Two songs into her first Glastonbury set in June, Raye paused. “I’m going to bring the mood down, just for a second,” she said at the time. “This next song is about sexual abuse and rape and sexual violence.”
It was an introduction to her song Ice Cream Man, from her debut album.
It’s not an easy song to sing, Raye explains to journalist and broadcaster Louis Theroux over her kitchen counter. Every three performances or so, she’ll “completely break down” singing it.
The lyrics include lines like: “I was seven, was 21, was 17, and was 11. It took a while to understand what my consent means, if I was ruthless, they’d be in the penitentiary.”
While speaking to Louis Theroux, Raye explains the song draws on many things that have happened in her life.
She goes on to stress the importance of bringing a friend with you when entering unfamiliar situations with people you don’t know.
Raye says singing the song Ice Cream Man is “my way to be loud in a way that is safe”.
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