Corinne Bailey Rae

About Corinne Bailey Rae

Corinne Bailey Rae showed up in 2006 with a self-titled debut that felt like someone had quietly opened a window in the middle of a lot of very loud rooms. Her voice had this featherlight quality that somehow carried weight, and "Put Your Records On" became unavoidable that year without ever really trying too hard. It was the kind of song that got played in coffee shops and car commercials, but it actually held up.

She grew up in Leeds, which isn't exactly the first place you think of for soul singers, but that's where she started playing violin and getting into jazz and indie rock in equal measure. She was in an indie band called Helen before going solo, and you can hear that in how her music never sat completely comfortably in the neo-soul box everyone tried to put her in. There's always been something a bit left of center about her approach.

That first album sold millions and got her Grammy nominations, the whole thing. "Like a Star" was the other big single, slower and jazzier than "Put Your Records On," and it showed she could do more than one thing. The album had this easy, organic feel to it, recorded largely live, which was somewhat radical for 2006 when everyone was still very into polish and production.

Then things went quiet for a while. Her husband, Jason Rae, died in 2008, and she stepped back. When she came back with The Sea in 2010, it was a different record entirely. Darker, more experimental, with nods to dub and rock alongside the soul. "I'd Do It All Again" and "Closer" dealt pretty directly with grief, and the whole thing felt like watching someone work through something heavy in real time. It didn't sell like the first one, but it mattered more in a lot of ways.

The Heart Speaks in Whispers came in 2016, and she was in a different place by then. Married again, with kids, and the music reflected that. It was warmer, more expansive, with songs like "Been to the Moon" that felt genuinely joyful without being saccharine. She worked with Steve Brown again, her longtime producer, and brought in some more electronic elements that actually worked.

She's stayed busy without being everywhere. She put out a covers EP called The Love in 2020, doing her versions of songs by Lavender Diamond and Prince, which was as pandemic a release as anything. She collaborates, shows up on other people's records, tours when it makes sense. The Black Rainbows project she teased was apparently about guitar music and felt very her, pulling from all these different threads that don't usually go together but somehow do when she's the one holding them.

Her shows are intimate despite the venue size. Crowds go quiet, actually listening. There's a conversational ease between her and the audience. She plays long, lets songs breathe. People come for the hits but stay absorbed in the deeper cuts. No filler, no excess.

Known for Like a Star, Put Your Records On, Closer, I'd Do It All Again, Before I Sleep

See Corinne Bailey Rae Live