Rae

***Rae*** is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Ashe.

It released on 14 October 2022 by Mom + Pop Records. It consists of 14 tracks, including a song featuring Diane Keaton, and spawned 7 singles. It released to great critical and fan acclaim, praising its cohesion and maturity.

It was promoted through the world "Fun While It Lasted Tour" in 2022-2023.

## Background

Ashe believes that *Rae* is "grounded in confidence, sexual freedom, excitement, and liberation", whilst it explores themes of relationships, feminism and maturing.

> I'm stepping into a fun and sexy era. We care too much about what others think of us. [...] The biggest thing I want you to pull from the album is, 'Do your thing, have fun and don't give a sh\*t about what people think'. - Ashe on *Rae*'s message.
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*Rae* is purposefully a storyteller album, as its tracklist was specifically planned so that its flow, of highs and lows, and song contents told a story of Ashe in this specific moment in time since moving on with her life (as told by "omw"), and growing as a person; it reflects a sexier and prouder version of herself.

## Production

Writing for *Rae* started soon after the release of *Ashlyn* with long-time collaborators Leroy Clampitt, Noah Conrad, Stephanie Jones, and Casey Smith; and was finished by late 2021. Ashe said that she was a happier person writing *Rae* compared to *Ashlyn*.

Production started in late 2021 with Leroy Clampitt continuing to be executive producer after also producing Ashe's debut album *Ashlyn*.

*Rae* is very organic sounding, doubling-down with the theme of stripping it back with real instruments and layered vocals, with minimal synthetic sounds, giving *Rae* its band sound. The second half of the album is dominated by acoustic tracks.

### The "Big Bear Sessions"

*For the full article, please view: The Big Bear Sessions.*

Five songs for *Rae* were written and partially recorded at a week-long writing camp in Big Bear, California, USA. Ashe, along with *Rae* producer Leroy Clampitt, and co-writers Stephanie Jones, Casey Smith, and Noah Conrad, all stayed at a cabin to finish writing the album throughout a week.

The songs that emerged were: "omw", "Emotional", "Love You Need", "Love Is Letting Go", and "Fun While It Lasted".

## Reception

Jen Souther of *TheHoneyPop* describes Rae as "a no-skip masterpiece [...] that has not fallen into the curse of the sophomore album"; with Ashley Caudill of *TheBurr* opining that Rae is a "delight" with "a variety of songs for different moods".

Alex Hopper of *American Songwriter* concludes that "[*Rae*] feels classic and has the potential to remain so for years to come".

Furthermore, Nicholad Graves of *ClashMusic* says "[*Rae* shows us] that [Ashe] is one of the most gifted pop voices of her generation, with a knack for keeping mid-tempo songs engaging".

## Promotion

*For the full article, please view: Fun While It Lasted Tour*.

*Rae* was promoted through Ashe's headlining world "Fun While It Lasted Tour" in 2022-2023. However, in early 2023, Ashe decided to cancelled all 2023 tour dates after prioritising her mental health and allowing herself time to heal; due to the fact that she has worked and toured non-stop for nearly the past three years.

An "album launch party" was held on its release date at *The Viper Room* in West Hollywood to celebrate the album.

Additionally, on 18 October 2022, Ashe performed *Live at Troubadour*, a famous music venue in West Hollywood, USA, where she performed the whole album in sequential order for the first time, and fans had the opportunity to tune in globally via livestream. Moreover, Ashe revealed that Diane Keaton had attended the soundcheck to have "her own personal concert".

### Singles

1. "Another Man's Jeans" was released on 3 March 2022. "Rae's Theme" was included as its introduction for the music video.
2. "Hope You're Not Happy" was released on 6 May 2022, one day before *Ashlyn*'s one year anniversary. Its music video is comprised of live performances of the song.
3. "Angry Woman" was released on 22 June 2022, the same day as the album announcement. Its music video was inspired by Yoko Ono's "Cut Piece" performance.
4. "Shower With My Clothes On" was released on 29 July 2022.
5. "Emotional" was released on 26 August 2022.
6. "Love Is Letting Go" featuring Diane Keaton was released on 23 September 2022. It did not receive a music video.
7. "omw" was released on 12 October 2022, two days before the album released.

