In our current musical landscape, Ray Hodge is like a breath of fresh air. His voice is clear and powerful. His lyrics are insightful, heartfelt, and poetic. There is truth in the message that he delivers and we are delighted that he has joined the conversation. Definitely an artist to watch in the coming years. – Alex Pastuhov // SwitchBitch Noise
Queens, NY-based indie soul-pop artist, Ray Hodge has been buzzing since the release of his debut EP, Braveheart last fall, as he took the world by storm with his empowering video for “I Am King.” Blindsiding new and old fans with his powerhouse vocal ability and emotive lyrical themes that range from faith, to hope, to strength, overcoming all obstacles and learning to love yourself,. Ray is a voice for all people with the message that “we are not alone.”
Scope the newest music video off Braveheart
for his highly emotional, and deeply personal track, ” If It’s Easy” below:
“If it’s Easy” is a song about making what you believe in come true. It’s about saying to oneself ‘I am taking hold of my own destiny, I am someone. I am and will be loved.’ This song is about the adventure and struggle to love. The music video I made with Alexa San Roman and wanted to dedicate it to someone I love so very much, the only one who could ever break my heart. It’s about the different phases I went through during our breakup. Feeling dead and confused, lost…thinking about if they felt the same way too. But at some point it came to me, I need to get up and stop beating myself up and laying here wondering. If it is truly meant to be it shall be. Finding your own beat to life after sharing it is hard, but one way or another we all seem to bounce back.– Ray Hodge
Growing up in Jamaica, Queens on an eclectic mix of music ranging from Michael Jackson to System of A Down, Ray‘s love of music and performing started at a very young age. Singing and performing for almost anyone who would listen, his love for music would eventually lead him to play in his first band in his early teens. Since then, Ray has been sharpening his theatrical live performance skills playing various underground clubs in NYC, as well as crafting his own original brand of music that somehow manages to encapsulate indie, pop and soul music all wrapped into one perfect package. Like it’s title, Hodge‘s debut EP Braveheart is a 6-song collection of songs meant to move and inspire, highlighted by the artist’s powerful and dynamic vocal range. Ray‘s music is honest and emotional with a message of hope for anyone that has been through trying times in their life, to remind them that they are not alone and to stay strong, love themselves and push through because they are going to make it…the same mantra that Ray reminds himself of on a daily basis. The artist elaborates:
What I try to do differently than other artists is to make it about more than just the lights and glam, more than just a lyric or a good song. I create the land and the fans build the houses. In that, we make this place our place, where we become the Vibrations and electricity and in that form,we are one. We are not alone. I make it ok to release the happiness, sadness, or anger as we share it among each other in these moments we purify.
Ray Hodge‘s debut EP, Braveheart, is available for purchase here. To stay up to date on all things Ray, including new music videos coming soon, be sure to follow him on Facebook.
