RENAY

He doesn’t sound like the others. His story isn’t like the others’ either, and neither is his voice. Now you no longer have to make do with hearing him on the radio or, if you’re lucky, at one of his many gigs.

The sound and the voice are anything but Danish. Soulful, funky, warm, authentic and with deep roots in the very best of the international music scene. But the man himself has his feet firmly planted in Jutland, whilst his musical and Danish-African heart has always beaten for the absolute greats over there. And of course, it’s great to be able to live up to that and them. Renay can do just that.

“I put everything on the line when I play and sing. It has to feel good and be alive – both for me and for the audience – and I never go on stage without that. Music has to be full of soul, life and possibilities, which is why I give it my all every single time,” says the man who, incidentally, can boast several million streams.

And if you think of Stevie Wonder or Bill Withers when you listen to that powerful voice, you’re not entirely wrong. They’re just two of Renay’s sources of inspiration and a couple of the reasons why he hasn’t jumped on the Danish-language music bandwagon that’s so popular right now. Because his heart beats for something else.

“The vibe in my music naturally harks back to the past and to the great American soul artists. An LA vibe that I just love to bits, and which I pass on to my audience. But it always has to be cosy and intimate, because I’m the opposite of a provocateur and just want to be right there in the music and give my all to the audience.”

He’s accompanied by a young band featuring top-class musicians. They also play with a long list of Denmark’s biggest artists, including Andreas Odbjerg, Tobias Rahim, Mads Langer, Dopha, Christopher, Annika Aakjær and Jonah Blacksmith, amongst others.