Dyson has announced London-based singer-songwriter, Raye, as its latest global ambassador, a partnership that’s at once both unexpected and makes sense given the British brand’s recent push into the audio market with its latest OnTrac headphones. In a statement released by Dyson, it’s claimed the collaboration will aim to “highlight Raye’s visionary artistry” while and “showcasing how Dyson audio technology enhances the creative process.”
Since bursting onto the scene as a 17-year-old in 2014, the south London-born songstress and six-time BRIT Award-winner Raye has gone on to find fans worldwide and secure praise amongst music critics. Her 2022 single, “Escapism”, featuring New Jersey rapper 070 Shake, helped break her into the US and reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, while her debut (and so far only) album, “My 21st Century Blues”, dropped in 2023 to critical acclaim. More recently, Raye opened for Taylor Swift during the pop star’s London leg of The Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium, as well as co-writing a song for Beyoncé, “Riiverdance”, from her country album “Cowboy Carter”.
Raye’s new partnership with Dyson is being launched alongside a campaign film directed by South African filmmaker Zee Ntuli, an ethereal, broody vignette that shows Raye sitting solo, legs crossed and eyes closed, deep in thought while wearing Dyson’s OnTrac headphones. She is surrounded by wildflowers that appear and disappear as if they are the imaginary product of what she is listening to, her inspiration projected for the viewer to see. “With Raye,” says Ntuli, “it’s never just about the music – it’s about feeling.”
“We wanted to show that when she’s in her world, everything is amplified. The headphones are what let her dive into that space. We wanted to capture how inspiration feels when it hits – that moment when everything around you fades, and it’s just you and the idea, growing louder in your head.”
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Dyson
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Dyson
To a degree, it all feels a bit avant-garde for the brand that’s better known for making vacuums. But, to its credit, when you think about what Dyson has created, you could argue that the brand has always been at the forefront of the avant-garde when it comes to its products – maybe its marketing has just caught up. Indeed, music is a new space that Dyson is playing in, so perhaps the unexpected is, well, to be expected.
Announced earlier this summer, Dyson’s OnTrac headphones is the brand’s latest foray into the world of personal audio. The headphones have eight onboard microphones that sample external sound around the user at 384,000 times per second to help cancel “up to 40dB of unwanted noise.” The OnTrac is also equipped with one of the industry’s best battery capacities, providing users with 55 hours of playback with active cancelling switched on (and even longer with it off).
For her part, Raye says that she wants “people to listen to exactly what I signed off on, and to experience my music as I envisioned it to be heard when I recorded it in the studio.”
“During the shoot, I listened to Nina Simone ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’ on a loop for the whole time because I love that song so much. Nina Simone is the best artist who ever lived, and it felt right for the feeling of the space,” she adds.
For more head to @dysonwear on Instagram now.
