK Tells Apple Music About Winning The BBC Sound Of Poll…
I feel like it was happening to me, but I wasn't experiencing it. I don't know if that makes sense. So much was happening so quickly. I didn't even realise there was a buzz around me. When people kept saying, "Oh, there's buzz around you," I was like, "Really?" Because I'm just living my life. Do you know what I mean? And I'm living out my dream. So for me, I was just enjoying the fact that what I wanted to happen in my life is actually happening. I'm actually an artist full-time. This is what I'm doing. So I was loving it, but I had no clue what was going on around me.
