Legendary film composer Hans Zimmer has shared his profound admiration for RAYE following a surprise appearance at her recent concert in Los Angeles. The iconic musician joined the South London singer on stage, later describing his affection for her as a “complete understatement.”
The unexpected moment occurred during the second of RAYE’s two sold-out shows at the Greek Theatre on Wednesday, May 13. As the singer began to introduce her track ‘Click Clack Symphony’—a song featured on her latest album, This Music May Contain Hope, which was composed by Zimmer—she was caught completely off-guard by his arrival.
Visibly stunned, RAYE exclaimed, “You’re flipping joking!” before rushing to embrace the composer. She quickly turned to the audience to share the magnitude of the moment, telling the crowd: “I just nearly broke his back... Ladies and gentlemen, please make some noise for Hans Zimmer.”
“Flipping shut up. They surprised me!” she added, clearly overwhelmed, before the pair launched into the performance. “Do you realise what you’re witnessing here? Do you realise who is on stage? Ladies and gentlemen of LA, please give it up one more time for Hans Zimmer.”
Following the concert, Zimmer took to social media to reflect on the surprise, revealing that even RAYE’s father had been in on the secret to ensure she remained unaware of his attendance. “We did it! We completely surprised RAYE,” he wrote. “She asked everybody if I was going to come see the show. (Even her dad was in on it and told her I wasn’t around.) It was a major surprise!”
Zimmer went on to praise the artist’s unique talent, noting: “RAYE is one of the truly great original artists, a brilliant writer, an astonishing singer—and knows how to tackle quite serious subjects with a London wit. We have been friends for a looong time… to say I adore her is a complete understatement!”
RAYE is currently preparing to return to the UK for two headline shows at London’s O2 on May 19 and 20. Later this year, she is scheduled to support Bruno Mars on his ‘Romantic Tour’ across North America. Her latest album, This Music May Contain Hope, was released on March 27 to widespread critical acclaim.