Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Rayana Ragan

Singer-songwriter Rayana Ragan grew up in the world of fashion, so she seemed destined to follow in her parents’ footsteps and carve a name for herself in the industry. From a young age, she started to do just that. But she would soon find a deeper connection to music that she couldn’t resist.

This June, she started forging her own path as a singer-songwriter, creating and expressing herself like never before. We caught up with Rayana to learn more about her, her new single, “Why Mama Why,” and her upcoming debut EP.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Rayana: I don’t think I discovered it so much as it has always been integral to who I am. There is a home video of me as a toddler listening to ’90s R&B. I’m bopping along and mumbling the lyrics whilst staring at myself in my parents’ blacked-out TV. I remember fantasizing that my reflection was actually a televised broadcast of me singing and performing the song.

I would later go on to steal my parents’ notebooks to scribble “essays” before I knew how to actually write, and once I could, I was constantly writing poetry, short stories, and, later, my first songs.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Rayana: I don’t know that any one person, thing, or event alone has massively impacted my career. I would say it was a series of different people’s words and actions, the way my parents raised me to go after what I want, and various life events that together pushed me to jump headfirst into this career and inspired the songs that I write.

PC: You started your career as a model. What was the biggest lesson you learned from that art form that you’ve been able to apply to your music career?
Rayana: Modeling is an intense industry that has taught me a lot of valuable life lessons, but the biggest lessons modeling has taught me are how to best represent myself as an individual brand, work as a team, and keep a level head through the ebbs and flows of my career in entertainment.

PC: You just released your debut single. Tell us about “Why Mama Why” and the inspiration behind the song.
Rayana: “Why Mama Why” was inspired by the Muhammad Ali quote “God will not place a burden on a man’s shoulders knowing that he cannot carry it,” as well as the eternal question of why do bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people? I think everyone can relate to being at a difficult point in life and wondering “why me?” and this song is exactly that; this song is the portrayal of someone who is broken and struggling with a sense of self while leaving a toxic relationship, seeking out maternal warmth, comfort, and solitude, and confronting her reality and why she feels God has essentially left her.

PC: You’re getting set to release a very personal EP. Were there any nerves being so vulnerable in your craft? What can you tell us about godless?
Rayana: There were a lot of nerves in being so vulnerable. These songs tell stories that I don’t talk about. That’s one of the reasons why I love music though: in no other career of mine do I get to tell my story, my way, let alone at all.

While it’s terrifying to put it all out there for absolute strangers around the world to listen to, it also gives me hope—hope that someone will hear these songs and it will make them feel a little less alone in what they are going through or have gone through.

As for godless, it is a story about hardships, loss of faith, and finding one’s own way. It is a personal story, and therefore I urge everyone who hears it to pay attention to the lyrics. Listen to the songs, but pay attention to the lyrics.

PC: If you had to pick one song off of godless that best encompasses who you are as an artist, what would it be and why?
Rayana: I don’t know that I can pick just one. My producer, Taylor Sparks, and cowriting partner, Jack Conway, did such amazing jobs listening to my vision and helping me create it that I honestly cannot say that I have a favorite from the bunch. I don’t think any one song best represents me because they all are me.

PC: With this being your debut EP, what was the biggest takeaway from the project? What did you learn about yourself during the process?
Rayana: This album changed my life. Before godless was created, I was struggling personally. In order to heal and repair, I made the decision to focus on myself and my growth.

I reached a point where I felt I was ready to pursue this new career in music but had not yet met the team I wanted to work with. Then I met my songwriting partner, Jack, who not only crafted this album with me, introduced me to my rock star of a producer, and subsequently helped actualize this lifelong dream, but through a mutual vulnerability in the songwriting process, my relationship with Jack grew from professional into a romantic one. This album taught me to have faith in myself, to trust the process, and pursue my dreams. From the relationship that spurred from it, I learn more about myself and love every day.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Rayana: Skee-Lo

PC: First album you bought?
Rayana: Alicia Keys’ Songs In A Minor

PC: First concert you attended?
Rayana: Sade

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Rayana: Bishop Briggs’ EP Bishop Briggs. Hearing her bluesy, soulful voice and how she emotionally purges through her music, I took one listen and said to myself, “That. I want to do that.”

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Rayana: Hollywood Bowl

To keep up with Rayana, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Pick up or stream “Why Mama Why” today.

Photo Credit: Ben Tsui