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As Raye takes to the stage tonight to perform at the 2025 Grammys, there’s one thing you should be paying attention to: Her feet. The British singer, who is up for two awards tonight, including Best New Artist, has made it her trademark to perform barefoot. No matter if she’s at a major award ceremony, a festival, or on live TV, Raye often takes to the stage sans shoes, and it looks like her Grammys 2025 would be no exception.
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In March of 2024, Raye made headlines when she received her six record-breaking BRIT Awards, the most wins received by an artist during a single ceremony, without wearing shoes. The singer also performed a medley of her songs “Ice Cream Man,” “Prada,” and “Escapism” while barefoot.
Though the BRITs really made people notice Raye’s barefoot tendencies, the truth is the artist has been performing without shoes for a while. She was spotted performing sans shoes as early as May 2023, but it wasn’t until later that year that it truly became her signature. She has since appeared barefoot at multiple award shoes, the Grammy Museum, Saturday Night Live, and even Coachella. Case in point:
Raye performing during BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2023 on May 28, 2023, in Dundee, Scotland.
Roberto Ricciuti
Raye performing during The Mercury Prize awards show on September 7, 2023, in London, England.
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Raye performing at The Grammy Museum on September 11, 2023, in Los Angeles, California.
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Raye performing during the BRIT Awards at The O2 Arena on March 2, 2024, in London, England.
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Raye performing on Saturday Night Live on Saturday, April 6, 2024, in New York.
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Raye performing at Coachella on April 13, 2024, in Indio, California.
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Raye performing at Coachella on April 20, 2024 in Indio, California.
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But, why did Raye stop wearing the shoes to perform? Well, simply put, because she can. In a conversation with Christina Aguilera published by Rolling Stone in October 2024, the “Genie in a Bottle” singer praised Raye for opting to perform without shoes and tried to find an explanation for the preference.
“The fact that she sings barefoot. I’ve already f*cked up my legs and my feet so bad with all this high-heel nonsense. I f*cked up the cartilage in my knee. I love that about [Raye], though. I never had the balls to just do it. Those are the best when you just feel the floor underneath,” Aguilera said. For Raye, it’s much simpler, though. “I feel like when I’m wearing shoes, I’m thinking about wearing shoes. Is that weird?” she explained. And honestly, it’s not. We totally get it.
Raye performing — with shoes — at the Victorious Festival on August 25, 2023 in Portsmouth, England.
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That said, it seems like Raye’s journey to performing barefoot has been gradual. She was last seen wearing boots in August 2023 before totally making the switch in late 2023 and 2024 — though she will still rock shoes for the red carpets, so keep an eye out for her looks throughout the night.
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
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