Born and raised in San Mateo, California by a fashion photographer father and a fashion model mother, 1 year old Rayana Ragan signed her first modeling contract to LA Models. As an adult accustomed to the arts living in the Los Angeles area, Rayana focused on modeling and acting. Ragan's resume includes multiple top modeling agencies and projects: Wilhelmina, MGM, Luber Roklin Entertainment , PacSun, American Eagle, Burt’s Bees, ABC Family’s (now Freeform) Switched at Birth, and the upcoming independent film "In Other Words". Rayana Ragan is now heavily focused on music, with an ep set to release 2O21. The budding songstress spoke to us about her journey.
LaKenya Norris: With an early history as a model and actress, when did you discover that you had musical talent and wanted to pursue it as a career?
Rayana Ragan: I have always loved singing, but it wasn't until 2015 when I was approached off of Instagram covers by Infected Mushroom wanting to sample me for a track that I had the first inkling that maybe I had the potential to turn singing into a career. I definitely sat on my hands for a few more years and took a lot of vocal lessons before I decided to actually release music, though.
Tell us more about the new single "Rock Bottom" what inspired you? Who contributed during the creation process?
"Rock Bottom" was written by myself and Jack Conway, and produced by Taylor Sparks. The song was inspired by my alcoholic grandfather who was on his death bed at the time, and has since passed. My grandfather and I never had much of a relationship, largely due to his alcoholism, and this song is my sense of closure.
We hear you're working on an ep. How is it coming along and what are your goals for the project and career growth? What artists would you love to work with?
My EP - "Godless", consists of all the tracks I have currently released ("Why Mama Why", "Scorned", "Godless", and "Rock Bottom") as well as 1 last track set to release on November 13, titled "Faith". I took a unique approach to releasing this EP and, instead of releasing singles preceding the album, I stretched the entire album release over the course of 5 months. I will release the EP with some exclusives in the near future. By way of the future, I would love to start doing live shows and mini-tours once it is safe to do so again and continuing to push the album to as large an audience as possible. I would love for my releases to lead to opportunities to work with Jacob Banks, Joseph Angel, and/or Bishop Briggs.
Stay updated with all things Rayana Ragan at www.rayanaragan.com.
Additional Information provided by Perkins Publicity.
Images: Hawkoh