“Music has always been a huge part of my life,” shares singer-songwriter Oakley Rae. “I grew up singing in church choirs, and as I got older, I fell in love with artists like Aaliyah, Brandy, and Destiny’s Child. Their music shaped my love for R&B and pop.” This admiration for iconic R&B songstresses bleeds through in Oakley Rae’s atmospheric pop productions, which fuse lush electronic textures with soulful vocal runs to create her signature style.
As a small-town girl from Oklahoma, Oakley Rae grew up surrounded by country music. However, the sultry sounds of 90s R&B soon captured her imagination and inspired her to start pursuing music more seriously. After teaching herself guitar and piano, Oakley Rae started sharing covers on YouTube and Instagram, amassing a respectable following thanks to her smooth velvety tone and adept musicianship.
Introduction
Oakley Rae first captured attention with her 2020 EP “Bad Habits,” showcasing a moody, electronic-tinged style often compared to artists like Lana Del Rey and Billie Eilish. However, as the Nashville-based singer-songwriter prepares her first full-length album, she’s revealed even more eclectic musical talents that incorporate additional influences ranging from 2000s icons like Destiny’s Child and Brandy to the dark sonic textures of The Weeknd.
With this expansive musical palette, Oakley Rae creates a sound that’s decidedly her own—one that will likely propel the young artist well beyond viral cover songs and early EPs. As Oakley Rae elaborated in a recent interview:
“Music has always been a huge part of my life. I grew up singing in church choirs, and as I got older, I fell in love with artists like Aaliyah, Brandy, and Destiny’s Child. Their music really shaped my love for R&B and pop.”*
Blending these nostalgic R&B and pop elements with modern electronic production, Oakley Rae produces universally relatable songs centered on love, relationships, and identity. With the release of her debut album on the horizon, she seems primed for a major breakthrough.
Early Life and Musical Journey
Born Rachel Oakley Thompson in Nashville, Tennessee, Oakley Rae gravitated toward music at an early age. She sang gospel songs in church choirs during childhood before discovering artists like Destiny’s Child through her parents’ record collection in middle school.
Drawn to the compelling songwriting and innovative production styles of her R&B and pop influences, Oakley Rae began singing covers and posting them online as a teenager. Gaining a significant following on apps like TikTok and Instagram, her soaring vocals and moody rearrangements of popular songs helped her amass over 300,000 social media followers even prior to releasing any original music.
In 2019, Oakley Rae started unveiling her own songs, leading up to her first EP “Bad Habits” in 2020. Blending electronic production elements with laid-back, earworm melodies, tracks like “2 AM” and “Ur Boyfriend” demonstrated her versatility while singles such as the heartfelt “Homesick” revealed a more sentimental side.
Proving herself as both a powerful vocalist and creative songwriter, Oakley Rae’s artistic identity came into sharper focus across these early releases. With nostalgic pop influences aligning with modern electronic atmospherics, she nurtured a distinctive style that feels both timeless and current.
Musical Style and Influences
Oakley Rae produces a brand of darkly-tinged pop and electronic music with nods to artists as varied as Lana Del Rey, Aaliyah, and The Weeknd. Tracks like her breakthrough single “Ur Boyfriend” showcase her sultry vocal tone over a pulsating beat, contrasted by more stripped-back ballads like “Runaway.”
As she elaborated in an interview with Flux magazine:
“I like playing with contrasts in my music. I’ll write a very minimal song with just piano or guitar and my voice, then another song with a heavy beat and vocal production. It keeps things interesting.”
Lyrically, Oakley Rae demonstrates a talent for evocative, often painfully honest storytelling. Songs like “Ex Files” chronicle the lingering sting of failed relationships, while “Homesick” explores loneliness and isolation. Rather than platitudes or positivity, Oakley Rae taps into listeners through raw vulnerability, citing influences like Lana Del Rey in her willingness to explore the darker themes of romance and human connection.
Production-wise, Oakley Rae gravitated toward electronic influences from a young age. As she told Wonderland magazine:
“I’ve loved electronic music since I was a kid. I remember listening to Crystal Castles and M83 with my older brother. So fusing those kind of synth-heavy sounds with pop just made sense.”
Merging pop song structures and R&B melodies with moody electronic atmospherics, Oakley Rae produces universally accessible songs wrapped within a distinctly modern sonic palette.
References to artists like Destiny’s Child and Brandy also pepper Oakley Rae’s recent work, suggesting additional throwback influences. As she prepares her debut full-length album, she has suggested even more diverse sonic territory:
“For my first album, I really want to showcase different sides of myself as an artist. Expect to hear some harder hip-hop and rap-influenced records as well as super vulnerable ballads.”
