Raye Zaragoza

Raye Zaragoza (born April 16, 1993) is an American singer-songwriter.

Biography Raye Zaragoza was born and raised in Manhattan and moved to Los Angeles at the age of fourteen. Her mother is an immigrant from Japan and her father is of Mexican and Oʼodham heritage. Her great-grandmother was adopted out of her tribe as young child, raised by a white woman and forced to assimilate.

Raye became involved in school musicals, started playing guitar at age 12, and started writing songs in her late teens. She released her debut EP Heroine in 2015. She started to gain national attention in 2016 with the song "In The River," protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline. Raye and her brother made a video for "In The River" that included facts about Standing Rock and it received 100,000 views overnight.

In 2017, she independently released her debut album Fight For You. Her music covers topics related to social justice and her experience as a woman of color. The song "American Dream" was written in reaction to Donald Trump's election. The album also includes love songs

She cites Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Joan Baez, and Buffy St. Marie as influences. and made year-end lists from NPR Music and PopMatters. The album shows Raye embracing all aspects of her mixed-race identity in song.

In 2021, Zaragoza was awarded the Rising Tide Award by the International Folk Music Awards presented by Folk Alliance International.

Discography Heroine EP (2015) Fight For You (2017) Live at Rockwood Music Hall EP (2019) Woman in Color (2020) Hold That Spirit (2023)