Rae (album)
Rae is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Ashe. It was released on October 14, 2022, through Mom + Pop Music. After the release of her debut studio album Ashlyn, she announced her new studio album entitled Rae. The album's title was adapted from her middle name, and Ashe stated that the album is "grounded in confidence, sexual freedom, excitement, and liberation". The album was supported by seven singles, "Another Man's Jeans", "Hope You're Not Happy", "Angry Woman", "Shower with My Clothes On", "Emotional", "Love Is Letting Go" and "OMW".
Clash scored Rae 7 out of 10, noting that while the album may not lift Ashe to the top of pop era, it represents a meaningful step forward in her career.
Background
On May 7, 2021, Ashe released her debut studio album Ashlyn which received positive reviews. Reflecting on her debut album, Ashe said that its content was "so off the heels of my divorce and going through all this turmoil and toxicity". In contrast, she believes that Rae, titled after her middle name and envisioned as a metaphor for existing "between life and death", is "grounded in confidence, sexual freedom, excitement, and liberation".Release and promotion
Before the release of the album, she has previewed the record through several singles such as "Emotional", "Shower with My Clothes On", "Angry Woman", "Hope You're Not Happy" and "Another Man's Jeans".The first single to be released from Rae was "Another Man's Jeans" on March 3, 2022. Ashe performed the track on May 19 on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Second single "Hope You're Not Happy" debuted on May 6, 2022. On June 22, 2022, alongside the release of third single "Angry Woman", Rae was announced to be releasing on October 14, 2022. The music video for "Angry Woman" was directed by Jason Lester and inspired by Yoko Ono's Cut Piece performance from 1964. Like Cut Piece, the video features Ashe's clothes being cut off her body until she is naked in the final shot. "Shower with My Clothes On" was served as fourth single in July 29, with Jason Lester-directed music video. The fifth single, "Emotional", was released in August 26, 2022, alongside its Jason Lester-directed music video. "Love Is Getting Go" was released as sixth single from the album in September 23, 2022. "OMW" was released as the last single from the album, on October 12, alongside the final Jason Lester-directed music video from the album.