Twenty years after her breakout hit 'Put Your Records On', Corinne Bailey Rae reflects on grief, fame, and the music industry's treatment of women. The singer, whose self-titled debut album topped UK charts and reached number four in the US in 2006, faced a devastating tragedy when her husband Jason Rae died of an accidental drug overdose in 2008.
Bailey Rae was close to finishing her second album 'The Sea' at the time, but it took two more years to release. Since then, she has released two further albums, both critically acclaimed: 'The Heart Speaks in Whispers' (2016) and 'Black Rainbow' (2024), which earned a Mercury Prize nomination. Now, she celebrates the 20th anniversary of her hit single with a children's book adaptation.
Speaking about the pressures of the 2000s music scene, Bailey Rae said: 'If you weren't tits-out-for-the-lads, they called you middle of the road.' She described feeling like an outsider growing up in Leeds, with a black father and white mother, and finding belonging in church. 'I wasn't cool. I felt really weird growing up,' she recalled.
Bailey Rae also addressed misconceptions about her late husband, often portrayed as a reckless jazz musician. 'We were similar in so many ways,' she said, noting both were religious, academic, and driven by music. Jason died after taking methadone while drinking with a friend; the combination proved fatal.
