RAYE Says She No Longer Drinks to 'Fix or Bury or Numb or Escape': 'I Prefer Myself Like This' Rachel DeSantisJanuary 22, 2026 at 4:31 AM 0 Willy Vanderperre RAYE on the cover of Elle RAYE told ELLE that she is approaching her alcohol habits differently The star said she drinks wine occasionally, but is "no longer drinking to fix or bury or numb or escae" RAYE sang about her substance abuse issues on her hit song "Escapism" RAYE is approaching her second album with a clear head and a new handle on how she consumes alcohol.
- - RAYE Says She No Longer Drinks to 'Fix or Bury or Numb or Escape': 'I Prefer Myself Like This'
Rachel DeSantisJanuary 22, 2026 at 4:31 AM
0
Willy Vanderperre
RAYE on the cover of Elle -
RAYE told ELLE that she is approaching her alcohol habits differently
The star said she drinks wine occasionally, but is "no longer drinking to fix or bury or numb or escae"
RAYE sang about her substance abuse issues on her hit song "Escapism"
RAYE is approaching her second album with a clear head and a new handle on how she consumes alcohol.
The British pop star appeared on the February 2026 cover of ELLE, and explained that she wrote the forthcoming record — which does not yet have a title or release — mostly sober, a process very different from her 2023 debut album.
"A lot of My 21st Century Blues, I was up in the clouds, rolling a blunt. I like that I've come down to earth to write these lyrics. I prefer myself like this," she said. "I've found discipline and abstinence in my life, and it's a beautiful thing."
RAYE (born Rachel Keen), 28, said that while she still enjoys a glass of wine on occasion, she's "no longer drinking to fix or bury or numb or escape."
Willy Vanderperre
"A lot of damage had to be repaired from my old life, where I was entirely disconnected from my family," she said. "You see how close I am with my family now — that's my center point. But I was a world away from that. I was a very different person to who I am now, even though I may present the same or be able to put on the mask and play the part."
The "Where Is My Husband!" singer has been open about her struggles with substance abuse in the past, and even wrote about drowning her sorrows in alcohol and drugs in her hit 2023 single "Escapism."
"When you keep things in… they eat away at you from the inside. And for me, sadly, substance abuse was entangled with numbing the trauma that I had experienced," she told the BBC in 2023. "I got pretty deep in and it got really dangerous at one point."
RAYE noted that rediscovering her Christian faith had helped her immensely.
Willy Vanderperre
Raye
"There's a world in which if I didn't find faith again, I might not even be here," she said. "It's honestly pulled me out of a really dark place."
The Grammy nominee has also been open about behind-the-scenes drama with her former record label, and how she finally reached a breaking point before releasing My 21st Century Blues independently.
"As someone who struggled with a lot of different subjects in silence and on my own, for this album I really wanted to lift the lid on the smoke and mirrors that even I felt like I needed to uphold for so many years," she told PEOPLE in 2023. "To be honest, some of the stuff I'm discussing, some of my closest friends don't even know — which is weird because I'm an open book."
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: January 21, 2026 at 03:45PM on Source: OPERA MAG
#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle
