For Raye, the past year has been a whirlwind of highs and lows, marked by the theft—and eventual recovery—of something more precious than just a vehicle. The singer-songwriter, whose real name is Rachel Keen, found herself at the center of a story that’s as much about resilience as it is about music. When her car was stolen in October 2024, it wasn’t just an inconvenience or a routine crime. Inside the trunk were her songwriting books: the only copies of lyrics, ideas, and notes for her much-anticipated second album, as well as original material from her acclaimed debut, My 21st Century Blues.
The theft occurred on her 27th birthday, a day that should have been filled with celebration but instead brought distress and uncertainty. As reported by Billboard, Raye took to social media to share her heartbreak, posting an image of a birthday cake with the words “sorry ur car got stolen” scrawled across it. In her own words, she wrote, “there would be no second album anytime soon.” The loss was deeply personal. “There’s a giant ledger that says ‘The Second album of RAYE’ on its cover with lots of thoughts, a lot of personal things are really cute,” she told PEOPLE earlier this year. “I hope whoever stole the car just took the stuff and threw it in the trash, because I don’t want people to read that. It’s just things that are really private, deep.”
The incident forced Raye to put her sophomore album on hold, a setback that was both professional and emotional. According to BBC, the star had been riding high after her breakthrough debut, which earned her multiple BRIT Awards and a viral hit with “Escapism.” The stolen books, filled with poems, titles, and phrases, were irreplaceable. “Melodies are an abundant thing you can always play with, but the lyrics are different—they’re so important,” she later reflected to Variety.
But then, in a twist worthy of a pop ballad, the story took a turn for the better. About two to three months before October 28, 2025, Raye received an unexpected call from the police. “The police called me maybe two or three months ago, and they were like, ‘We found your car,’” she revealed during an interview on The EE Official Big Top 40, as quoted by multiple outlets including Bang Showbiz. Her relief was palpable: “Not only did I get it back, not one thing had been taken out of the car. All my songwriting books were there, untouched.”
The emotional rollercoaster of the past year was evident in her words. “Everything ended well. Never give up hope,” she told fans and listeners, echoing a sense of gratitude and hard-won wisdom. The experience, she said, was a “rollercoaster journey” and a life lesson, one that she’ll carry with her as she moves forward in her career and life.
With her creative material back in hand, Raye wasted no time reigniting her artistic momentum. In September 2025, she released the lead single from her upcoming album, “Where Is My Husband!” The track, a pop-funk anthem that she debuted with flair during a half-time performance at the NFL International match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, quickly made waves. According to Billboard, it peaked at No. 3 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart and reached No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song’s success signaled that, despite the setbacks, Raye’s creative spark remained undimmed.
Yet, for fans eagerly awaiting her sophomore album, the wait continues—albeit now with renewed hope. As of late October 2025, the album’s title and release date remain under wraps, though it’s confirmed for a 2026 release. Pre-orders for the record, currently dubbed “Album 2,” are already available through her official website. The rediscovered lyric books are likely to feature prominently in the final product, though Raye has kept specific details close to her chest, perhaps understandably so after such a fraught journey.
Beyond the album, Raye’s ambitions stretch even further. She’s announced an international tour—aptly titled “This Tour May Contain New Music”—that will kick off in January 2026, crisscrossing Europe and North America. The itinerary includes six nights at London’s iconic O2 Arena, a milestone that left Raye both nervous and grateful. “That’s a big job—six nights? I’ve got to deliver,” she told Billboard UK at the Ivors Academy Ceremony in September. “My mind is worrying, but I’m really grateful.”
Her plans don’t stop at music. In a candid conversation with the BBC’s Mark Savage, Raye outlined a five-year roadmap that includes putting out new music, touring with her sisters, and—perhaps—starting a family around 2027. “Ideally, around that time, it would be nice to meet my husband. So like, maybe 2027? Then we get married and have a baby,” she mused. “And I want to do enough groundwork in the next two years that I can take a year off and my career’s not gone down the toilet.”
Raye’s journey to this point hasn’t been easy. Before her debut album’s release in 2023, she spent years fighting for artistic freedom, even asking to be released from her label after they refused to put out her work. The south Londoner ultimately triumphed, keeping her songs and launching a solo career that’s since seen her collaborate with the likes of Joel Corry, David Guetta, Mabel, Jax Jones, Rudimental, and Disclosure. Her sound—a blend of pop, R&B, soul, jazz, dance, and hip-hop—has won over critics and fans alike, as anyone who caught her dazzling Glastonbury set this summer can attest.
For Raye, the ordeal of her stolen car and missing songbooks has become another chapter in a story defined by perseverance, creativity, and hope. As she told Variety, “When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Losing and winning and trying and failing only to try again, it’s a part of life. And then maybe by a miracle, you get to succeed every now and then.” With her lyric books back and her spirit undaunted, Raye is poised to turn the page on this saga—and perhaps, with her next album, write her most compelling chapter yet.