### Physical Editions/Formats

* Digital.
* CD (gatefold digipak):
	+ Standard.
	+ Signed (US Target Exclusive).
* Vinyl (1xLP):
	+ Red [Translucent] (Limited Tour & Store Exclusive).
	+ Red & Lemon Galaxy (Limited *Urban Outfitters* Exclusive, 3000 copies).
	+ Sea Blue & White (Limited *Rough Trade Shops* Exclusive, 1000 copies with signed postcard).
	+ Purple [Grape] Splatter (Standard Version, Limited).
	+ Purple [Grape] Splatter (Limited *Spotify Fans First* Exclusive Cover Variant, 500 copies).
		- How to tell the difference between sealed copies: All should have a clear sticker on their front saying the variant; if not, the copy is most likely the *Purple [Grape] Splatter* variant, as it is the standard version; the *Spotify Fans First Exclusive* variant is easily identifiable by its unique cover and no hype sticker.
* Cassette:
	+ Gray (Limited Store Exclusive).
* Box Set (Limited, "Super Fan" Pre-Order Exclusive).
	+ Translucent Red Vinyl, Track List T-Shirt, Angry Woman Tote Bag, Signed Poster.

## Gallery

### Album Photoshoot

Album CoverOriginal (Unedited)Out-take (Edited)Out-take (Recoloured)Out-take Original (Unedited)Out-takeCD/Vinyl Rear (Tracklist) UntaggedTracklist "A Side" RevealTracklist "B Side" RevealTracklist Reveal Background/
Album Pre-Save Placeholder ImagePromo ImageLQHQ CroppedBTSBTSPromo ImagePromo ImageHQ CroppedOut-takeImage Inside CD/VinylBTSBTSBTSBTS (Empty *Cine Still 800T Film* Canisters)BTS (Photographer Alex Harper)*Rae* Background
**AI-GENERATED/ UNOFFICIAL***Rae* Background Extended
**AI-GENERATED/ UNOFFICIAL**
### Logos

"Ashe" Logo"Rae" LogoAlbum Reveal ImageFirst Logo
(Used in merch)Second Logo
(Used in merch)
The font used is "**Peristyle Semi Bold**" by Hoefler Co.

### Physical Editions

Red [Translucent] VinylRed & Lemon Galaxy VinylSea Blue & White Vinyl
(+ signed postcard)Purple [Grape] Splatter VinylPurple [Grape] Splatter Vinyl
(Cover Variant)Box SetGray CassetteCDSigned CD
(US Target Exclusive)Vinyl Poster (Reversible)
### Album Cover Inspiration

Inspiration for the album cover photoshoot are the pose of Denise Crosby in this image from the 1980s, and the background of this Honda "Wild Thing" V4 Motorcycle Poster from 1987. They can be seen in the "omw" music video alongside other *Rae* inspirational 1960s-80s photographs, and more clearly in its "behind the scenes" video.

*Rae* Album CoverDenise Crosby (circa. 1980s)
(Source unknown)Vintage Honda "Wild Thing" V4 Motorcycle Poster (1987)
(© Grant Edwards/One Stop Posters)
### Production Behind The Scenes

*For more, please view: The Big Bear Sessions.*

"Love Is Letting Go" MixingEarly Tracklist

## Tracklist

### Original Tracklist

1. "Another Man's Jeans"
2. "Hope You're Not Happy"
3. "Shower With My Clothes On"
4. "omw"
5. "Angry Woman"
6. "Emotional"
7. "Loose Ends"
8. "Love You Need"
9. "It Can't Be You"
10. "San Jose"
11. "Love Is Letting Go"
12. "Count On Me"
13. "Fun While It Lasted"

### Non-Album Songs

* "Missing You" is an official non-album single with singer/songwriter, and close-friend, Stephen Sanchez with Ashe, released on 4 November 2022. It was written by Sanchez, Ashe, and Konrad Snyder. It is a non-album single for both artists as it released after *Rae,* but was made shortly beforehand, therefore, it was most likely too late to be included on the tracklist; and was not included on Sanchez's debut album *Angel Face*.

### Unreleased Songs

* "Fingerprints And Chapstick" is an unreleased song by producer/singer Jeremy Lloyd and features Ashe. The song, written by Jeremy Lloyd and Ashe, was found registered on the German song repertoire site *GEMA* between the release of *Ashlyn* and "Another Man's Jeans".

* "The Alternative" is an unreleased song by Ashe, possibly meant for *Rae*, which was given to Filipino singer-songwriter Lyn Lapid as part of her *second EP*, and released on 22 June 2023. Written by Noah Conrad, Casey Smith, and Ashe; and also produced by Conrad, it is the only song on the EP not co-written by Lapid.