This early career versatility demonstrates immense promise for Oakley Rae. Capable of both starkly confessional songwriting and bold pop reinvention, she seems destined for even wider appealing moving forward.
Discography
While Oakley Rae has released several singles and EPs over the past three years, 2023 marks her most high-profile output yet with the anticipated release of her debut full-length album.
Her first major body of work, the “Bad Habits” EP, arrived in 2020 led by the infectious single “Ur Boyfriend.” A sly subversion of expectations, Oakley Rae flips the traditional romantic narrative perspective with a story of jealousy directed at her lover’s partner. Signature elements like the song’s deep bass line and Oakley Rae’s smooth, subtly raspy vocals helped drive streams well into the millions.
Discography
| Release | Type | Songs | Streams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad Habits | EP | “Ur Boyfriend,” “2 AM,” “Ex Files,” “Homesick” | 5M+ |
| In My Mind – Single | Single | “In My Mind” | 1M+ |
| Love Songs (Covers) – EP | EP | “wildly in love,” “No Air,” “Right Here” | 400K+ |
With past songs accruing over 6 million streams, Oakley Rae has built palpable anticipation for her first full-length release. Expected to incorporate previously hinted sides such as rap and heavier electronic influences, her debut album shows enormous commercial potential.
Given her young career, Oakley Rae’s steady output and growing fanbase already forecast even greater success upon expanding into album releases. If her future material continues sharpening the raw talents displayed across her initial EPs, stardom undoubtedly awaits.
Live Performances and Tours
As an independent, emerging musician, Oakley Rae is still making inroads into the world of live performance and touring. However, her breathtaking vocal talents and rapidly accelerating popularity suggest these professional realms lie just over the horizon.
While Oakley Rae has yet to embark on an official headlining tour, she has delivered electrifying sets at festivals like Lollapalooza, Governor’s Ball, and Bonnaroo over the past year. Videos from a breakout performance at 2022’s Austin City Limits showcase Oakley Rae belting out hits like “Ur Boyfriend” to rapturous crowds.
Oakley Rae has also hinted at a headlining North American tour planned for summer 2023 with further global dates likely pending. This prospect seems imminent given her debut album’s anticipated release this year along with a long-anticipated post-COVID landscape for live events.
As Oakley Rae gravitates increasingly toward the media spotlight, demand from major venues and prominent festivals will enable her sound and talents to ignite even larger settings. Given the rhapsodic responses to her existing live showings, the possibilities seem boundless.
Impact and Legacy
With one of 2023’s most hotly tipped debut albums on the horizon, Oakley Rae appears positioned for breakthrough success as both a musical artist and cultural influencer.
At just 22 years old, Oakley Rae displays equal talents as a songwriter, producer, vocalist, and performer. These abundant skills, artistic depth, and long runway career growth set the stage for durable staying power in a notoriously fickle industry.
While still early, Oakley Rae shows the capacity for generational impact recalling artists like Aaliyah or Lana Del Rey. Her brilliant fusion of electronic atmospherics, irresistible pop hooks, and unfiltered vulnerability feels destined to inspire future musicians.
In the immediate future, Oakley Rae seems primed for mass popularity in 2023 if her upcoming album lives up to expectations. From headlining tour announcements to soundtrack placements to think pieces unpacking her cultural identity, Oakley Rae could easily transform into a ubiquitous star throughout the year.
However, on a longer-term scale, her early songwriting sophistication coupled with broad stylistic range hints at far loftier ceilings. Both critics and audiences have seen glimpses of transcendent talent in Oakley Rae’s career thus far. The upcoming months will determine how brightly that starpower shines moving forward.
Conclusion
Still only in the fledgling stages of her career, Oakley Rae has already displayed enormous potential through her genre-bending singles and early EPs. Yet as she prepares to unveil her debut full-length album, year 2023 seems fated for an emphatic breakthrough statement.
Given the boundless versatility exhibited across Oakley Rae’s existing discography, forthcoming releases promise even more diversified influences and styles. Tracks channeling harder rap edges juxtaposed with gentle acoustic balladry could unveil new dimensions of an already dynamite talent.
Of course, expectations accompany any rising talent, particularly one touching the heights of hype surrounding Oakley Rae’s upcoming record. But when examining the poised artistry demonstrated already at just 22 years old, she appears equipped to handle the pressures and forge an enduring career.
For eager audiences and especially long-term supporters tracking Oakley Rae’s rise, an exciting road lies ahead. Hers is a story just beginning, but the early chapters have already revealed one of music’s most promising heroines for the years to come.
