The Story Behind The EP
Long before I knew exactly what I wanted to become as an artist, I knew what a good beat did to me. Whenever I heard one, I wanted to do something with it. I would listen to an instrumental and start creating in my head, imagining melodies, words, and different ways the sound could become something of my own. Looking back, I think that was one of the first signs that there was something in me I needed to take seriously.
I have always loved instruments for what they can make you feel without saying a word. The sound of a saxophone, the electricity of a guitar, the way a piano can carry a melody and change the feeling in a room. Sometimes I can simply sit and listen, and other times those sounds start something in me. They make me want to write, create, or hear something that does not exist yet. As an artist, there are moments when you hear a whole world in your head. You know exactly how beautiful it could be, even before you figure out how to bring it to life.
That feeling is where “Ray & Beats” comes from. This EP is about the relationship between me and the music itself. It is about what happens when I let the beat lead and allow myself to create without forcing it into what is expected. The six songs each have their own feeling, but they all come from that same love for melody, instruments, and the freedom to simply make something that feels good.
“Ray & Beats” is not necessarily the kind of project you expect to hear everywhere, especially in a time when Afrobeats is such a dominant sound. And that is part of why I wanted to make it. There is something beautiful about having music that does not need to compete for your attention. Music you can put on when you are alone, sitting in your backyard and thinking about life, making plans for what comes next, or spending a good evening with people you love.
I want this EP to feel like a place you can go to for a while. No pressure to figure anything out. No need to rush through it. Just listen to the melodies, let the instruments breathe, and enjoy where the music takes you.
The Story Behind The Album Cover
There is a certain kind of night when the world is quiet, the lights are low, and your mind refuses to rest. You are alone with your thoughts, thinking about someone, replaying moments, wondering what could have been, or simply trying to understand what you feel. That is the feeling behind the cover of “Ray & Beats.”
R&B has always meant Rhythm and Blues, but for this project, it means something else too. It means Ray & Beats. It is me and the music I make. I am not just singing over beats. I am creating with them, listening to them, and allowing them to become part of how I express what I cannot always say out loud.
That is why I wanted the cover to feel like my room rather than a big studio. This is where I think, create, listen, and spend time with my ideas. The guitar and piano are there because I do not just sing. I make sounds too. The camera represents another part of me, the part that watches, captures moments, and finds stories in the things happening around me. The books bring together science and music, two things that can make you wonder, understand, and feel in completely different ways.
Everything around me has a connection to the person I am and the things that inspire me. The flowers bring romance into the room, while the empty bottles hint at those nights when things do not always feel easy. The red that fills the room carries the mood of the project. Love, passion, heartbreak, late nights, and all the thoughts that become louder when everyone else is asleep.Even the way I am sitting matters. Hand on my face, lost in thought, I look like someone trying to figure something out. That is where many of these songs come from. Thoughts that stayed in my head. Feelings that were difficult to say. Moments that kept replaying. Instead of leaving them there, I turned them into music.
And then there is the suit and tie. I am not approaching love from the perspective of a boy anymore. I am a grown man looking at love, relationships, attraction, heartbreak, and everything that comes with them. There is still vulnerability in that, but there is also maturity in being able to sit with those feelings and create something from them.
That is what this cover really represents. One room, one man, one heart, surrounded by the instruments, memories, thoughts, and things that make up his world. It is not a party. It is the kind of project you play when it is late, the lights are off, your headphones are on, and one person is on your mind.
Tracklisting
The Story Behind The EP
Long before I knew exactly what I wanted to become as an artist, I knew what a good beat did to me. Whenever I heard one, I wanted to do something with it. I would listen to an instrumental and start creating in my head, imagining melodies, words, and different ways the sound could become something of my own. Looking back, I think that was one of the first signs that there was something in me I needed to take seriously.
I have always loved instruments for what they can make you feel without saying a word. The sound of a saxophone, the electricity of a guitar, the way a piano can carry a melody and change the feeling in a room. Sometimes I can simply sit and listen, and other times those sounds start something in me. They make me want to write, create, or hear something that does not exist yet. As an artist, there are moments when you hear a whole world in your head. You know exactly how beautiful it could be, even before you figure out how to bring it to life.
That feeling is where “Ray & Beats” comes from. This EP is about the relationship between me and the music itself. It is about what happens when I let the beat lead and allow myself to create without forcing it into what is expected. The six songs each have their own feeling, but they all come from that same love for melody, instruments, and the freedom to simply make something that feels good.
“Ray & Beats” is not necessarily the kind of project you expect to hear everywhere, especially in a time when Afrobeats is such a dominant sound. And that is part of why I wanted to make it. There is something beautiful about having music that does not need to compete for your attention. Music you can put on when you are alone, sitting in your backyard and thinking about life, making plans for what comes next, or spending a good evening with people you love.
I want this EP to feel like a place you can go to for a while. No pressure to figure anything out. No need to rush through it. Just listen to the melodies, let the instruments breathe, and enjoy where the music takes you.
The Story Behind The Album Cover
There is a certain kind of night when the world is quiet, the lights are low, and your mind refuses to rest. You are alone with your thoughts, thinking about someone, replaying moments, wondering what could have been, or simply trying to understand what you feel. That is the feeling behind the cover of “Ray & Beats.”
R&B has always meant Rhythm and Blues, but for this project, it means something else too. It means Ray & Beats. It is me and the music I make. I am not just singing over beats. I am creating with them, listening to them, and allowing them to become part of how I express what I cannot always say out loud.
That is why I wanted the cover to feel like my room rather than a big studio. This is where I think, create, listen, and spend time with my ideas. The guitar and piano are there because I do not just sing. I make sounds too. The camera represents another part of me, the part that watches, captures moments, and finds stories in the things happening around me. The books bring together science and music, two things that can make you wonder, understand, and feel in completely different ways.
Everything around me has a connection to the person I am and the things that inspire me. The flowers bring romance into the room, while the empty bottles hint at those nights when things do not always feel easy. The red that fills the room carries the mood of the project. Love, passion, heartbreak, late nights, and all the thoughts that become louder when everyone else is asleep.Even the way I am sitting matters. Hand on my face, lost in thought, I look like someone trying to figure something out. That is where many of these songs come from. Thoughts that stayed in my head. Feelings that were difficult to say. Moments that kept replaying. Instead of leaving them there, I turned them into music.
And then there is the suit and tie. I am not approaching love from the perspective of a boy anymore. I am a grown man looking at love, relationships, attraction, heartbreak, and everything that comes with them. There is still vulnerability in that, but there is also maturity in being able to sit with those feelings and create something from them.
That is what this cover really represents. One room, one man, one heart, surrounded by the instruments, memories, thoughts, and things that make up his world. It is not a party. It is the kind of project you play when it is late, the lights are off, your headphones are on, and one person is on your mind.