## Credits

Vocals, Lyricist, Background Vocals: Ashlyn Rae Willson (Ashe)

Producer (Executive), Lyricist, Background Vocals, Bass, Harmonica, Synthesizer: Leroy Clampitt

Producer, Lyricist, Background Vocals, Keys (Piano): Noah Conrad

Lyricist, Background Vocals: Casey Smith

Lyricist, Background Vocals: Stephanie Jones

Producer, Lyricist: Andrew Haas

Producer, Lyricist: Ian Franzino

Producer, Lyricist: John Ryan II

Vocals: Diane Keaton

Mixing Engineer: Manny Marroquin

Master Engineer: Michelle Mancini

Clarinet: Itamar Ben Zimra

Drums: Tim Spier

Violin: Morgan Paros

Cover Photography: Alex Harper

Cover Design: Sonia Gauvin

Label, Copyright ©, Phonographic Copyright ℗: Mom + Pop

## Trivia

* *Rae* continues the trilogy tradition of naming studio albums after Ashe's real name, Ashlyn Rae Willson.
	+ Ashe has stated that this is because the albums reflect a version of her at a specific point in time. All are her and all are true, but not at the same time.
	+ *Rae* is purposefully a storyteller album reflecting her in this time snapshot.

* Curiously, the album cover has Ashe sitting and leaning to the right, the same as *Ashlyn* and *Moral Of The Story: Chapter 1 EP*.
	+ Inspiration for the album cover photoshoot are these images from the 1980s. They can be seen in the "omw" music video alongside other *Rae* inspirational 1980s photographs.
	+ Album photography was by Alex Harper, with art design, photography retouching, and physical format designs by Sonia Gauvin.
		- The album photoshoot took place on February 3, 2022.
			* Information obtained from the original photoshoot metadata (see above).

* *Ashlyn* makes reference to Ashe's ex-husband in: "Another Man's Jeans", "Hope You're Not Happy", "It Can't Be You", and "Loose Ends".

* The album has 3 explicit tracks; coincidentally, so does *Ashlyn*.

* The 'A' key is by far the most prevalent on the album, with 5 tracks being in A major, and a further 2 in A minor.
	+ Coincidentally, *Ashlyn* also has 7 songs in 'A' key; although they are all in A major.

* For the original tracklisting, "Loose Ends" was pushed two positions higher, and "Rae's Theme" was not included.
	+ Moreover, according to a video showing the original tracklist, "Angry Woman", "Loose Ends", "San Jose", and "Love Is Letting Go" were the first songs fully completed off the album.

* Ashe has confessed that releasing 7 singles off *Rae* was too many/much for her mental health, not that it was a mistake.
	+ She won't release as many on the next album, *Willson* (presumed title).

* The font used throughout this era's campaign is "Peristyle Semi Bold" by Hoefler Co.

## Navigation

 Rae Tracklist

## References

1. ↑ https://vmagazine.com/article/ashe-cuts-away-the-past-for-new-era/
2. ↑ https://chimesnewspaper.com/52148/entertainment/ashe-releases-her-sophomore-album-rae/
3. ↑ https://americansongwriter.com/ashe-oozes-confidence-on-emotional-new-single-and-video/
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr4K19O071c
5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QCQH2xU3So
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://theburr.com/5239/blogs/on-the-record/this-weeks-obsession-rae-by-ashe/
7. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20221014130005/https://thehoneypop.com/2022/10/14/rae-a-drop-of-golden-sun-ashes-sophomore-album-is-a-triumph/
8. ↑ https://americansongwriter.com/ashe-talks-the-evolution-on-rae-diane-keaton-collab-and-more-its-exactly-the-sound-i-wanted-to-go-for/
9. ↑ https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/ashe-rae/
10. ↑ https://twitter.com/ashemusic/status/1620829458285608960
11. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CjvzrkPSNe2/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
12. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjtq9Z6pPT8/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKSDelR6A1E
14. ↑ https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/Ashe-Releases-Sophomore-Album-Rae-20221014
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzK3L2A05lw
16. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOxaCwdAUtA
18. ↑ https://online.gema.de/werke/search.faces?lang=en
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 https://lynlapid.fandom.com/wiki/To\_Love\_in\_the\_21st\_Century
20. ↑ https://lynlapid.fandom.com/wiki/The\_Alternative
21. ↑ https://soniagauvin.com/ASHE-RAE-CONTENT