RAYE's second album 'This Music May Contain Hope': Everything you need to know
Featuring viral hit 'Click Clack Symphony.'
Last updated 23rd Oct 2026
RAYE released her much-anticipated - and now Mercury Prize-winning - second album 'This Music May Contain Hope' on 27th March 2026 - and for those who've listened to it, it will come as no surprise that the record went STRAIGHT in at Number 1 in the UK charts!
Taking to Instagram, RAYE posted about the news of the album - which features HUGE singles 'Where Is My Husband' and 'Nightingale Lane' - going to the top spot just one week after release, writing: 'OUR NO. 1 ALBUM 😭😭😭😭😭 I AM SO GRATEFUL.' (sic)
Having released her debut album 'My 21st Century Blues' as an independent artist to huge critical acclaim, she spent the last couple of years working on the follow-up, managing to squeeze in a Glastonbury performance, a year-long worldwide tour AND continuing her work as an incredibly talented songwriter at the same time. Here's everything you need to know about her second album...
Which songs are on the track list?
Prior to the song's release, RAYE took to Instagram to reveal which songs appear on 'This Music May Contain Hope', sharing a series of pictures including a hand-written note before later showing how the songs are broken up into "seasons".
ACT 1 (Autumn)
'Intro: Girl Under The Grey Cloud.'
'I Will Overcome.'
'Beware.. The South London Lover Boy.'
'The WhatsApp Shakespeare.'
ACT II (Winter)
'Winter Woman.'
'Click Clack Symphony.' (Ft. Hans Zimmer)
'I Know You're Hurting.'
'Life Boat.'
ACT III (Spring)
'I Hate The Way I Look Today.'
'Goodbye Henry.' )Ft. Al Green)
'Skin & Bones.'
ACT IV (Summer)
'Fields.' (Ft. Grandad Michael)
'Joy.' (Ft. Amma & Absolutely)
'Happier Times Ahead.'
'Fin.'
RAYE spoke about the album track 'Winter Woman' on Instagram all the way back in July 2025. She wrote: 'i know it’s July but i’ve been writing this song called The Winter Woman.
'The sad feelings we wrestle with do make great songs I think, and considering this seems to be a chapter in my life where I am swimming through some personal aches and pains, I’d say this album is now beginning to move swimmingly. Every cloud.. lots of love Raye ⛅️.' (sic)
READ MORE | RAYE's songs: A look behind the lens at her powerful lyrics
When was RAYE's second album released?
RAYE's second album, 'This Music May Contain Hope', was released on 27th March 2026! RAYE sent her fans into meltdown by announcing when it would be released on Instagram — with fellow popstar and good friend Jade Thirlwall commenting: '😍😍😍 we’re ready ✨.' (sic)
Pre-order was available for the record for a while — with RAYE hilariously admitting in an interview on The Graham Norton Show in September 2025 that it was not ENTIRELY finished at that point... She said: "I've kind of given myself a rough deadline, I would like to say the first third of next year, definitely the first half of next year."
As Graham laughed and said: "I thought it was done and you were just doing a little polishing," RAYE replied: "Oh no, no. Not at all." Fellow guest Emily Blunt asked whether she was still writing it now, and she confirmed she was: "It's a beautiful process, but it does take time."
Where did it come in the charts?
'This Music May Contain Hope' went straight in at Number 1 in the UK charts. It was certified Silver by the BPI after just two weeks, translating to a whopping 60,000 UK sales, followed by a Gold certification in May 2026 with 100,000 sales.
Did it win any awards?
It did - and not just any award either... RAYE took home the coveted and incredibly prestigious Mercury Prize for her second album. Going up against her friend JADE for her debut album 'That's Showbiz, Baby!' as well as music legends Sir Paul McCartney and Florence + The Machine, RAYE won at the ceremony in October 2026 where she also performed 'I Hate The Way I Look Today'.
The judges felt that RAYE's record fit the brief, saying that they felt the "scale, structure, ambition and sheer charm of this year’s winner was the right choice" to take home the prize.
They added: "'THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.' by RAYE is suitably titled. Divided into four sections, the musical styles range from jazz to soul, R&B to classical. Shades of old school Hollywood glamour combine with kitchen sink realism to tell a story about a young woman navigating the everyday trials of life and love, on an album that is joyous and indeed hopeful.
"RAYE displays real imagination and scope in showing what an album can be, going beyond any one style or genre to realise her vision. The judges agreed that RAYE’S’s superb album will serve as a huge inspiration for years to come."
Read her acceptance speech below:
"First of all, I cannot tell you how grateful I am to be holding this. I’m shaking, I’m jetlagged, I’m tired, I’m grateful, it’s all blurry. I’ve always banged on about how much I believe in albums, albums are so important.
"And not to be bitter, because I feel like I’m mostly at peace with my past, you know? But to come from a place where it’s all about singles and chasing the next thing, I just feel so grateful to be recognised.
"I just wanted to make seven-minute songs. I wanted to go to a big band section there and do strings there, and just be really indulgent and I’m just so grateful. The tears are going to flow now, so I’m just going to say ‘This Music May Contain Hope’.
