Hailing from the US, Cloud Ray has recently unveiled a brand-new single, ‘We Need’. It is not your standard run-of-the-mill pop track; rather, it’s a personal, honest and authentic dive into the dynamics of family relationships, a bold and empowering tale towards taking accountability for one’s environment and making changes for the better.
Cloud Ray is pretty adamant about it all stemming from personal experience. The American talent reverses all his emotional energy into a strong single, a blend of modern pop, luscious R&B and a touch of hip-hop fierceness.
Intrigued by the project, we caught up with the rising creative to find out more about his artistry and future goals… Interview below!
Hey Cloud Ray, how is it going? we recently wrote about your latest record, ‘We Need’, describing it as “a bold and empowering tale towards making changes for the better. The single signals your return to the music scene after a sizeable break. Have you been busy researching and writing?
Hi Mesmerized! Thank you for writing such a stellar review about ‘We Need’! It’s great that we have the opportunity to talk again after this hiatus in releasing music. Quite honestly, I took time after releasing ‘Burn It Down’ to really plan out the deadlines I have for creating, revising, and releasing music. I intend to give each song that I release the attention and care that it deserves. I’ve noticed that artists feel a pressure to release music almost too fast to keep up with and I think that method of putting out songs can overshadow a really good record. Personally, I want to be able to give each song I release the opportunity to not be overlooked.
There is a certain pressure on artists to be more productive nowadays. Do you feel influenced by that? Will 2024 reflect a busier releaser schedule?
While I do see that there is a prevalent pressure on artists to constantly be active in pushing out music and content, I do not adhere to that demand. I will say, however, that the 2024 year will see more releases from Cloud Ray than ever before. In retrospect, I’m happy that I took the time to really enjoy and be with the music that I put out. Having more patience with my music has given me the gift of identifiability. Being able to take my time with releases allows me to perform more live shows where people have the opportunity to learn my lyrics better. I can then share the content from those shows and promote it to bring more awareness and attention to what I’ve created and the people supporting it.
Trends aside, we believe in art as a tool for expression, rather than a marketing tool. What does ‘We Need’ mean for you? We have been told there’s a lot of honesty and authenticity in it….
‘We Need’ speaks to a more personal part of my life where trust, respect, and loyalty were destroyed between a family member and myself. I opened up on this record about my perspective on the situation and how my last relationship played a role in the divide between family members. I have never before been this vulnerable on a song and it was terrifying thinking about releasing it. I had no idea if people would connect to me or even be able to relate to the song.
The fear I was harbouring helped me shy away from putting the record out. In a conversation that I had with a friend of mine recently, I realized that I needed time to feel more comfortable with putting the song out. Even then it was quite scary to think about but I ultimately felt like people might need this song the way that I needed an emotional release when I first wrote it. I hope that whoever listens to ‘We Need’ can connect to it in their own way and establish comfort in knowing that they’re not alone.
What would you say are your biggest references, on a stylistic level? The project seems to balance itself between pop, rap and R&B; is there any genre in particular that’s important for you?
‘We Need’ definitely traces the lines of Pop, Rap, and R&B for sure! I would say that stylistically, ‘Love The Way You Lie’ by Rihanna and Eminem holds a similar blueprint to ‘We Need’. If we look at Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s song ‘See You Again’ or Nicki Minaj’s ‘Last Time That I Saw You’, those are also great examples of my biggest references. Being so versatile, I look at genres more like different coloured crayons to draw with. I tend to primarily stay within the realm of Hip Hop and Pop music but I utilize the other genres as a tool to diversify and creatively shape the music.
Your current work is the result of a long journey; What first drew you to making music?
What first drew me to making music was the affinity that I already had for music. I grew up singing and rapping often, as well as discovering the comfort I could find in music. When I turned 16, I decided to start making music that would affect people the way that music has impacted me. I knew I wanted to give that experience back into the world. I want to provide an outlet in people’s lives with my music. Whether it’s singing in the car, enjoying music around a fire, or deciphering emotions and difficult situations, I want my music to serve as a positive catalyst to keep people going. With my natural love for music and the desire to help others through my creativity, I knew that making music would be my purpose in this life.
If you had the opportunity to pick any artists in the world for a collaboration, who would be your first choice? (and second choice, perhaps?)
Wow! There are so many talented artists to choose from and I am open to collaborating with many of them. If I had to pick one though, I would confidently say Superlative Sain. This is an indie artist that I was fortunate enough to discover while on tour. Like myself, he is versatile in the music that he creates. That versatility matched with the level of talent he has really motivates and inspires me to hopefully collaborate with him. I would say his music falls under genres like Afrobeats, Dancehall, Soca, Hip Hop, R&B, and even some House music. He just released a new single called ‘Love and Affection’ which is the lead single off his upcoming EP called ‘Feels Like Summer’.
I really love the song because it contains Afrobeat elements as well as a heavy Soca influence which speaks to our cultural Jamaican heritage. Being that this is only the teaser for the rest of the EP, I am so excited about what’s to come from Superlative Sain. Hopefully, we can expect a Cloud Ray and Superlative Sain collaboration in the future.
Another artist that I would love to see a collaboration with is T3MPO TAI. He is a prominent rapper and activist who continues to elevate Rap and Hip Hop music. His raps evoke a familiar feeling from one of my favourite well-known rappers, J. Cole. There is a fortitude of meaningful lyrics that brings a necessary discomfort through all the hard truths in his bars. He also has a playful side in his music and I respect the balance that he carries. I think a collaboration between myself and T3MPO would bring another powerful layer of elevated Hip Hop and Pop music.
Do you feel more confident writing music alone, or within a team?
Before I decided to become a full-time artist, I worked in the music industry as a songwriter, producer, recording and mixing engineer. Writing music was literally my job description so I grew more and more comfortable being surrounded by other creatives. In that setting, I learned where my leadership skills would become an asset to me and where they overstep. With that experience, I can confidently write music alone AND within a team.
The current music industry landscape is incredibly complex and nuanced; how do you navigate the ‘hustle’, and do you have any advice for newcomers to the field?
I agree that the music industry landscape has become incredibly complex however, what I will say is that so many useful tools have become available. These tools make it so much easier for someone wanting to become a musician or an artist to jumpstart their career. TikTok has become an effective tool in providing independent artists with exposure on a scale that they normally would have had to fork out tons of money for. The need for a major label backing an artist is becoming less of a sought-after necessity for independent artists.
I am so thankful to have a hardworking team that matches my level of entrepreneurship and pushes me to always present my best. Navigating this industry as an artist is not something I could do alone successfully. I attribute my rapid successes to my team because without them in place to help streamline everything, I would find myself struggling to maintain opportunities and build upon them. Nevertheless, my advice to new artists would be to establish a team of hardworking and trustworthy individuals. It is imperative to wisely choose who you allow in your team because they can truly make or break your success.
What are the next steps for your project? Anything exciting on the horizon?
The next step for ‘We Need’ is to look at filming a music video. I’ve received a tremendous amount of positive feedback on the song, so I know that doing a music video would be the right thing to do. Some great things that are coming over the horizon are that I will be dropping a new single in April. That record will have more of a club feeling and cater to the ladies. Additionally, there is a very special feature on that record that I can’t wait for the world to hear. I also will be going on tour for the remainder of 2024 visiting Tennessee, Philadelphia, Texas, California, and New York.
For the first time ever I will be touching down in London, United Kingdom as part of this tour. I am so excited to get out there to perform and meet my existing fans as well as new fans! On my website you can find all the information regarding my upcoming shows and if you subscribe to my email list, you will receive exclusive news and updates on everything Cloud Ray.
