Gretta Ray

Gretta Ray
Gretta Ray at St Kilda Festival in 2017
Background information
Birth nameGretta Louise Ray
Born (1998-05-22) 22 May 1998 (age 26)
OriginMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • guitar
Years active2016–present
LabelsEMI Music Australia
Websitewww.grettaray.com

Gretta Louise Ray[1] (born 22 May 1998) is an Australian singer-songwriter from Melbourne, Victoria. In 2016, she was the winner of the national Triple J Unearthed radio competition for bands and songwriters, and the 2016 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition, with her song "Drive".[2] To date, Ray has released two studio albums – Begin to Look Around (2021) and Positive Spin (2023) – as well as the EPs Elsewhere (2016) and Here and Now (2018).

Originally making music reflective of indie folk influences, Ray came to embrace pop music as her primary genre with Begin to Look Around. Her songwriting has been described by the Sydney Morning Herald as "conversational, unambiguous lyrics" that "[come] across simply and powerfully",[3] and by Australian music critic Bernard Zuel as "quietly grand pop".[4]

  1. ^ "Gretta Ray Discography". Discogs.
  2. ^ "Gretta Ray wins $50,000 Vanda & Young songwriting competition: "It's unbelievable!"". Triple J. 27 October 2016. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  3. ^ Bailey, Michael (28 August 2018). "Gretta Ray review: Triple-threat is here to stay". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  4. ^ Zuel, Bernard (31 August 2021). "GRETTA RAY – BEGIN TO LOOK AROUND; CHVRCHES – SCREEN VIOLENCE: REVIEW". BernardZuel.net.