"Hope is a very cheesy word, especially for us British. We don’t do that kind of deep stuff like that, but hope is just something that we all need. Music is that, music is medicine. I just hope that message comes across to anyone who needs it and thank you so much for this prize."
She added to press in the winners' room, per NME: "I just poured so much heart into this album, I really did. Down to the wire, I set myself the goal to just make the most ambitious album. We have about four orchestras’ worth of musicians on this. So much passion and love for music went into this album and really this accolade is really serious and something I always dreamed to one day receive.
"I just feel really grateful. It’s just the best birthday present I could have asked for. I just feel seriously seen, you know? There’s always a battle between art and commercial or ‘Who’s having the biggest this?’ or ‘What’s going on there?’, and just to feel seen for a body of work that I poured my heart into makes me feel really grateful that the judges voted for it to win."
She added of album track 'I Know You're Hurting': "I wrote that with my band. It was just me and the boys. We started talking about men’s mental health. Especially in the UK, there’s not a culture of talking about feelings. We started talking, we got really emotional and we made that song. There’s a lot of real light and love in that song."
She also spoke out about winning the prize as an independent artist: "It’s just not easy. It’s not an easy industry and it’s not easy coming up as a young woman, but I will say that I feel encouraged and I hope anyone feels encouraged. I used to watch speeches like this wide-eyed and think, ‘Anything is possible if I just go for it’.
"As cheesy as that is now, it’s a real thing. It’s just persistence and relentlessness that’s required in this industry, especially being independent. It’s not easy but what a beautiful thing it is to dedicate your life to doing something you love. And I really do. I adore music. I live and breathe it, but it takes time. Eventually, one little door will creep open and then you just run."
What did she say about her second album?
In a statement from her label alongside the album details, RAYE said in January 2026: "Music is medicine, I’ve always said that. I guess I’m in the process of making medicine for myself that I can share with the world.
"I want us all to say to ourselves that it’s going to be all right, and I’m going to have faith in the seeds that I’ve planted beneath the snow. I wanted to create something that is a hug, bed or soft place for that person who needs it."
RAYE speaks about her second album getting stolen — and then recovered
It's no wonder that RAYE's album may have taken a little longer than she originally expected, as a huge amount of work on the record was shockingly taken from her when her car was stolen, telling PEOPLE in March 2025 that lots of "heartfelt stuff" was inside.
"There was a big giant book that says 'RAYE's Second Album' on the front of it with loads of thoughts, loads of really f------ personal s---," she added. "I hope whoever stole the car just took the stuff and threw it in the bin 'cause I don't want people reading that.
"It's just really personal, deep stuff. But I've got to the point where I'm kind of over it now and just moving on."
Good for you, RAYE. 💪
Amazingly, RAYE confirmed in October 2025 that police had actually contacted her to confirm they'd found the car — with the songbooks still in tact and unmoved! She revealed that the police had contacted her in either July or August 2025 to share the good news, and she's now been reunited with her precious writing!
In November 2025, RAYE posted to Instagram to share that she was making the album from a 'much healthier place', sharing a series of snaps including plenty in the recording studio alongside the caption: 'never let anyone decide your ceilings!!'
Did she tour the album?
She went on a worldwide tour in January 2026, performing a whopping 40 dates across the UK and Ireland, Europe and North America. She was supported on the tour by two of her three sisters: ABSOLUTELY and AMMA, who performed with RAYE at All Points East in August 2025 and also appear as featured artists on album track 'Joy.'.
What's the name of RAYE's second album?
It's called 'This Music May Contain Hope' — such an uplifting and inspiring title!
How did she announce it?
RAYE announced her album in absolute style alongside her bombastic single 'Where Is My Husband!', taking to Instagram to reveal that not only had the song come out, and not only was she going on tour, but that her second album was on its way.
Who did she work with on it?
Longtime collaborator Mike Sabath once again returned to the fold to co-write and co-produce the record with RAYE. Album track 'Click Clack Symphony' features the inimitable composer Hans Zimmer, with whom RAYE worked with on the song 'Mother Nature' in 2023 for Sir David Attenborough's series, Planet Earth 3.
Album track number 10 'Goodbye Henry.' also has a collaboration, featuring US singer and pastor Al Green, best known for his 1972 song 'Let's Stay Together'.
We also have Grandad Michael credited as a featured artist on 'Fields.' and her sisters Amma and Absolutely. on the song 'Joy.', so the album is certainly a family affair!
READ MORE: 13 songs you didn't know RAYE had written for other artists
Author: Emma Dodds
Emma Dodds is a Digital Content Editor across Bauer Media's Rayo brands, including the Hits Radio Network, Greatest Hits Radio, KISS, Cool FM and Magic Radio. With a focus on long-form features, Emma prefers digging into a topic and really uncovering a well-rounded view of an artist - using honed SEO skills to figure out the answers to the questions people are really interested in. She especially enjoys a deep dive on song meanings analysis and lyrics interpretation!