8 Reasons Why You Should Be Listening to Raury Right Now

Raury wears many hats — literally and figuratively, and yet, he’s barely 19.

The rapper, singer, songwriter, and guitarist has been gaining momentum since the release of his digital album, Indigo Child, last year. We caught up with Raury at sweetlife festival last weekend to talk about his music, his Kanye West connect, Raurfest music festival, and more. Start listening to Raury, and find out why artists like Andre 3000 and Miguel have already jumped on his bandwagon.

1. He’s signed to Columbia.

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   Raury became labelmates with the likes of Beyonce, Pharrell, and Daft Punk almost a year ago at the age of 18. He turns 19 next week, and he’s already released his first digital 13-song album, Indigo Child. “Is 18 really that young, anyway?” he asks.

2. He started his own festival, Raurfest.

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   Raury’s second annual Raurfest music festival takes place in Atlanta on June 26. The first Raurfest was in conjunction with Raury’s 18th birthday, and he headlined it for about 500 people. Raury hopes his festival will bring back what he thinks is lost in the hype of festivals today: the discovery of new artists. He sees himself as a “bridge between all kinds of music. Raurfest is my effort to connect different types of music, and bring up talent in Atlanta.”

3. He started making music when he was 3, before he could even write.

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   “I was three and I was coming up with melodies and songs,” he says. “I was making little raps when I was eight, picked up the guitar when I was 11, never put it down. I decided to take music as a life path when I was 14.”

4. He’s influenced by Michael Jackson.

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   Raury’s Michael Jackson influence is most apparent in his live performances, specifically in his erratic dance moves. He notes that when he was little, he would “try to dance like Michael Jackson and just copy him.”

5. He and Kanye are “cool.”

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   “I was still in high school, and ’God’s Whisper’ was out. The next thing you know, I got a call from my manager saying, ’Kanye wants to meet you. He’s gonna fly us out [to L.A.],” Raury says. He says that his relationship with Kanye is “not too hands-on, but we’re cool. Whenever we see each other, it’s always good times.”

6. He cares what his mom thinks about his life path.

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   Many of the songs off of Indigo Child are inspired by arguments Raury had with his mother about pursuing music as a career. He included these spats mainly for his fans, to let them know that “we are the same person. We get cussed out by our moms.” Raury says that his mother’s original disapproval of his pursuit of music stemmed from her “lack of knowledge” of the industry. “She had my best interests at heart,” he says.

7. He once wrote a song called “Oh, Little Fishie.”

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   Miley Cyrus isn’t the only one who writes music about fish. Raury once penned a song about a “little fishie” when he was younger. “I was making up random tunes and things,” he says of that time.

8. His music is damn good.

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   The ultimate thing that’s created all the buzz around Raury in the first place is, after all, his music. It’s free-spirited and dreamy, and keeps you guessing. It’s not easily sorted into one particular genre. Raury “knows how to make a big song seem personal,” as Pitchfork writes, and he incorporates a variety of styles. His music is what has converted major acts like Kanye, Andre 3000 (Raury opened for Outkast at one of their reunion shows in Atlanta), and Miguel, who told us in an interview that he “fux” with Raury, to fans.

   Get to know Raury through his music, and listen to Indigo Child here (after you navigate the endless universe, of course).