I interviewed Nicole Rayy in the past but I love her new single so much, I had to interview her once again.

I love sad songs because you always find a song that reflects what you’re going through. A sad song is like a good friend here to comfort you. Nicole Rayy’s new single “Sad Song” offers perfect melodies with a message we can all relate. “Sad Song” is beautiful, honest, vulnerable and Nicole Ray delivered incredible and emotional vocals.

I love Country music so getting to interview Country artists is always a true honor. Nicole Rayy is not only an amazing artist, she is also a big advocate for woman’s empowerment.

“Sad Song” is now available worldwide :)

Hi Nicole!! How are you? What have you been up to?

Hey! Great, thank you so much for the interview! I’ve been doing my best to keep busy during this lockdown and stay creative. I have been doing a lot of zoom writing sessions lately ☺

You’ve just released your new single "Sad Song" - what's the story/inspiration behind this single?

Yes, I am so excited for the release because I think this is a song we can all relate to. We all love a good sad song when we are sad because it understands us and makes us feel less alone. Sometimes we just like listening to a sad song because we need a good cry. This song embodies that feeling. It explains why there is no better medicine when we are sad than a sad song.

Could you describe the songwriting/production/recording process?

I am actually not a writer on this song but it was written by some incredibly talented people, Emma Lee, Karen Kosowski and Jordan Depaul. I think they wrote an amazing song, which is why it resonated with me the first time I heard it and I know it will resonate with so many others.

I was happy to work with Brian Howes once again on the recording of this song. I did have the opportunity to record my vocals for this song a little differently than most songs I’ve recorded. Typically, when artists are recording their vocals, they sing sections of the song at a time. For example, verse one. You would record verse one over and over until you like it and then you would move on to another section of the song. For Sad Song Brian felt we could better capture the emotion of the song by singing the song all the way through several times. I love the way the emotions rise as you listen further into the song. I don’t think we would have been able to capture the emotion in this way had we recorded the vocals in the usual manor.

What did you feel when working on this song?

Excited because I knew that people were going to resonate with it. But also excited to share another side to my voice as an artist. I was able to dig into a more emotional and softer side to my voice when recording Sad Song and I am looking forward to sharing that with my fans.

What do you like the most about this single?

It’s relatability. The best part about music for me is that it unites us, it is a universal language. Everyone can feel understood when they are listening to a song that speaks to something they have gone through. This song describes that feeling so well. It is the ultimate explanation of why we all love sad songs.

Listen to Sad Song on Spotify. Nicole Rayy · Song · 2021.

What made you want to release "Sad Song" as a single?

For the same reasons as what I like most about it. I always want my singles to impact people’s lives, even if it is just in some tiny way. I think songs that are honest that people can relate to have that most impact, and I know people will relate to this song.

What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?

We could be here a while haha, but my biggest wish for change in the industry right now is equality for women and men.

For years now, women in the country music industry have been told by labels and booking agents that there is only room for one on the roster. That on the playlist or the radio we can’t have female songs back to back. But why? An answer I feel I have been searching for the past few years without a reasonable explanation. I’ve heard that the audience wants to hear more male artists so that is what the radio has to play. An explanation that even if was true at some point seems like old news, I say poll again! I think the more realistic explanation lies with the fact that we all love music that we know. The songs we’ve heard a thousand times, the ones that bring back memories and transport us to another place. Well radio or labels or playlists don’t give the audience a chance to fall in love with songs by women because they only have room for one at a time. The audience isn’t going to call in and request a bunch of songs by females if they have never heard them before. If the industry made more room for female sung songs, and not just because they are women but because they are talented and deserve to be heard, I think the results of “what they need to play because the audience demands it” would be vastly different. There are a lot of talented country artists both male and female, but from my perspective as a female it seems that female artists are held to a higher standard. If you are a male and you can sing it seems the industry assumes that is enough and people will take a chance on you, but if you are a female it is a risk to take that chance on you and you better have all the boxes checked in terms of talent, look and personality to even be considered. I think all artists male and female need to be seen equally and held to the same standards.

What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?

That you can never wait for opportunity. I used to think that if you worked really hard and earned it that eventually opportunities would show up, but I’ve learned that isn’t always the case. I have stopped waiting for opportunities and starting creating them for myself.

What are your goals for 2021?

My goal with my music is always to connect with fans who resonate with it. Every year I hope to grow my audience and connect with more people who are impacted in a positive way by my music. Still being in a pandemic and not being able to connect with people live very often, I am hoping to continually come up with more creative ways to connect with people in 2021. In 2020, I was able to create an all-female drive-in country music festival, HarmoniaFest. One of my biggest goals for this year is to put on another successful HarmoniaFest!

What message do you want to deliver to the world?

Empowerment! I am a big advocate for women’s empowerment of course, but I want to spread empowerment to all. In the social media world, we live in it is so easy to compare ourselves to others 24/7. I am guilty of doing it, but I finally stopped feeling guilty about loving and caring for myself and starting working on blocking out what other people are doing. It’s an on-going process of course, but it’s a journey we all deserve to take. I want everyone to feel their strongest, more confident selves. We are all worthy and all have something to offer that is completely unique from everyone else.