- Words Yazzi Gokcemen
New pop act Ines Rae is using her platform to help save people from heart failure, sitting down to discuss her new soulful single 'Someone Else's Heart', she shares why.
At 21, Ines Rae is far from your average aspiring pop artist. Only beginning to release music in 2021, she first made waves on BBC 1’s Discover Sessions with Jodie Byrant. Then there was the moment her pop track ‘Never Get It Right’ featured on the Netflix hit Emily In Paris in 2022, leading the singer to be Shazam-ed by thousands. More recently however the artist has had a proudest moment yet, when she was appointed to be a celebrity ambassador for NHS England.
Dropping today, Ines’ new single reveals why she was handed this heavy responsibility. Titled ‘Someone Else’s Heart’ the deeply personal track is a musical account of living through her father’s fatal health diagnosis and the subsequent heart transplant which saved his life. Raw and confessional, Ines’ lyrics take listeners on a journey through helplessness, fear and glitterings of hope. The pop instrumentation creates a glowing backdrop for the singer’s unique, emotion-filled vocals – rock guitar chords are met by wandering drums and a sense of arpeggio, reflecting the complexity of her experience.
It’s just the beginning of the noble musician’s awareness-raising – which already touched global audiences and Khloe Kardashian on social media. Through 2024 she’ll be fronting a nationwide campaign to educate younger generations on organ and blood donations and, she hopes, encourage them to opt-in.
With feverish support from music tastemakers, there’s no doubt that Ines Rae’s pop music will likewise captivate far-flung audiences and make her a star. Here we dive deeper into the process behind her most personal project to date and learn what ignites Ines Rae’s creative spark.
How are you feeling to have your new single ‘Someone Else’s Heart’ out in the world?
I’m honestly so excited. This song is beyond special to me. I’ve never been this vulnerable in my writing before, it kind of feels like I’m giving away a tiny bit of my soul to everyone. Maturally I’m a little nervous, but it’s been a while since I put out music and this one feels like the perfect comeback moment.
Can you talk about the songwriting process – what was it like to translate the experience of your father’s health challenges into music? Did you find the process therapeutic?
I went to Hull on a writing trip with one of my producers, on the train route there we were having a catch up and at this point my dad was still in hospital recovering from the heart transplant, so it was all very raw and real and happening. We got into the studio and I wasn’t planning on writing about the situation, it sort of just needed to happen which I didn’t realise until we were writing. In a way it felt like I was reliving everything all over again – which was hard, but I wear my heart on my sleeve – so that’s why I think this song feels so honest and captures everything happening at that time in my life so well.
What do you hope audiences take away from this song?
This song to me sounds like a journey. The music itself follows the timeline that I experienced, from my dad receiving the call that he had a donor, to him having the operation and recovering. It’s delicately chaotic, towards the end it feels almost out of control which is how I felt a lot of the time. I want people to listen to this song and, whether they’ve experienced having an ill parent or not, to love deeply, hug daily and never take anything for granted.
You were recently appointed Celebrity Ambassador for the NHS thanks to your awareness-raising of organ/blood donations. Can you talk more about this role and the impact you believe creative influencers can have in the health space?
This is one of the biggest honours that’s come out of my music career so far. Being able to use my platform to educate and raise awareness for such an important cause is amazing and it’s what social media should be more about. My aim is to connect with a whole new younger generation of potential donors. Please go and give blood for the NHS if you’re eligible to do so, and talk to your family about signing up to be an organ donor, it saves people’s lives.
Going back to the beginning, where did your passion for music arise from?
To be honest I think it started when I got tickets to a Demi Lovato intimate concert in Apple Store on Regent Street. It was my 8th birthday and she sang me happy birthday in front of everyone and gave me her setlist. From that moment on I knew I wanted to do this.
Who are your forever inspirations?
Musically I admire artists with incredible songwriting and voices whose songs live on. Currently I’m loving Sam Tompkins, I think he’s really real and amazing. But in life, hands down my parents, they are the best people in the world and I can’t wait to give back to them one day.
2021 was the year you began releasing music, since you wrote ‘Burner Phone’, the title track of your EP, during lockdown, I wondered how the pandemic impacted your creativity and career choices?
I turned 18 in the middle of lockdown. It was such a big time of change in my life I was about to do my A levels, my driving test, I was applying for unis… yet the world felt so still around me. But I was able to focus a lot of time on music, and I actually wrote my whole EP on Zoom. I went to uni and studied Sociology at Bristol but because of sporadic lockdowns, it wasn’t the experience it was meant to be. Because of this, I leant even more into my music as the one constant that I could control and express how I feel.
Your track ‘Never Get It Right’ was featured in Emily In Paris in 2022. What did this moment mean to you, as a 20-year-old artist at the beginning of a music career?
The song featured for a minute on the credits of episode 8, so to be honest I wasn’t sure how many people would notice it. But it soon became apparent that just those few lines from the song resonated so much with the listeners and I was bombarded with messages from people who had Shazammed it from the show. It actually reached the top 11 most Shazammed songs in the USA and in the top 50 globally, which is mind-blowing. That gave me the confidence to know that people loved my sound once they got the opportunity to hear it.
You’ve also played Discover Sessions hosted by Jodie Bryant for BBC Radio 1, how were you discovered by the presenters and what’s been the best thing to come out of it?
I’ve played 2 shows for Jodie – who is such a champion of new artists and with her ‘Discover Live’ shows she’s managed to create a community of artists and musicians who are all growing together! Jodie is always meeting people and trying to discover artists before anyone else and I was recommended to her by my manager about 2 years ago – she listened and (luckily) liked what she heard and I’ve now been on a few of her lineups. The best thing to come from it is that it’s been a great opportunity and helped give me the confidence ahead of my big headline in April. I also know a few industry people always come to her shows so I have now got eyes on me that I might not have had if I hadn’t played her show.
You have a sold-out show coming up at the Camden Assembly. Where are you at with live performances – more nerves or excitement? And what can we expect from this show?
There’s nothing more amazing than a room of people singing your songs back to you. Knowing that the crowd are there to see you is so special. I’m really really excited and for me it’s so important to put on more than just a show. I like to make my headline concerts feel very experiential, interactive and fun. I’ve got some really cool things planned for the Camden show and I can’t wait to share it with everyone. As well as a set list of loads of unreleased music.
What are some ambitions/goals you’d like to achieve by the end of next year?
In 2024 I really want to travel around the country and meet my fans across the UK – I’ve got plans to do that and I’m really excited. Moving into 2025 I would love to go further afield across Europe and play loads of festivals. I can’t wait to continue to build my fanbase and just give you guys more and more music.
What’s next for you – any projects/shows we can look forward to seeing from you this year?
After ‘Someone Else’s Heart’, I’ve got a new song coming out on the day of my headline show. I’m hoping to put out loads of singles over the summer too. There will definitely be more headline concerts this year and I’m gonna be doing a lot more work in my role as an NHS ambassador.