Originally making music reflective of indie folk influences, Ray came to embrace pop music as her primary genre with Begin to Look Around. Her songwriting has been described by the Sydney Morning Herald as "conversational, unambiguous lyrics" that "[come] across simply and powerfully",[3] and by Australian music critic Bernard Zuel as "quietly grand pop".[4]
Early life and education
Gretta Ray grew up in Melbourne, Australia, attending Princes Hill Secondary College. She sang in choirs from the age of five, latterly singing and touring with Young Voices of Melbourne, and as the youngest member of If You See Her, Say Hello, a group of 21 Melbourne-based singer-songwriters.[5]
Career
2016–2020: Career beginnings, Elsewhere and Here and Now
In February 2016, Ray released her debut EP, Elsewhere. In August 2016, she won the national competition for emerging new artists called Triple J Unearthed High, for her song "Drive", which was produced by Nashville-based Australian music producer Josh Barber with Jonathan Dreyfus, recorded by Nick Edin and Fraser Montgomerey and mixed by US producer Ryan Hewit.[6] The song received high-rotation airplay on Triple J.[7] The announcement was made by Triple J presenters Matt Okine and Alex Dyson, who snuck into a school concert while she was performing to surprise her.[8] Unearthed music director, Dave Ruby Howe called her a "...bold and exciting new talent who seems to win over everyone that comes into orbit of her music".[9] Ray also a nomination for a J Award for Unearthed Artist of the Year at the 2016 J Awards.[10]
On 27 October 2016, Ray won the 2016 edition of the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition, which carries the largest first prize for any songwriting competition in the world.[11] In August 2018, Ray released her second EP titled Here and Now. The following year, Ray released two stand-alone singles: a cover of Bon Iver's "re: Stacks" with Dustin Tebbutt in September, and "Heal You in Time" in December.
On 20 May 2021, Ray announced her debut album Begin to Look Around, which was released on 27 August 2021.[12] The album debuted at number 13 on the ARIA Charts. In April 2022, Ray announced the Begin To Look Around album tour, which occurred in June 2022.[13] Later in 2022, Ray joined Gang of Youths on their Australian arena tour in support of their album Angel in Realtime, serving as both their opener and a backing vocalist. The shows also saw Ray duet with lead singer David Le'aupepe on "The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadows", which Ray had previously covered on triple j's Like a Version segment.[14]
On 3 May 2023, Ray released "Dear Seventeen", a song she described as a "focus track" intended to introduce fans to her upcoming release.
On 24 May 2023, Ray held an event in Melbourne's northern suburbs for fans on her official Discord server. The event was a scavenger hunt that led fans to letters which spelled out the name of her sophomore album, Positive Spin, and culminated in its announcement. The album was released on 18 August 2023, and will be followed by a national tour titled The Big Pop Show in September.[15] The album was preceded by the singles "Heartbreak Baby", which was later nominated for Song of the Year at the APRA Awards, "Don't Date the Teenager" and "America Forever", which features vocal contributions from British singer Maisie Peters and American singer Carol Ades.
A deluxe version of the album, titled Positive Spin +, was released on 15 March 2024. It includes reworked versions of the songs "Upgraded" and "Heartbreak Baby", as well as the tracks "Roses" and "Better", a collaboration with Japanese Wallpaper.[16]
In 2024, shortly after moving to London, Ray was diagnosed with infective endocarditis, forcing her to cancel all remaining tour dates for the year.[17][18][19]
Discography
Studio albums
List of studio albums, with release date and label shown
The Australian Music Prize (the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. It exists to discover, reward and promote new Australian music of excellence.[57]
The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.
