Last year, Corinne Bailey Rae impressed all that came to see her perform at NN North Sea Jazz, through her guest role in the large-scale Metropole Orkest production The Diaspora Suite. This year, she’s returning to promote her mesmerizing latest album Black Rainbows (2023). The project resulted from Bailey Rae's visit to the Stoney Island Arts Bank in Chicago, a library for historical art made by Black Americans. For her, it was the starting point for an exploration of the worldwide expressions of Black culture. Black Rainbows quickly morphed beyond an experimental record, with the project featuring books, visuals, lectures, exhibitions, and more besides, but music remains the key element throughout. During live performances, the guitars at times are pretty rocking, while the electronic soundscapes transport Bailey Rae's versatile voice to entirely new dimensions, proving once again that this two-time British Grammy winner refuses to be pigeonholed.
