18 November 2022 - 0 Comments

Rising Filipino-Kiwi rap artist Ray Leslie today drops her third EP Dawn, a six track interlude between her last album, the acclaimed Springboard and her still TBD album #3.

STREAM DAWN ACROSS ALL PLATFORMS HERE

The day is just beginning, and a new dawn is rising for young underground rapper Ray Leslie. A dynamic, versatile performer with enviable lyrical flair, Ray’s unique flow is earning her kudos within the alt-hip-hop underground music scene as she connects for collabs with a myriad of like-minded and talented peers.

An exponent of contemporary, alternative and experimental hip-hop, Ray utilizes varying styles to showcase her versatility in her effervescent flows, themes and cadence while painting a picture of pain, anger, love, joy, freedom, contemplation or introspection.

With her latest EP Dawn, Ray brutally details a transitional journey from dark to light with honesty, clarity, and total heart. Following on from the release of singles Blue Cold, her cathartic, rage-fueled commentary on toxic relationships, and Dog Days, a dark narrative on inner anguish, Dawn is all about having hope and looking forward to better days.

Says Ray: “Dawn describes the morning after Dog Days. It writes about a season of redemption after the season of darkness I experienced last year. It is about acknowledging difficult emotions, feeling them at their most intense levels, and the realization that once the night is over, the morning comes again.”

Originating from the city of Cebu in the Philippines, for Ray the awakening happened after a visit back home when at the beach she opened up and performed for her family and friends and revealed a side of her that they had never seen before. It proved to be the catalyst that flipped her mindset, and from that emotional surge the rest of the EP emerged.

On Dawn she marks the beginning of her upwards journey with the track ‘Sogod’, a Cebuano word literally meaning ‘to start’. Appropriately, ‘Sogod’ launches with the intro question “what changed?’’ and Ray’s rap musings respond to that query, set to a meditative soundtrack of gently lapping waves.

Honing on her lyrical prowess, the rest of the tracks on Dawn expound further on the thematic dive, with melodic rap collab Sipping Red feat. Auguzt, the uplifting funky groove of Wake Up, and the lush ambient closer Long Life.

“Dawn is ultimately about hope and better days,” explains Ray. “I wrote ‘Dog Days’ in January, and then the remainder of the EP after my trip back home to the Philippines for my grandmother’s 80th. Celebrating on the beach and that night, for the first time performing in front of loved ones, I was reminded of what is truly important in my life. Dawn is heavily inspired by that visit, I write about how key it is to be grounded, to be surrounded by family and good friends, and to continue my pursuit of the dream. Dawn is about more than just the light at the end of the tunnel, but the people that meet me there too.”

With Dawn, Ray worked with Producer Dnny Do and Yong Kweon, with Auguzt contributing as a feature artist – all of whom are a part of her collective ‘Light Beings’ and will be gathering together to perform next Thursday to celebrate the release of Dawn at Anthology Lounge.

Ray’s name signifies the sun and that passionate craving to create, and to feel that freedom in creation.

“I can’t imagine doing anything else in this world”, says Ray. “Making music is my favourite thing, and I want the listener to feel alive when they listen to my music – the extremities and the mundanity of living. Full volume, high resolution colour!”

LIGHT BEINGS PRESENTS: GOOD MORNING

with RAY LESLIE, AUGUZT & DNNY DO + more!

THURSDAY 24 NOVEMBER ANTHOLOGY LOUNGE

Tickets on sale now from www.undertheradar.co.nz

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