RAYE delivered a captivating headline performance at Reading Festival’s main stage, now known as The Grid, on August 29, following Dave’s co-headline set.
The South London artist opened her first headline set with the crowd-pleasing hit “Escapism,” a track that resonated deeply with the audience. Her 2024 BRIT Awards triumph, where she became the first artist to win six awards in a single year, set the stage for this memorable evening.
Backed by a full band, horn, and string sections, RAYE blended pop, soul, jazz, and dance across her set, drawing from acclaimed albums *My 21st Century Blues* and *This Music May Contain Hope*. An emotional rendition of “I Know You’re Hurting” saw her leading the crowd in a collective chant of “It’s gonna be alright,” infused with raw vulnerability.
She then channeled her early career’s house energy with “Secrets” and “You Don’t Know Me,” before inviting her sisters Amma and Absolutely onstage for a vibrant performance of “Joy.” The evening closed with a powerful finale, “Where Is My Husband?”—a track that showcased her theatrical maximalism and emotional depth.
RAYE’s Reading 2026 setlist was:
‘Escapism’
‘Beware…The South London Lover Boy’
‘Skin & Bones’
‘Worth It’
‘The WhatsApp Shakespeare’
‘Oscar Winning Tears’
‘Winter Woman’
‘I Know You’re Hurting’
‘Click Clack Symphony’
‘Secrets / You Don’t Know Me’
‘Life Boat / Prada’
‘Joy’ (with Amma and Absolutely)
‘Where Is My Husband?’
Her Mercury-nominated album *This Music May Contain Hope*, released in March, features collaborations with Hans Zimmer, Al Green, and her sisters, Amma and Absolutely. NME praised it as “showstopping musical maximalism at its grandest, while still being grounded in relatable experiences and unbridled emotions.”
Tonight’s performance followed RAYE’s 2023 Reading debut, which earned a five-star review, and her historic BRIT Awards sweep. Earlier this summer, she joined forces with Alicia Keys and Mark Ronson at the Montreux Jazz Festival’s 60th anniversary, performing classics like “Uptown Funk” and “If I Ain’t Got You.”
RAYE will next make her acting debut in Yann Demange’s crime thriller *Lineage*, starring alongside Jason Bateman and Jude Law.
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