- Words Notion Staff
With his new EP, I Wake And Remember, Ray Hou crafts a bold new world that sets him apart from his peers.
Originating from Taiwan, international singer-songwriter Ray Hou released his debut EP, I Wake And Remember, on August 9, 2024. With all of the tracks written, composed, and produced by Ray, the EP seeks to capture “an unyielding determination to resist losing precious memories of someone important, regardless of distance, circumstances, or the passage of time.”
Through his art, whether original songs or film score compositions, Ray intends to create music that offers immunity in a fast-paced world. Growing up in Taipei, Taiwan, he spent hours in his family’s film composing studio, immersing himself in the relationship between visuals and sound. This early exposure to the mechanics that generated such palpable synchrony across mediums such as television and film had a profound impact on him as a young artist and ultimately set the course for the path he is now on.
In addition to inspiring him as a musician and artist in his own right, being exposed to this line of work at such a young age also gave him a diverse and eclectic array of musical tastes, greatly enhancing his musical versatility. In 2018, Ray began writing songs while building his career composing for advertisements, indie films, and eventually movies and TV shows.
Now working as a full-time film composer, producer, and singer-songwriter in his own right, based in Taipei and Chicago, Ray has a diverse portfolio that spans indie and commercial projects across Asia, Europe, and the US. Over the past two years, Ray has written film score accompaniment for films such as Shining for One Thing, The Forbidden Flower, I Cast A Spell on the City, A Perfect Blossom, and more.
In 2023 alone, he made custom music for brands such as Sony, McDonald’s, and TGI Fridays. His original score for the indie film A Black Dog by the Reef was showcased at the Berlin Film Festival. Ray is also featured in multiple large-scale movies and TV shows, including one that broke the national presale box office record in Asia.
Ray is currently composing for three undisclosed Netflix shows while releasing his first EP, I Wake And Remember. In Ray’s own words, the EP attempts to create “an auditory sanctuary and portray different angles of visual distance through sound, as the pieces contrast intimate and grand, warm and cold, the forming and the formless.”
The I Wake And Remember EP has a total of four tracks, each serving to showcase Ray’s innate talents at conjuring visually rich, emotionally-laden storytelling on a narrative and thematic level. Through his blending of delicate vocals with cinematic elements, I Wake And Remember is a project that has allowed Ray to bridge the divide between his singer-songwriter works and his film score works. Through these sounds, Ray attempts to visualise physical and emotional distance.
“This EP is written as if I’m scoring a film. I hope it helps listeners visualize or bring back memories they think have been lost forever.”
The EP features four tracks in total: ‘Two Birds’, ‘It’s Been So Long’, ‘A Long Distance Song’, and the title track, ‘I Wake And Remember’. Ray’s EP showcases dynamics that can be compared to well-known artists like Wave to Earth, Jacob Collier, grentperez, and Mitski, whose influences can be felt throughout the project. Although Ray has been involved in the music industry for a while, this is his highly anticipated debut EP as a solo artist and composer.