How Raye Made ‘Escapism’ a Smash Hit | The Breakdown

It's ironic how Raye’s hardest song to sing is also the one she has to perform the most. “People are like, ‘She sounds so out of breath.’ I’m like shut the fuck up! Where do I breathe?” she tells Rolling Stone with a laugh about her smash hit “Escapism.” “Tell me where to breathe!”

Since the song’s release late last year, the track has garnered 507 million streams and counting on Spotify. With its key changes and rapid raps, it’s one of the most interesting hits in the last several years and one of the singer’s proudest moments.

“I wanted the effect of information and lyrics just pouring out,” she says. “But I didn’t think about the live repercussions of those decisions.”

“Escapism” carried the promotion of her album My 21st Century Blues, her first LP since freeing her of her record label and dropping as an independent artist. The LP features songs such as “Flip a Switch,” “Ice Cream Man,” and “Hard Out Here.”