RAYE Says Her Grandma Was Initially ‘Upset’ to Hear Her Voice on a Hit Song (Exclusive)

How does RAYE’s grandma feel about having her voice featured on a hit song?

The Grammy-nominated artist, 28, released her latest single “Where Is My Husband!” in September, and the groovy retro-pop track features a spoken-word vocal from RAYE’s grandma, Agatha Dawson-Amoah — who wasn’t immediately thrilled to hear her own voice.

“She was a bit upset at first because I caught her in her morning voice,” RAYE (whose real name is Rachel Keen) tells PEOPLE at at Bloomingdale’s N.Y.C. holiday window unveiling in partnership with Burberry on Wednesday, Nov. 19.

Agatha’s vocal part is simple. The song features lyrics about RAYE looking for a husband and wondering why one hasn’t found her yet. On the bridge, her grandma’s reassuring voice declares, “Your husband is coming.”

“She was like, Rachel, ‘You should have let me redo it, you know, in the day,’ and I’m like, ‘Grandma, you sound great,'” adds the British singer-songwriter. “But no, she’s very chuffed.”

RAYE thinks it’s “really lovely” to have Agatha’s voice featured on her song. “As much praise, adoration, light and anything great that I can bring and shine on her life, I’m gonna do basically that. She’s literally my best friend,” she says. “Shout out Grandma Agatha. Love you.”

The “Escapism” singer has long been close with her grandma, who accompanied her on stage at the 2024 BRIT Awards when she won Album of the Year for 2023’s My 21st Century Blues.

Family is quite important to RAYE. Next year, she’ll perform more than 50 shows throughout Europe and North America, billed as This Tour May Contain New Music — and her fellow musician sisters, Absolutely and Amma, will join as opening acts.

“I’m so excited to bring my sisters on the road because I love them, and more so than anything, I think support gigs are really tough. So, I’m excited for them to have like a good, safe audience,” admits RAYE. “I’m gonna be very encouraging of my audience to be very kind to my sisters. I’m a very protective big sister.”

She adds, “I’m hoping they’ll have a lovely, inviting crowd that they can develop their skills on that stage.”

Backstage, however, does RAYE anticipate any sisterly arguments? “I mean, we are going to be on tour for a long time,” she says. “I wouldn’t put it past [us], you know, the odd, ‘You’ve taken my hairbrush, you’ve borrowed my t-shirt.'”

“The majority of arguments are about clothes,” quips the “Oscar Winning Tears” musician, whose tour kicks off in January.