Rising Brit pop star Reigns launches own record label and plansto emulate Raye as she teases huge european tour

SOULFUL new pop act Reigns has just launched her own record label and wants to follow in the footsteps of a big-name Brit star. The rising Essex singer is determined to do things her way and there’s no better inspiration than seven-time BRIT Award-winner Raye. Reigns co-owns a record label called She Wears the Crown Credit: Supplied She is supporting The Wanted 2.0 on the road later this year Credit: Supplied Before her debut album hit number two in the charts back in 2023, Raye was locked in a bitter, years-long battle with her former label to get her music out. She ultimately won the war and has gone on to become one of the country’s biggest pop acts. Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter Thank you! Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Reigns, whose next single Blessed is out in October, told us: “I think someone that’s really kind of inspired me in the modern day has got to be Raye, with her big band elements to her music, but also just the route that she’s taken, you know. “She’s been true to herself and she did, she dabbled in a bit of dance music, but then she came out to the world with this unapologetic music. And I think that just kind of inspired me. I found a lane that really speaks to me in my music. Raye showed that independent artists can have global success Credit: Getty Reigns’ next single, Blessed, is out next month Credit: Supplied “And I’m like, you’ve just got to keep doing it. And then the right people will hear it and it will resonate with them when it means to.” She continues: “So again, I’m independent. I’ve actually just co-founded a record label with Dee Adam, and it’s called She Wears The Crown Records. And the reason that we co-founded it, obviously I’m independent as an artist and it comes with that sense of freedom and being able to be empowered because of your own journey. “She Wears The Crown Records was a really cool way of staying independent, but also finding a way to mirror how I feel and what I want to give out to other artists in the future.” Other names Reigns draws inspiration from include vocal powerhouses Pink, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, while she previously realised a dream when she performed on the same stage as Joss Stone at a Pride event. Most read in Showbiz Momentum is building around Reigns. She supported Rebecca Ferguson on the road earlier this year and will soon head out with The Wanted 2.0. Next year, she’s teased there’s something even bigger in the works, though fans will have to wait a little longer to find out full details. She says: “I’ve got a big tour that’s going to be across Europe, a support tour, which I can’t say too much about just yet, but it’s definitely something to look forward to.” The versatile performer can do everything from upbeat bangers, empowering anthems and emotional ballads. Her most moving song is the deeply personal Everybody Falls Apart Sometimes, written about her cousin who died by suicide. Laying her grief bare, Reigns released the track to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month. “I lost my cousin after he struggled with mental health,” she says. “I remember coming to the studio and it was a beautiful sunny day. And as we do at the start of every session, we sit down and we talk and we have a cup of tea. And, you know, we just sort of spoke about it. “And I always say that music is like therapy. And it just felt like the only song that could have been written. And it was just a song that started about grief that I was dealing with personally.” The song has resonated with fans processing their own grief and led them to share stories of loss that have moved Reigns to tears. “It’s always going to be from a place of grief, but it’s actually a song that as hard as it was to release, it was important,” she says. “I have performed it live, especially at headline shows. There have definitely been some tears on stage. It’s always going to get me choked up and give me a bit of a lump in my throat. “But again, because it seems to have resonated with the people that support my music, those moments in the show, as hard as they are, they’re really special.” She continues: “There were some stories that people were sharing that had me in tears, you know. But again, they would finish that story by saying, and I’m so glad I found this song. I’m glad I found your music. “And to give people comfort in the way of music, I just think that’s such an incredible thing to be able to do. So if it means a few tears along the way, then I’m happy to take that.” Comment now