Hailing from the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, the singer-songwriter, pop artist, model, and actor Ra7ael releases a deep and dark groove with his latest introspective single, "ILLegal."
Through his constant and perpetual passion for the arts, Ra7ael led himself down various paths from pole-dancing to ballet until he finally found his artistic and creative musical calling. With female influences like Amy Winehouse and Britney Spears, Ra7ael was able to deeply experiment with the realms of pop music while capturing lyrical atmospheres that depict his point of view on society.
Now releasing his heavy and reflective single, "ILLegal," Ra7ael and his surrounding sonics groove through the song's dark atmosphere while he touches on thought-provoking and vulnerable lyrics. We can't help but feel similarities to The Neighborhood through Ra7ael's wavy and hazy sonics, as they melt through our speakers with incredible passion and emotion.
Hitting play on "ILLegal," the track opens with punchy mid-tempo drum breaks and spacey background keys. Once the hazy and delayed electric guitar melodies begin to pierce the song's background, Ra7ael makes his vocal appearance, and we instantly hear similarities to Lil Wayne, except Ra7ael's delivery is much more melodic and catchy.
Reaching the song's hook, Ra7ael continues to groove alongside the song's tender and reflective sonics. We absolutely adore the blend of organic and synthetic sonics, as the reverbed electric guitar accompanied by the electronic synths and drums make for a soothing yet captivating experience.
Lose yourself in Ra7ael's latest thought-provoking single, "ILLegal," and find more of the young artist's discography on all digital streaming platforms.
We love the deep and hazy vibes within your recent single, "ILLegal." What inspired the lyrical content within this piece? What message did you want to convey?
Thank you so much for having me. I remember getting inspired by the lyrics at my friend’s birthday party when there were two police cars in front of her house and I could see the neighbors staring at us in their yards waiting for the cops to do something about it. Nothing actually happened. In the beginning, it was supposed to be just a party song, but it ended up being about taking wrong decisions because of bad influences and how low we can go just to impress someone that might not be even worth it.
Did you produce "ILLegal" yourself? What inspired the song's wavy and soothing tones?
Not all by myself. I brought the idea and lyrics to my friend who has a studio at home and after a few months, it was produced in another studio. The whole inspiration came from my objective in making a song for the stone heads or even for the party people lol. I was looking for something that would be perfect for these kinds of moments like when you’re in your friend’s car doing hotbox while singing songs playing on the radio or when you just wanna smoke and chill.
Did you create the organic instrumentals yourself for "ILLegal,” or did you have any other musicians feature on the single?
It was Arson Daylee and another producer from his crew doing the instrumental for me. I remember Arson also helped me with finishing with one of the bars on the bridge.
Seeing that you're known as an experimental pop artist, what other genres do you tend to dabble in? Would you say that you lean into sounds like hip-hop, electronic, and r&b as well?
In the next few years, I want to get more into hip-hop, R&B, and acoustic. The song form in Pop Music sometimes feels too predictable and repetitive. It would be cool to have some variety.
What's next for you?
Work really hard in the production of the next singles, promote them and when I’m ready and sure about it I would shoot a music video for each one. Also, I pretend in releasing my next single at the end of June or in the first two weeks of July. It’s a different sound and energy compared with ILLegal.
