Rae Morris

Early life

Morris was born and raised in Blackpool, Lancashire, and started playing the piano when she was four years old. She attended St. George's School and then studied A-levels in music and drama at Cardinal Newman College in Preston. She worked as a waitress at the grounds of Blackpool F.C.

2011: Early live appearances

Morris gigged in Blackpool and around the north-west of England during her college studies. She attracted the attention of BBC Radio Lancashire presenter Sean McGinty, who put her forward to perform on the BBC Introducing stage at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2011. She was signed to Universal Music Publishing Group the same month, and to Atlantic Records in September 2011. Morris had received attention from other labels, but said she chose Atlantic because they "would take it slow" and "didn't blow any smoke up my arse".

During this period she was mentored by fellow Blackpool singer-songwriter Karima Francis, who helped develop her songwriting skills. She was also in a two-year relationship with Francis that inspired the songs on her debut album—"about going through that, exploring that sexuality and those feelings for the first time. Then coming out the other side of that as well, so that's the album", she said.

2012–14: EP releases

Morris released her debut single in March 2012, "Don't Go", following its use in the final episode of the sixth series of the television drama series Skins. She recorded an EP, For You, which she sold exclusively at her live performances in mid 2012, and in November released a second EP, Grow. Another EP, From Above, followed in 2013. Alongside her solo gigs during 2012 and 2013, Morris was a support act for artists including Bombay Bicycle Club, Lianne La Havas, Noah and the Whale, and Tom Odell. She contributed guest vocals to three tracks on Bombay Bicycle Club's 2014 album So Long, See You Tomorrow, including the single "Luna". Also in 2014, Morris co-wrote and featured on the Clean Bandit song "Up Again" (from their debut album New Eyes) and opened for George Ezra on his European tour, as well as embarking on her own headlining UK tour.

2014–15: Unguarded

During 2014, Morris released the singles "Do You Even Know?", "Cold" (featuring Fryars), and "Closer"—each with accompanying EPs—to promote her debut album, Unguarded, which she recorded primarily in Los Angeles with producer Ariel Rechtshaid. Morris was longlisted in the BBC Sound of 2015 poll, and Unguarded was released in January 2015 alongside the single "Under the Shadows", with another headlining tour following in February. Unguarded, which also features production from Jim Eliot and Fryars, debuted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart.

Later in 2015, Morris appeared in a television advertisement for fashion retailer Boohoo that featured the album's fifth single, "Love Again". She featured on Sivu's single "The Nile" and performed at festivals including Bestival, Glastonbury, Lytham Festival, T in the Park, and Truck Festival. The sixth single from Unguarded, "Don't Go", was released in association with breast cancer awareness charity Coppafeel!.