RAYE Says Her Stolen Car With Songwriting Books Inside Has Been Recovered: ‘Never Give Up Hope’

The wins keep coming for RAYE. The singer shared that her stolen car has been recovered, with her songwriting books “untouched.”

In an Instagram post last fall, the south London-raised artist revealed that the vehicle containing the books had been stolen on her birthday, adding, “there would be no second album anytime soon.” She shared the news along with a picture of a cake with the words “sorry ur car got stolen” written on it.

At the time, RAYE (real name Rachel Keen) had been working on the follow-up to her multi-BRIT Award-winning debut, My 21st Century Blues, released in 2023. The incident led her to press pause on her recording plans. 

Speaking to Capital FM host Will Manning on Oct. 27, RAYE explained that the car has now been recovered. “So it was a rollercoaster journey,” she began. “But what I didn’t tell everyone is that the police called me, maybe like two, three months ago, and they were like, ‘We found your car.’

“Not only did I get it back, not one thing had been taken out of the car. All my songwriting books were there, untouched.” She continued, “Everything ended well. Never give up hope.”

Details for the 28-year-old’s second album, including a title and release date, have not yet been released, though it’s been confirmed it will drop sometime in 2026. Fans can pre-order the record, currently dubbed Album 2, via her official website. 

RAYE released the first preview of material for Album 2 on Sept. 19. “Where Is My Husband!” is billed as the record’s lead single, and debuted during her performance with a brass band on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage earlier in the summer.

The track peaked at No. 3 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart and No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. To accompany its release, RAYE announced a tour titled This Tour May Contain New Music, which is scheduled to pass through the U.K., Europe and North America in early 2026.

The trek will encompass six nights at London’s 20,000-capacity O2 Arena. RAYE spoke about the residency to Billboard UK at the Ivors Academy Ceremony in September, saying that she “hadn’t quite digested” the achievement yet.

“That’s a big job — six nights? I’ve got to deliver,” she said at the time. “I remember when my tours used to be six nights long! But my mind is like, ‘We need to deliver the best show we can possibly deliver.’ My mind is worrying, but I’m really grateful.” Watch the interview clip below.

Billboard’s Live Music Summit will be held in Los Angeles on Nov. 3. For tickets and more information, visit the event’s website.