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This article is part of\u00a0<\/i>Upstream,<\/i><\/a>\u00a0The Daily Wire\u2019s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories \u2014 from our featured writers to you.<\/i><\/p>\n ***<\/i><\/p>\n Gen Z\u2019s taste in music is not all misanthropic Chappell Roans<\/a> and sexed-up Sabrina Carpenters<\/a>. If you\u2019ve never heard of Raye, you might want to check her out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The artist, whose real name is Rachel Agatha Keen, is best known for her viral hit <\/span>\u201cWhere Is My Husband!\u201d that was released last fall. \u201cWhy is this beautiful man waiting for me to get old? \/ Why he already testing my patience? \/ I only fear he taking time with other women that ain\u2019t me,\u201d she sings. Not all<\/em> Gen Zers are afraid of marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n On her second album, \u201cThis Music May Contain Hope,\u201d she\u2019s experiencing heartbreak with flair. <\/span>\u201cThis is curated melancholy, a 73-minute melodrama where sorrow is filtered through an Old Hollywood lens until it sparkles,\u201d Pitchfork declares<\/a>. She\u2019s also talking about relatable issues such as body image and comforting friends.<\/p>\n On this sophomore album, we feel Raye\u2019s mixture of hope and despair, beautifully demonstrated in songs such as \u201cI Will Overcome\u201d and \u201cThe WhatsApp Shakespeare,\u201d which speak to experiences of disappointment. Her ability to intertwine the truth with pithy rhythms keeps you engaged and interested.<\/span><\/p>\n I have already listened to a few of the songs with my girls (12, 8, and 6) because the themes are appropriate for them to hear and relatable to what they are going through right now. The jovial \u201cI Hate The Way I Look Today\u201d is a self-pep talk with scat singing and an all-male choir serving as backup. \u201cThough it isn\u2019t simple as it sounds \/ But when self-love lets you down \/ You must never sigh and fret \/ Get a grip, that\u2019s what I said,\u201d Raye sings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The catchy \u201cSkin & Bones\u201d and the aforementioned \u201cWhere Is My Husband!\u201d appear back-to-back on the album, emphasizing the need for a real man in a woman\u2019s life. \u201cHe\u2019s insane \u2019cause he thinks he can make love \/ Without having to love me,\u201d she sings on the first track.<\/span><\/p>\n There are themes of faith, family, and the importance of community, and t<\/span>wo songs made me cry. \u201cFields\u201d with her Grandad Michael brought back memories of the influential patriarchs in my family and childhood. I\u2019ve sent the ballad \u201cI Know You\u2019re Hurting\u201d to so many women in my life this week because sometimes when we don\u2019t know what to say, a song can speak for us. <\/span>\u201cYou give when you have little left to give \u2026 Your body aches from marching up your mountains \/ But you always keep pushing on,\u201d Raye sings.<\/span><\/p>\n When she sang, \u201cI\u2019m thinking of you, dear, I hope you\u2019re okay,\u201d I thought of a friend who just lost her dad, one going through a divorce, another newly widowed with two young girls, and yet another with a scary medical report. Like Raye, \u201cI said a prayer for you, I hope it\u2019s working.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The musical style ranges from big band to jazz, ballads to oldies, and top 40 pop tunes. The song \u201cLifeboat\u201d has a club-friendly beat as she croons, \u201cCri\u0435d myself an ocean \/ Tryin\u2019 not to drown in it \u2026\u00a0 Lord, s\u0435nd me a lifeboat \/ Something I could cling to \u2026 I don\u2019t know how I\u2019m gonna do this \/ But I know I\u2019m not givin\u2019 up.\u201d <\/span>I don\u2019t know if Raye has a specific genre, and I am okay with it. She collaborates with the talents of the London Symphony on \u201cI Know You\u2019re Hurting,\u201d Hans Zimmer on \u201cClick Clack Symphony,\u201d and Al Green on \u201cGoodbye Henry.\u201d<\/p>\n The album feels like an autobiography, a stream of memories both good and bad. <\/span>The gist is a young woman questioning herself, her industry, and the world, and who (like many of us) still needs a pep talk and time with family and friends. She seemingly wants to bestow on the next generation the strength not to give up. Even at her lowest, she\u2019s optimistic. With vocal chops making the internet buzz<\/a>, she sings in \u201cNightingale Lane,\u201d \u201cSomebody loved me once \u2026 And someday, somebody will again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis Music May Contain Hope\u201d is an example of how something does not have to be perfectly conservative or religious to exhibit truths, such as c<\/em><\/span>ommunity matters<\/em>. For Raye, it was her parents, grandparents, and an entire host of talented musicians that she names (one by one) in \u201cFin\u201d at the end of the album. <\/span>To the tune of a Disney fairy-tale-style song, which the artist calls a \u201cmusical hug and an orchestral kiss,\u201d she sings, \u201cThe sun has promised to shine \/ All four beautiful seasons, even if we can\u2019t see it \/ <\/span>Hope must always exist.<\/span>\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Yes, hope must exist, and this album made me hopeful, which means it was titled accurately for this writer who\u2019s listening on repeat.<\/span><\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Elisha Krauss is a conservative commentator, writer, and speaker who resides in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and their four children. She is an advocate for women\u2019s rights, school choice, and smaller government.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n