Meet Rahe

“Music is the only thing in the world that makes me feel complete. I have to share that; I feel it’s what I was sent here to do.” –Rahe

For some artists, describing their “style” or “genre” is commonplace. But for Rahe (pronounced “ray”), it is no easy feat. One minute she’ll be belting out on a fiery flamenco piece surrounded by palmas and the beat of a cajón, the next minute she’s serenading you with a sultry bossa nova, after that she’ll be playing funky bass-lines on her Spanish guitar atop hip-hop/reggae grooves and African percussion! As Drew Sherrod of Broadstroke Records described, “If Seu Jorge and Sade had a baby in Spain… that would be Rahe.”  With her soulful, velvety smooth vocals, fiery nylon-stringed acoustic guitar, and compositions that draw on everything from the music of Spain, Brazil, and Africa to American Soul, Blues, and Jazz… this artist truly has a sound all her own.

“There are few individuals who intrinsically break from the mold, providing natural connections and bridges to those around them with an open heart. Rahe, a novel, female singer/ songwriter, is an archetype of such character and spirit. The [23]-year old artist has pipes that are reminiscent of Alicia Keys and guitar strums that rival the veteran Gypsy Kings…Rahe is a beacon incarnate of diversity and multiculturalism.” (Darià Artiola – Digital Hippos)

With an upbringing as diverse and eclectic as her music – Rahe was raised traveling the world with her military family, spending the majority of her childhood between Japan and Spain (the country of her heritage) – it’s only fitting that this mélange of influences form the backbone of her sound. Her songs take you on a trip around the world, mixing the sounds and flavors of all the countries and cultures she has visited throughout her travels. Always a creative soul – she was reading novels by age 3 and published her own book of poetry and short stories by age 9 – Rahe’s love for artistic expression only grew with time. By 13 she began to teach herself to play guitar, sinking her teeth into everything from the blues of Lightnin’ Hopkins to the bossa nova of João Gilberto. Rahe discovered songwriting at 14, when her family settled in Durango, Colorado. There she attended and performed regularly at the Durango Songwriter’s Expo, where she had the opportunity to collaborate with some very talented hit-songwriters, including Grammy winners Alissa Moreno and Tim Fagan. Pretty soon she started gaining major recognition herself. Her song “Weakness” won the Single of the Year Award at the 2009 Los Angeles Music Awards. She has now performed her music all over the world, including Tokyo, Madrid, New York City, Los Angeles and many other U.S. cities.

Watch Rahe on the red carpet at the 2009 LA Music Awards!

Rahe performs Flavor at the Durango Songwriter’s Expo:

Rahe knew she would be a musician when, at five years old, after her piano studies of Mozart and Bach, she would sneak out in the middle of the night to play Flamenco music with the gypsies in the streets of Andalucía. The passion and fire of the palmas (percussive hand clapping), guitars, dancers, and wailing voices, the beautiful ancient versos passed down from generation to generation… it all enthralled her. They invited her to join in and sing along “Oye, pero mira yo soy Flamenco, por mi vena yo lo siento,” (which translates to “Listen, I am Flamenco, I feel it flowing through my veins”). “For these people,” she says, “music is the essence of who they are as beings. I knew, the first time that verse came out of my mouth, nothing would come between me and music, because in my veins, music runs thicker than blood.”

That passion, along with the unfettered creativity and singular vision of an artist far beyond her 23 years, manifests in every note she plays, every verse she sings, and every song she writes. Rahe’s defining goal is strong and utterly heartfelt –“I want to inspire and touch the hearts of people from all walks of life; to cross cultural barriers and bridge generational gaps by making music that is not only innovative and uniquely my own, but also passionate, universal and timeless.”

Rahe performs her original song, Voodoo, at ASCAP’s I Create Music Expo:

“In a world of Lady Gaga’s and Ke$has, female artists, and male artists for that matter, need a true musician to look up to. Rahe is that artist…The world has a lot to look forward to as her career jumps to further heights.” (Isaac l. Gealer – AltSounds)