‘I had no confidence, no money’: the pop stars kept in limbo by major labels

Raye is one of the world's most listened-to artists, but her label wouldn't let her make an album. She's the latest example of stars who say their music is being sidelined

At the end of June, Raye smashed through the shiny and carefully controlled veneer that usually surrounds music stars. The British pop singer's numerous hit singles had made her one of the world's 200 most popular artists on Spotify, but her label Polydor hadn't allowed her to make even one album from a four-album record deal she signed back in 2014.

I've done everything they asked me, I switched genres, I worked seven days a week, ask anyone in the music game, they know," she vented on Twitter. I'm done being a polite pop star." Polydor responded saying they were saddened" to read Raye's tweets and the two have since parted ways.