Saturday Night Live: Raye performs ‘Escapism.,’ ‘Worth It.’

Raye was the musical guest for tonight’s Saturday Night Live episode, and it is best to start here with a confession. We weren’t altogether familiar with some of her music.

For her first performance, we should note that she performed a jazzy and stellar version of “Escapism.,” a song that has shown itself to be extremely versatile. This was, ironically, the one song of hers that we did know a little bit about in advance of the episode. What we didn’t recognize (it’s our fault, not hers) is what a stellar live vocalist she was. She didn’t appear nervous at all and was ready to completely slay this.

Also, wasn’t this a great use of the stage to have a full orchestra? This was as exceptional of a debut on this show as you’re going to see, especially when you think about how the goal is working to ensure that a lot of people go and check out the rest of your music after the fact. This is what everyone should want!

As for the second song tonight, it was equally jazzy, and another wonderful performance — the song here was “Worth It.” It’s interesting how a lot of this Kristen Wiig-hosted episode has been about throwbacks. Given that she’s a former cast member, it does make some sense, right? It equally does to be able to see an artist whose musical style does harken back to the past, even if she also does make an effort to modernize things at the same exact time.

For those who are curious, both of the tracks from Raye tonight can be found on the album My 21st Century Blues. It has been out for a little while and yet, it is increasingly getting momentum. The performances tonight should only help further with that.

Related – Get some more thoughts right now on the Saturday Night Live cold open

What did you think about Raye’s performance on Saturday Night Live this weekend?

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