Arin Ray is in rebuild mode.
After parting ways with Interscope Records, where he released two albums and two EPs, the singer-songwriter has spent the last couple of years reconstructing his foundation.
On a late July afternoon, Ray is in his hometown of Cincinnati, where he’s been spending much of his time lately, splitting the rest with Los Angeles. “I just got back a couple of days ago,” he tells me over Zoom, shuffling through his home, wearing a red and white trucker hat with a crisp white tee and shades. “I brought my son out for the summer, so he can kick it, see the family and do all the cool sh*t you can do in a city like this without being an hour away from everything.”
Being back in the Queen City has given Ray space to refuel after turbulence in his career. His new EP LIMBO — the follow-up to 2023’s Phases III and his first independent project in a decade — was created amid the uncertainty. “The last two and a half years… since that Phases III era, everything’s kind of been up in the air until now,” he reflects. “I didn’t tour. I wasn’t able to release music. I was trying to get off the label. It was really hard.”
Ray has been hammering away at his musical ambition since he was a teen. Hailing from a musical family — his father played the drums for New Edition and After 7, while his mother sang in church — Ray first put his name on the map as a contestant on the first two seasons of The X-Factor. Although he was eliminated both times, it only fueled him to keep pursuing a music career.
After penning songs for artists such as Chris Brown, Jason Derulo and K. Michelle, Ray dropped his debut EP, Phases, in July 2016. A year later, he was signed to Interscope and began rolling out singles like “We Ain’t Homies” ahead of his 2018 debut album, Platinum Fire. He followed up with his 2019 EP Phases II and his 2022 sophomore LP, Hello Poison, before marking the end of an era with Phases III in 2023 — his final release with the label.
Now with a new team in his corner, Ray is back in control. Below, he opens up about his label exit and the making of LIMBO, while looking back on a decade of Phases and what lies ahead.
You’ve been back and forth between Los Angeles and Cincinnati. What does home feel like for you?
I love it. I’ve always loved coming back to the city and just be a local. I don’t go out too much, but when I do, I hit my little spots. If you see me, you’ll probably catch me at a Reds game or a local bar. My new favorite thing to do is kayaking. I like to enjoy myself.
The last time we spoke was when you released Phases III. You’re back with LIMBO. At what point did that title feel the most real for you?
The last two and a half years. We were having a hard time, but we did what we had to do. Since that Phases III era, everything’s kind of been up in the air until now. I didn’t tour. I wasn’t able to release music. I was trying to get off the label. It was really hard.
What was going through your mind when you were in that time of uncertainty?
In my life, I’ve been hurt, and I’ve been in pain. But not knowing if I’m going to be able to take care of my kid or live where I’m at — I lost a lot in these last two and a half years. There was no stability. There was no comfort. Everything that was supposed to happen never did. It got to the point where I had to pull a few strings and make a few moves to get off Interscope.
If I recall correctly, right before Hello Poison came out, you tweeted and deleted something calling out your label’s lack of support. What sparked that?
I felt like I was putting my best foot forward, but that happens, though. I can’t necessarily be 100% upset with the label about why things didn’t work. They are a business built on selling records and making hits. I am about making great music. That doesn’t align with a label’s platform right now. I don’t care how talented you are; if you’re not about to sell records, they don’t care. They won’t tell you that, but they’ll show you.
Where do you believe the disconnect was?
I’m not super engaged with social media. That’s one thing. I’m naturally to myself. I don’t try to do all the cool, trendy things. When they see an artist not necessarily willing to do what it takes, that’s a red flag in their eyes. I get it; you guys want to sell records, but you guys got to be better at being artist-specific and how you bring that out of these artists. If they’re shy or not in tune with how to connect with a fan base, I feel like it’ll help if they can either find a way to get them to do that, or understand who that artist is and find different ways to make sh*t work.
How would you define success as an independent artist?
I think if you know how to rock with your community, make them feel loved and get them to buy into everything, you’re good. I’m looking to be the best Arin I can be, so touring, connecting with fans, making great music and creating real relationships. I am not looking to be the biggest artist in the world. That was a dream that I wanted as a kid. Now, as a grown man, I want to be able to support my family, handle my business, move how I want to move, and give my fans what they deserve.
What was your intention with making LIMBO?
There was no intention at all with this project. I think that’s why it’s [called] LIMBO, because I was making music, but it was for nothing, essentially. I was trying to wait and see if the label would approve my project or talk to me, but they went silent. It got to a point where they had us start doing all the paperwork for a project, then stopped talking to us.
