Bringing a healthy dose of feminism into the country genre with her early 2020 powerhouse single “All Woman,” pop-country singer Nicole Rayy returns with her latest anthem, “Broken Boys”. Following its digital release, the track will be available at Canadian country radio September 18.
“I’m so excited to share Broken Boys because I think it is a song so many of us can relate to,” explains Rayy. “We have all fallen for that person that we think we can change. I’ve always been drawn to helping people and being able to fix things. But in a way this song reminds me that we are all a little broken and there is nothing wrong with helping someone carry their baggage, but never at the expense of yourself.“
Building on her #GirlTalk Sessions events, which saw Rayy sharing the stage with fellow female artists for performances and collaborations, Rayy will be hosting the first annual HarmoniaFest – an all female, drive in music festival, to take place in Milton on August 29. Featuring a lineup of fellow female-identifying artists including Bree Taylor, Alessia Cohle and Leah Daniels, the festival was created in hopes of elevating female voices in the often male dominated genre.
“I was inspired to create HarmoniaFest back in November when the festival lineups for 2020 were being announced. I was so frustrated that lineup after lineup was full of males performers and headliners and there were barely any female names on the posters,” says Rayy. “There are so many talented women in this industry who work so hard and I just wanted to create another opportunity to showcase them. I’ve always believed that you can’t wait around for an opportunity, you have to create it yourself!“
The southern Ontario-born Rayy has been a force in creating her own opportunities. Writing her own songs since she was a teenager, her talent placed her on the country music radar in 2012 with the release of her debut EP “Only Everything”. But it was her second album, “Dig” that truly solidified her as a force to be reckoned with within the Canadian country scene. Soon after she found herself being a multiple Country Music Association of Ontario Award nominee, playing major festival stages such as the Calgary Stampede, Trackside, Howl at the Moon – and found herself opening up for country music powerhouses like Aaron Pritchett and Brett Kissel. Rayy has taken her music internationally, performing at the World Music Festival in Shanghai, China, for four years in a row (2015-2018), proving to be a hit among Shanghai’s enthusiastic crowds. Recently, she received a nomination for CMA Ontario’s Female Artist of the Year and her hit single “Fireproof” took her fans by storm, garnering over 160K streams. Nicole has been continuously pushing forward the limits of country music in Canada and abroad, all while empowering the women around her to join her as she rises.
