RayRay Takes Us Home to Taiwan After Making North American Label Debut

RayRay drops off a mix and opens up about her stomping grounds as she celebrates “Drama Queen” landing on deadmau5’s mau5trap!

RayRay is a star in the making, born, raised, and immersed in Taiwan‘s flourishing dance music scene, but taking the global sphere by storm with memorable performances at Glastonbury, Amsterdam Dance Event, Tomorrowland, South by Southwest, NOVA, and Exchange LA.

Her eclectic artistry has the who’s who of the industry all abuzz, inspiring Skrillex, Yellow Claw, Zeds Dead, and the Insomniac team to proudly sing her praises. Even Canada’s deadmau5 has had his big ‘ol ears on her, and just this past September, he officially invited her to join the mau5trap horde by signing “Drama Queen.”

This high-speed vocal techno banger marks an extra special milestone in RayRay’s life, as this is her very first release on a North American record label. But it doesn’t stop here. She’s in the process of working on a follow-up single, as well as a full EP called Chaotic Evil, allowing her to stay firmly planted on mau5trap for the foreseeable future. With her career picking up steam, we wanted to learn everything we could about this talented Taiwanese beatmaker. RayRay was more than happy to open up about the place that made her who she is today.

Growing up in Taiwan gave me a lot of freedom to explore things I love. Taiwan is incredibly open to all kinds of music from around the world — there are no restrictions, and people are open minded. There’s something about Taiwan’s music scene that captivates not only local listeners but also foreigners. After all, Taiwan’s major city and capital, Taipei, has a thriving and active dance music scene. People are really excited about all the festivals here. Also, we have a lot of new, very good, up-and-coming producers. They’re trying so hard to get into the scene and push their own music to the world.
RayRay

RayRay observed, “From the artists’ perspective, Asia in general really needs more opportunities. I hope the festivals don’t just book the international artists, but also give more opportunity to the local or Asian artists as well. We actually have different kinds of international festivals happening here, but I really want to see us have more local festivals and not just the international brands.“

Opportunity is key, and RayRay understands all too well the importance of being seen and heard while lifting up her fellow artists. “I work with a lot of the hip-hop music scene, and I also work with the EDM scene,” she said. “They’re very united, and they’re very supportive. For example, back in the day in the hip-hop scene, everybody saw each other as competitors, but now, everybody works together.”

She continued, “We can have one tribe blending with different kinds of music styles. For example, hip-hop producers or rappers are willing to work with EDM producers as well. If you can help yourself, but also help others, then why not? I think that’s the idea all the artists have right now, which makes the scene extra special!“

With a diverse scene to dig into and her heart and head in the right place, RayRay was able to foster creativity and establish herself as a serious music artist, leading to a moment that would change her life forever. “After my exploration in hip-hop music, I was crowned champion of the 2013 Red Bull Thre3style DJ competition, which provided me the opportunity to explore the world and experience the diversity of music genres,“ she said. “Since then, I’ve been focusing on my own music production, and I’ve been creating my own sound. I was in love with trap music because it was like a bridge to me that connects hip-hop with electronic music.“

My life is all about music. I started with classical and moved forward to hip-hop and then electronic. I enjoy sharing music with the people around me. I enjoy listening to every beat, and I like the feeling when I’m surround by the music I love. This is my only passion, my only hobby, and probably the only thing I’m really good at. I also enjoy playing shows. I love seeing people getting excited during my set, and I enjoy receiving every heart-warming and meaningful message from my fans and friends. I love the fact that my music can possibly motivate someone in the world, and this is what makes me keep going in music.
RayRay

When an artist loves what they do, the energy is palpable — and this is why it’s always a blast catching RayRay behind the decks. But with all the dancing she inspires, it’s important to keep the body fueled. Luckily, her hometown has just what you need to keep the belly happy and the feet ready to fly.

“If you love snacking, you should go to the local night market to try out some weird and different things,” she told us. “If you love steak, you should 100% go to Ruth’s Chris Steak House, and finally if you like getting drunk and eating fried chicken, you should go to KOR Taipei and OMNI Nightclub!“

Now that our mouths are watering, it’s time to dive into RayRay’s calorie-burning mix. While recording it, she made it a point to highlight all sides of her while also displaying the talents of her close-knit yet worldwide community.

“This mix includes some of my new IDs with mau5trap and some cool new IDs from my friends around the world, such as Police In Paris, ARYA, Stoltenhoff, etc.,” she explained. “I’m focusing on hard dance and hard techno in the mix, but I also have a small surprise turn with dubstep, trap, and drum and bass! Hope you enjoy this one!”

Listen to her mix on SoundCloud, stream “Drama Queen” on your favorite music platform, and follow RayRay on social media to stay in the know on future releases and shows!

Stream This Is Home 089 || RayRay [Taiwan] on SoundCloud:

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