Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez is a singer/composer based in Brooklyn, New York. Born into a family of musicians, music was Raina’s first language and it runs deep within her veins. Rooted in Jazz and R&B, the songwriter invites us into her unique sonic world with harmonic nuance and lyrical poetry.
Raina’s cross-genre style is built from the bottom up. With improvisation as a starting point for her songs, Raina draws on her emotionality and leans into her perception of the world around, uncovering hidden depths within daily life and articulating personal truth with vulnerability and bravery.
Her latest single, “The Healing” is a meditation on gratitude, a shift in focus, a reminder that this moment, this day, and our time together, are a blessing. The songwriter shares, “In such precarious and unstable times, ‘The Healing’ offers a small relief that something else is around the corner. Grounded in the body, ‘The Healing’ remembers the preciousness of life.” Produced by Raina’s brother Jake Sokolov-Gonzalez, mixed by Grammy Winning engineer Jon Rosenberg and mastered by 2x Grammy Nominated engineer Ryan Schwabe, sonically “The Healing” is an intentional song, from the lyrics to the arrangement, every detail plays an important part. Blending Jazz and R&B with Gospel elements, “The Healing” feels good while delivering a much-needed message.
“The Healing” relates to Raina’s previous two releases, “Who Is She” and “Like I See You,” which see the songwriter touching on connection and community. “Who Is She” is about the changing landscapes of gender roles in the US, and how relationships are changing as women become more independent. Tied together through the fact that women don’t have last names, “Who Is She” is a call across generations, wrestling with where we come from and where we are now. “Like I See You” is a love song for our best friends. Raina confides, “We have so many love songs for our lovers, and we love our lovers, but they come and go. ‘Like I See You’ is a love song for those who stick around through all the ups and downs.”
With over a million streams on Spotify, features from multiple notable publications including New York Times, Complex, Wonderland Magazine, and Rolling Stone, to name a few, and a budding global audience, Raina has packed rooms at prestigious venues such as Public Records, Brooklyn Bowl, SOB’s, Nublu and many others. In 2022 alone, Raina toured internationally in Europe and nationally on the West Coast, reaching new audiences far and wide. In the hopes of creating music that inspires people to feel, Raina shares, “I hope my music gives permission for folks to be where they’re at, to allow the tender feelings to take up space and be seen. I hope that it inspires people to connect more deeply with themselves and with their loved ones, to be more honest and more vulnerable.”
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