FEATURING KNUCKS, SAMPHA, JOHN GLACIER, DUA SALEH, BAKAR AND MORE
PRE-SAVE HERE
LISTEN TO NEW SINGLE “RADIO SILENCE” HERE
North London multihyphenate Ragz Originale has announced his highly anticipated debut album Bare Sugar out June 30th. Accompanying this news is a new single and video titled “radio silence”. The seductive new single follows “troublin” which marked his return in March and saw him make his COLORS debut for a career defining live performance of the song. Both tracks will feature on his forthcoming album Bare Sugar and are a taster of what’s to come this summer.
Speaking on his latest release “radio silence” Ragz says, “Where do I even begin with this song? This is probably my favourite song from the album, in fact it is! It represents everything I stand for in sound design. Late night drive music at its finest, I wanted to create something aliens would dance to whilst creating art! Produced by Myself, E-Whizz & Jeauneil Baptiste. There are frequency sounds moving through the song which mirrors radio signals, hence the title of the song. In this case, she was looking for me, I was looking for sound. Sometimes the radio is the closest she can get to me.”
Bare Sugar is a cohesive collection of genre-bending synths and free-flowing experimentation that illustrate Ragz’s ability to excel both in front of the mic and behind the boards. The 14-track body of work is the epitome of Black excellence and sees the Ivor Novello nominee proudly take his seat at the table as one of the most assured and refined artists in the alternative R&B scene.
Always evolving, Ragz demonstrates himself as a singer-songwriter, rapper and producer that can delicately finesse his sound to incorporate his eclectic taste and love for electronic, indie, jazz, soul and rap music into his unique, futuristic yet accessible sound. He adds, “with this album it was important for me to dive even deeper into myself, it’s probably the most honest sound I’ve ever made. I had to block out all the noise, it wasn’t easy but I didn’t see my career elevating unless the sound did. On planet earth we call this ‘Excessive Luxury Sound’. A gift that keeps giving, use it to heal, elevate & free yourself. You’re very welcome.”
Bare Sugar sees Ragz explore relatable lyrical themes such as love vs lust, vulnerability, temptation and everything in between that comes with navigating the jungle of dating. It’s passionate and honest when it comes to the highs and lows tied to infatuation, fantasy, sneaking around and falling in love.
Enlisted are some of the most exciting names in the UK and beyond which further cements him as a purveyor of the underground scene who is able to effortlessly collaborate to produce timeless music to soundtrack late night drives and after hour link ups. Ragz teams up with Bakar on the love-struck “Long Stay”, draped in twinkling keys and layered vocals, they ask the questions you find yourself asking when you’re into someone and you don’t know where you stand.
The sensual “what comes next” sees up and coming Londoner 24hoursav and Sudanese-American singer and actor Dua Saleh join him in exploring their desires in the bedroom before leading into “Styles” with regular collaborator and MOBO Award winning rapper Knucks where they both exude confidence in their verses amongst a bed of smooth and infectious cadences. Ragz and Sampha offer a prospective new lover solace on “flashbacks” with Ragz stitching the acclaimed singer’s signature spellbinding vocals into an ethereal soundscape. “Dance Can’t Dun” is a call and response with rising star John Glacier where both artists fiercely take no prisoners lyrically as they bounce off each other’s high energy.
While gearing up to release his debut studio album, Bare Sugar, Ragz Originale continues to push against boundaries to become a pioneer of the new age renaissance of UK sounds that translates across the globe.
1. not everyone can be a star ft. LOLA
2. long stay ft. Bakar
3. troublin
4. what comes next ft. 24hoursav & Dua Saleh
5. styles ft. Knucks
6. pay ur bills
7. pretty girls luv supreme
8. wrist froze
9. flashbacks ft. Sampha
10. girls kiss girls
11. radio silence
12. ego
13. dance can’t dun ft. John Glacier
14. july ft. Tiana Major9 & Venna
Ragz Originale is a multidisciplinary artist, and the creative mind behind north London collective MINIKINGZ. Ugandan-born and UK based, Ragz became a master of his own craft while growing up with a blend of musical influences in his environment, providing the innate inspiration to teach himself the art of production and vocal range.
Following his production of three-standout tracks on Skepta’s highly acclaimed 2016 album Konnichiwa Ragz soared to solidify his sound through demonstrating his rare ability to make timeless music that refuses to be confined to a genre. 2018 saw his debut EP Nature which introduced the artist-producer’s primal role in contributing to the new wave of UK alternative music followed by his txt ur x EP in 2020. As a producer, Ragz continued to contribute to hits like ‘Bullet of a Gun’ by Skepta and ‘Deep Flow’ by BenjiFlow, his MINIKINGZ affiliate showcasing his ear for both progressive grime and alt R&B.
His biggest single to date “Brush U” solidified to be a cult favourite off of his mixtape, WOAH with 5 million streams. In between projects, Ragz has nurtured, creating a signature sound within his own singles with carefully selected features from artists such as ELIZA, Lady Donli, Prettyboy D-O, and more.
Honouring the magic of collaboration, Ragz released ICONICY with collective MINIKINGZ, made up of renowned artists, Oscar #Worldpeace, BenjiFlow, a hard hitting mixtape that speaks to the versatility of his production in which Rolling Stone UK stated to be “a melting pot of rap, afrobeats, samba and beyond, all drenched in sunshine”.
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