Kat Harlton
Photos provided via PR team
Five-time CMA Ontario nominee Nicole Rayy recently released her new single “Guilty” on January 26th via all streaming platforms.
Produced by Douglas Romanow (Kinnie Starr / Don Amero / Alessia Cohle) and written by Nicole Rayy, Douglas Romanow, Chrystal Oudijk, “Guilty” is a not so typical love song. The song paints the picture of a love so good it should be illegal, a love you are willing to go to jail for. The song also really homes in on a more country rock sound for Rayy, with bluesy undertones, a sound she feels is the truest to her as an artist.
The founder of an all-female music festival HarmoniaFest, Nicole Rayy has amassed over 4 million career streams to date. As a five-time CMA Ontario nominee, she has received praise from country tastemaker press such as The Boot, Complete Country, and Top Country while enjoying continued DSP support via playlists such as Spotify’s New Music Nashville, Women in Country, Live Country and Best Country Songs of 2021 as well as Amazon Music’s Breakthrough Country and Just North of Nashville. Rayy has played festivals such as Hagersville Rocks, Dauphin’s Countryfest, Manitoulin Countryfest – and she’s even had the experience of performing at the World Music Festival in Shanghai, China.
Rayy has carved out her place in the country community by consistently creating initiatives to support fellow female artists including her #AllWomanMusic songwriters’ series and founding HarmoniaFest. February will see Rayy perform a slew of dates in Canada in support of the new single.
I had the opportunity to chat with Nicole about her musical journey, her new single and what’s next.
Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration behind your latest single?
Nicole: I was actually watching the show “Good Trouble” while I was getting ready for my write with Douglas Romanow and Chrystal Oudijk. One of the characters on the show works as a law clerk and so I had all these “court” type words and themes on my mind. I was hoping to write a love song that day because I find they are the most difficult to write for me and I really wanted a new love song for my upcoming project. As I sat down for the write I was telling Chrystal I was hung up on combining a love theme with court imagery but I wasn’t sure how to pair the themes. She immediately laughed and said, “what if it was a love so good it felt illegal”. And that was it! It sparked the inspiration and Guilty was born.
Kat: What do you hope fans take from the track?
Nicole: I hope they can find their own love stories in Guilty. That is always my hope for my music. I love being able to share my story but I hope people can find something they need for themselves in my songs. Listening to music growing up was always my favourite part, that I could hear my stories in other people’s words and it made me feel less alone. That is why I make music. So, I hope the words of Guilty find their way to the fans who need them.
Kat: What do you find is the most challenging part of your creative process?
Nicole: I think for me it’s always been challenging to feel this pressure to rush the creative process. It’s hard to put a timeline on creativity but with how fast-paced the industry can be there is always this great sense of needing to find inspiration right now to put out a song immediately. But of course, inspiration doesn’t work like that. I think I am getting better at allowing myself to be creative when I really have something I want to say. I want to put out music that resonates and represents me and I think that is more important than putting out music I don’t believe in just because I think that is what I am “supposed to do”.
Kat: What has been a career highlight for you so far? What have you learned along the way?
Nicole: I’m lucky to have so many wonderful highlights in my career so far from travelling to China to perform, to being nominated and recognized for my music, but my favourite moments have all come from creating a community for women with my All Woman Music songwriter’s show and all-female festival HarmoniaFest. The industry has a way of making women feel like they have to fight against each other to get to the top and I’ve learned that the way to change that starts within me. It has been incredibly rewarding to help create opportunities to not only share my own stories and songs but also give a platform to talented women to be heard and support one another. It has taught me how important this work feels for the next generation of women in country music.
Kat: What’s next for you?
Nicole: I will be hitting the road, to promote Guilty, with my friend and fellow country artist Mackenzie Leigh Meyer! We have planned a tour starting in Ontario and then heading out West. There will be more details on the tour announced soon so make sure you keep an eye on my socials for all the information!
Connect With Nicole Rayy
www.nicolerayy.com
www.instagram.com/NicoleRayyMusic
https://www.tiktok.com/@nicolerayymusic
www.facebook.com/NicoleRayyMusic
www.twitter.com/NicoleRayyMusic
www.youtube.com/user/OfficialNicoleRayy