LIMBO is a curation of songs I’ve had over time where I didn’t know if I would ever be able to release music again, granted my situation. This is that step forward in independence, growing my brand and becoming a better artist. Obviously, I had the intention of creating music, but there was no intention of this being an EP. I was worried about an album. This is a combination of records I love that I felt needed to get out before I started what’s coming next.
In “Cheap Champagne,” you sing: “Gotta fight the pressures that I find myself in / ‘Cause Lord knows I don’t need / Another situation where I’m gon’ have to leave.” Where were you mentally and physically when you wrote that?
Well, I was not being spoken to by my label, so I was making records and basically going into all these sessions not as an artist but as a writer. This was one of those sessions where we were cooking up stuff from scratch, seeing what we could make. “Cheap Champagne” is the most recent song out of the whole pack. Those words are about the label. It sounds like a relationship, but it’s about my situation. It’s like, “I wanna f**k with you, but I’m not trying to get in a situation where I’m in right now. I don’t want to invite something new into my life that’s going to eventually be taken away from me.”
“Lose” is an interesting track. Half is lyrical, and the other half is where you sort of get lost in the music. The production shines through, and your celestial vocals really stand out. Then the production transitions into a bluesy beat. What were you trying to achieve with that song?
That one is more fresh because I had to revamp it. It was an older demo record. I wanted something that would transition into the new sound. So I produced it how I would produce now, and what I would want the flavor to be — but not totally. I needed y’all to feel the funk and emotion. It’s a way to segue into what I’m about to do — a taste, not a full serving.
Overall, the lyrics are just how I feel a lot of times. A lot of times you feel like, “I could go risk it, but what if I do lose?” And the realization is like, “I could lose everything. So what am I going to do to make sure that doesn’t happen?” I should be a bit more positive at this point and speak more life into myself, but that’s what I was feeling. I was happy we got to put that one on there, for sure.
You mentioned an album in the works. What’s your progress so far?
I’m 80% there. If I needed to, I could drop that sh*t, and I’d be fine. But I’ve got a lot of work to do. I plan on having that done before the fall. I would love to go into tour not having to think about music in that aspect. You won’t have to wait the wait that you had to with this EP and then my next album, for sure. I’m not allowing that to happen. Luckily, in my situation, I can release technically when I want. It’s a beautiful thing. That makes me feel good about myself. I got options.
Does that feeling of liberation inspire you creatively?
Yeah, all day. This is just the beginning. One thing I do need to see myself do is give these resources, time and effort into somebody else’s music and see that come out in them. I think that will show how great a producer I am. I’m not saying I’m the greatest, but I want to show how great I can be. There’s so much I want to do with music. I don’t think I’ve told anybody this, but I want to be in a band. It would definitely be more Ohio — like, funk, R&B, bass and soul. I would go to my roots and try to make the best music. We got a few more projects with just me, but I got some dope ideas I feel like I can do without any restraint.
July marked the 10th anniversary of your Phases EP. Looking back at that project and the person who made it, how would you compare that to who you are and where you sit today?
What’s crazy is the parallels. To think 10 years later, I would be putting out an EP without a label. I’m totally different, man. I was 21; now I’m 31. I was so green, but hungry. I was in the studio every day. I wanted it. That was at a point where I was learning I wasn’t as dope as I thought I was. That whole era before Phases, I was trying to find myself. I started finding myself within that project. “We Ain’t Homies” was made a week after Phases. That’s when my cousin had died and everything, but that’s when I felt like I started setting the tone of the type of records I was going to make with that sound.
The difference now is I’m a way better producer and songwriter. I think some of that greenness, like, some of the things you don’t think about, were qualities of mine. I was not thinking about, “I need to make a No. 1 hit,” because I’m writing stuff for Chris Brown. I was worried about finding a sound and was doing any and everything to see what worked. When I listen back to a lot of those records, I’m like, “Dang, you were trying to be really creative.” That’s something we’re getting back to with this new music. There are pros and cons to both eras for me. It’s a blessing I’m still here and can still do what I’m doing at a high level. All I’m thinking about right now is: how can I get better?
Arin Ray’sLIMBO TourDates
Sep 25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Crown Hill Theatre
Sep 26 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Sep 29 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
Oct 2 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live Midtown
Oct 3 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
Oct 7 – Mesa, AZ @ The Rosetta Room
Oct 8 – San Diego, CA @ Music Box
Oct 9 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
Oct 11 – Sacramento, CA @ The Rink Studios
Get tickets at arinray.vip.
