Sweet Soul Music
This crown jewel of soul has been active since 2019. From her humble beginnings to her star status, the young woman from the small Estonian town of Põlva has shown depth and power in her music. While her debut album Old Love Will Rust (2019) was presented in front of 200 people, she presented her second album A Life Of Its Own (2022) in front of 2000 people with a string orchestra in Tallinn's largest concert hall.
The musical styles she has explored so far range from blue-eyed soul and classic R&B to old-school disco. She cites Aretha Franklin, Bill Withers and Amy Winehouse as important influences. The young artist's growing confidence as a composer has steered her second album in the direction of cinematic and symphonic soundscapes.
With her debut album Old Love Will Rust, Rita Ray received four nominations at the Estonian Music Awards. Disco Stu received the most attention thanks to its broadcast on BBC 2. Miss Ray was awarded the 2021 Young Jazz Talent Award at the Estonian Jazzkaar Festival. From her second album A Life Of Its Own, both Love Ain't The Same and No Greater Love were played in rotation on BBC and Jazz.fm. The album, released via Funk Embassy Records, has reached over 1 million streams on Spotify and won "Song of the Year" and "Album of the Year" at the Estonian Music Awards. Rity Ray was named "Artist of the Year". She comes to Nordischer Klang together with her four-piece band
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