Genesis (Raye song)

"Genesis" is a song by English singer and songwriter Raye. She wrote it with Marvin Hemmings and produced it with Rodney Jerkins, Shankar Ravindran, and Tom Richards. The song was debuted at the 44th edition of the Brit Awards and was teased on season 49 of the American television show Saturday Night Live. Media publications and fans named the then-untitled song "Let There Be Light", before was announced along with its official title on 17 May 2024. It was released independently on 7 June 2024. A music video co-directed by the singer alongside Otis Dominique premiered on the same date.

Worked in detail for two years, "Genesis" is divided in three acts, in which she experiments with several genres including jazz, contemporary R&B, hip hop, gospel music, and pop. Its lyrics address social and personal problems such as depression, exhaustion, and anxiety, although also hope. Upon its release, the song received positive reviews from music journalists. Raye included "Genesis" on the regular set list of her fourth concert tour in 2024 and performed it at several events.

Background
Raye began working on "Genesis" in 2022, months before the release of her debut studio album, My 21st Century Blues (2023). She expressed that she has "scrutinized, replaced, remade, passionately sculpted" the song to be the way she imagined it. The singer is passionate for the song, and feels like "it deserved all the time that was spent on it". After receiving a mixed response from her management about the length of the track, Raye still wanted to release it as it was; she stated: "This is about art, if it was about selling music ... then I would not have made it [this way]".

At the 2024 Brit Awards, Raye broke the record for most wins (six) and nominations (seven) for an artist in a single year. At the ceremony, she performed a medley of four songs: "Ice Cream Man", "Prada", "Escapism" and the then-untitled song. In the first months of the year, Raye included "Genesis" on the regular set list of her fourth concert tour, the My 21st Century Blues Tour. On 6 April 2024, on the season 49 of the American television show Saturday Night Live, Raye also performed the track, which media publications gave the title "Let There Be Light".

Release
The singer announced the release of "Genesis" as a single on her social media on 17 May 2024, along with its official title and the confirmation of the release date. She shared a photo of the 7-inch single and wrote: "It kind of hurts a bit to call this piece of music a 'single' because it is so much more than just a song to me". On 3 June, Raye hosted the Genesis Exhibition, a special pop-up exhibition in New York City to promote the song; at the event, she said: "This is a seven-minute piece of music that I'm so proud of and I worked so hard on". Days later, she also posted an snippet of the music video. Shortly before "Genesis" was released, Raye performed it on the Selhurst railway station platform in London, accompanied by a live band. The track was released independently on 7 June 2024 via Human Re Sources, and was sent to Italian airplay on the same date.

Music and lyrics
"Genesis" is a seven-minute song divided in three acts, in which she experimented with different genres and sonic expressions. She said that she had "so much" that she wanted to say on the track. Its overall lyrics discuss issues of body image, social pressures and a yearning for validation, along with containing other thematics. In a statement, Raye expressed that it is "a prayer and a plea and a cry for help and I really hope this song will be able to bring some hope, the way this music does for me, to those who need it most". Raye had a quote from Nina Simone in mind while creating the record: "An artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times". She said that it is "such a deep, heavy, powerful, important, burdening, and overwhelming but important quote". The title of the song reflects changes, new origins, and references the Book of Genesis.

The gospel-tinged first part of the track deals with sobriety, a part of the lyrics that Raye followed with: "But I can feel the demons waiting on my downfall / Since I'm so ugly and irrelevant/ I've been losing friends as if I’m tryna get rid of them". It offers harmonies and sweeping strings. The second part includes jazz, contemporary R&B, hip hop, and also elements of pop music. It contains a dramatic dark brass section. "Genesis" concludes with a repeatition of the plea of "Let there be light" over a jazz and big band instrumental.

Critical reception
Upon its release, "Genesis" received positive reviews. Writing for Clash, Sophie Harman described "Genesis" as a standout release, a "raw and emotive" track. She gave the song a rating of 8 out of 10, and said that "Raye's candid exploration of [mental health and body image] resonates with many listeners, offering a sense of shared experience". The critic also lauded Raye's vocal delivery for being "delicate and strong, capturing the duality of her fragility and resilience". Abbie Reynolds of Capital FM named "Genesis" a "huge moment in music history", and compared it to when the British band Queen released their six-minute song "Bohemian Rhapsody". Jenesaispop Jordi Bardají called "Genesis" the most ambitious composition of Raye's musical career, and described it as epic and historic. Andrew Unterberger of Billboard included the song on its list of the must-hear releases of the week, and wrote: "It's a lot, and none of it is expected — meaning it might not quite have the pop appeal of 'Escapism' — but it will certainly find its audience, and for many it will likely end up being nothing short of a revelation". Consequence staff admired Raye's vocals for "run[ning] wild" and the transition between the second and third part, that "very few artists could execute". Tyler Damara Kelly of The Line of Best Fit interpreted "Genesis" as a "confrontational acknowledgement of a chapter not yet closed but with a set intention for a new beginning".

Track listing

 * Digital EP
 * 1) "Genesis" – 7:00
 * 2) "Genesis, pt. I" – 1:16
 * 3) "Genesis, pt. II" – 3:28
 * 4) "Genesis, pt. III" – 2:22


 * 7-inch
 * 1) "Genesis"
 * 2) "Genesis" (Instrumental)