Rae Morris began making music when she was seventeen to process her adolescence and coming of age, filtering new emotions through a whirlwind of pop. Her eerie vocals and piano-led melodies soon attracted people to her shows in her hometown of Blackpool and a year later she signed with Atlantic Records.

​Musical growth has since played an important part in her personal development. Her string of promising EPs and collaborations with Fryars, Clean Bandit and Bombay Bicycle Club has now bled into the vivacious sound of Unguarded, her recently released debut album. It's an emotional, albeit carefully crafted, journey through love lost, found and longed for. Ahead of her summer tour, we talked to Rae about inherited passions and seizing inspiration from the swift turns of the world.​

When did music become important for you?

When I understood what music meant to my dad, I also began to realise how much it meant to me. My grandfather Raymond was a musician and filled my dad's childhood with music. Our passion for music has been passed from generation to generation.

You were signed to a major label at a young age. How has this affected you?

I have grown into the more adult version of myself. I was always very grown up, but the pressure of being signed to a record label definitely helps speed up the process. The journey has been a most wonderful and inspiring one. There of course have been moments of insecurity, but while overcoming those doubtful feelings, I have found new comfort and confidence.

What drives you to create?

The world! And how big and quick it is. We don't have a lot of time and I have so many questions I want to ask. I want to make a mark, leave something behind and hope to make a small difference in some way. The people around me are also wonderful. I love my band. They make me laugh so much and are my constant companions. They inspire me to just be myself which is a great creative state to be in.

What is Unguarded about?

Unguarded became the story of me growing up and coming of age. It happened naturally. I started writing songs as a way of documenting new emotions and feelings and over time I realised that these songs, when they came together, formed a story.

What is the story behind Love Again?

Love Again was written right at the very end the album making process. Everything else was done, but I was still searching for the missing piece of the puzzle. Originally the “Looking too hard for something” lyric was about exactly that; looking too hard for this song!

Rae Morris is playing Field Day festival in Victoria Park on Saturday the 6th of June. 

Photos by Mafalda Silva