Raury

Raury is a free-spirited singer, rapper, guitarist, songwriter, and producer. He mixes alternative folk, rap, and electronic music while counting the diverse likes of Chance the Rapper, King Krule, and Lorde as contemporaries. The Atlanta-based artist made his commercial full-length debut in 2015 with All We Need, a ceaselessly positive album that hit the Billboard 200 with help from the lead single "Friends," featuring Tom Morello. Raury then transitioned from major-label Columbia to independence, and has since released projects such as the comparatively hushed Fervent (2019) and funkier Strawberry Moon (2022). Raised in Stone Mountain, Georgia, roughly 20 miles outside his eventual home base of Atlanta, Raury Deshaun Tullis started recording music in his early teens, and played in a high school cover band. His graduation year of 2014 was momentous. He threw an 18th birthday music festival he dubbed Raurfest, issued Indigo Child (a free digital-download mixtape), announced his deal with major-label Columbia, and contributed to the SBTRKT album Wonder Where We Land. His recorded work and desire to create not just a new genre but a new culture, were promising enough to earn a long-list nomination for the BBC Sound of 2015 poll. All We Need, his first proper album, was issued in October 2015. The set was sent to number 78 on the Billboard 200 with a push from the preview single "Friends," featured a couple songs that became even more popular -- namely "Devil's Whisper" and "Crystal Express" -- and included additional guest appearances from Big K.R.I.T. and RZA. Raury resurfaced a few years later as an independent artist with The Woods and Fervent, primarily acoustic, ballad-heavy sets released respectively in 2018 and 2019. He continued to confound expectations in 2022 with Strawberry Moon, a concise album rooted in R&B more than any other genre. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi