I had the pleasure of speaking with five-time CMA Ontario nominee Nicole Rayy who released her new single “Guilty” on January 26th via streaming platforms.
Produced by Douglas Romanow (Kinnie Starr / Don Amero / Alessia Cohle) and written by Nicole Rayy, Douglas Romanow, Chrystal Oudijk, “Guilty” is a not so typical love song. The song paints the picture of a love so good it should be illegal, a love you are willing to go to jail for. The song also really homes in on a more country rock sound for Rayy, with bluesy undertones, a sound she feels is the truest to her as an artist.
The founder of an all-female music festival HarmoniaFest, Nicole Rayy has amassed over 4 million career streams to date. As a five-time CMA Ontario nominee, she has received praise from country tastemaker press such as The Boot, Complete Country, and Top Country while enjoying continued DSP support via playlists such as Spotify’s New Music Nashville, Women in Country, Live Country and Best Country Songs of 2021 as well as Amazon Music’s Breakthrough Country and Just North of Nashville. Rayy has played festivals such as Hagersville Rocks, Dauphin’s Countryfest, Manitoulin Countryfest – and she’s even had the experience of performing at the World Music Festival in Shanghai, China.
Rayy has carved out her place in the country community by consistently creating initiatives to support fellow female artists including her #AllWomanMusic songwriters’ series and founding HarmoniaFest. February will see Rayy perform a slew of dates in Canada in support of the new single.
You can check out Sarah’s interview with Nicole on our Instagram and Facebook pages!