My name is Shanay Lynch and I’ve been part of Flames Collective for almost seven years now. Watching the group develop and grow over that time has been an amazing journey. From performing at local gigs to taking to some of the UK’s biggest stages alongside world-class artists, it’s been a dream come true. The past three years have been particularly exciting, performing alongside the likes of RAYE.
On Friday 23 October, we had the opportunity to return to the Royal Albert Hall for a second time with Flames Collective, performing alongside RAYE and The Heritage Orchestra, conducted by Tom Richards, at her sold-out show, This Symphony May Contain Hope, in front of an audience of 5,000 people.
I’ve been listening to RAYE since secondary school, and I still remember watching her perform at Lovebox in Victoria Park back in 2017. Seeing how far she has come on her journey, and going from being part of the audience to sharing the stage with her as part of Flames Collective, has been truly special.
Rehearsals began at our hub, UD’s Talent House, with our choir director, Andy Gilbert. We worked in our individual sections, focusing on our harmonies before coming together as a group to bring all the parts together.
This set was particularly exciting to learn because of its layered vocal arrangements and harmonies. I remember the first time we sang ‘Joy‘ together. The room instantly lit up. The energy was high, and you could feel the excitement building as everything started to fall into place.
As with every show, we wanted to do justice to RAYE and her music. Beyond learning our individual parts, we had to connect with the emotion behind each song and understand how to communicate the storytelling and feeling that RAYE brings to her performances. It was about making sure that when all our voices came together, we were telling the same story.
We had two days of rehearsals with the band and RAYE, which gave us the opportunity to hear how everything was coming together. The show was choreographed by the amazing Maureen Moores, and with new music came new choreography!
I remember learning and performing the choreography for ‘Where Is My Husband!‘ for the first time. Seeing how the arrangements have developed, and how new elements have been incorporated to bring the song to life with each performance, has been such an exciting journey.
Rehearsing with the band was one of my personal highlights. Listening to the music is one thing, but hearing how each element had been carefully considered and translated into a live performance was incredibly inspiring (especially as I’m currently working on my first solo EP).
Show day was a busy one! We arrived at the Royal Albert Hall excited and ready to go. We’d been fitted for our outfits ahead of the show, and seeing us all in matching suits was so much fun. We even had bow ties!
We started the day preparing for the evening ahead, getting ready, doing our soundcheck and, of course, taking photos. We all had dinner together before gathering for a group prayer led by one of our choir members, Princess, and just like that, it was go time!
The show was spectacular. From the lighting and decorations to the music and the crowd, every detail had been carefully considered. It really felt like we had stepped inside the world of THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE… From the opening of ‘Intro: Girl Under The Grey Cloud‘, RAYE immediately set the scene, both visually and musically.
I’d describe the show as something out of a Disney movie, with beautiful scenery, gorgeous music and so much character. One of my favourite details was the intro to ‘Click Clack Symphony‘. The percussionists had actual high heels, so we weren’t just marching along. We were click-clacking for real! RAYE also included her family throughout the show, making the whole experience feel even more special. It was one of those shows that stays with you.
The crowd on the night was electric. With 5,000 people filling the room, the energy was high from the very beginning. We had new choreography, were performing new music, and had a room full of people completely invested in the show. We also sang an early happy birthday to RAYE and celebrated her Mercury Prize win from the evening before. The show closed with a standing ovation from the crowd, which was such a beautiful moment to witness. RAYE deserves all her flowers!
One of my biggest takeaways from this show was the importance of the little things. Every detail contributes to the bigger vision of your world as an artist. Whether it’s an idea you had in your room or studio, or something that came out of those early creative conversations, think about how you can bring it to life on stage.
Make the stage your world, literally. Create an experience that allows people to step into what you’ve imagined and feel connected to it. Seeing how all these details came together for RAYE’s show was a reminder of just how powerful that can be, especially as I continue developing my own artistry and working on my own projects.
This experience was truly special, and it has been a privilege to be part of RAYE’s vision with Flames Collective.
Follow @flamescollective_ @shanaymaliya @RAYE
