June 27, 2023: Raye Zaragoza, the LA-based songwriter known as “one of the most fresh and compelling voices in folk music today" (NPR Music), is kicking off summer with the title track from her forthcoming album Hold That Spirit (out August 11). The new single, co-written with Anna Schulze, sets the uplifting tone for the full album, which was funded with Zaragoza’s wedding savings after ending her engagement. “Hold That Spirit” is about deepening awareness of the darkness to bring you closer to the brightness in life. The accompanying music video, also out today, was created in partnership with DistroVid, who challenged Zaragoza to produce a video with only $500. The inspiring (and homemade) visual is a reminder that it’s perfectly acceptable to move at your own pace. “This song is about embracing the good times as much as the bad,” says Zaragoza. “And dancing through the lightning and the thunder.” 

Listen to “Hold That Spirit” HERE // Watch the music video HERE

Hold That Spirit, due out August 11, is a profound statement on Zaragoza’s quest for joy and her journey to celebrating a vibrant intersectional identity as a woman of mixed Indigenous, Asian, and Hispanic heritage. Around her 30th birthday, she ended her engagement and used what would have been her wedding budget to fund the new project, the ultimate symbol she was investing in herself. The 12-song collection came to life with exclusively female collaborators, a rarity in an industry where less than 5% of production/engineering credits go to women. Hold That Spirit is all about exploring the beliefs too-often forced on young women - how their lives should unfold, how they should appear to others, what success should mean to them - and ultimately breaking free. Zaragoza recently unveiled lead single “Joy Revolution” with MILCK, which serves as a radiant thesis statement for the forthcoming record. Watch the “Joy Revolution” official music video here. 

Raye Zaragoza recently announced her first-ever headline tour and first time hitting the road with a band, making stops in Los Angeles, New York, Denver, Philadelphia, Boston and more, backed by indie folk-rock duo High Tea. Zaragoza will also perform special sets at the 2023 Newport Folk Festival in July and the Ghost Ranch Music Festival in August. All announced tour dates are listed below, with additional dates coming soon. 

For more information, please visit https://www.rayezaragoza.com. 

Raye Zaragoza 2023 Tour Dates

July 4 - World One Festival - El Cerrito, CA

July 16 - Indigenous Red Market - Oakland, CA

July 23 - Levitt Amp - Green Bay, WI

July 28-30 Newport Folk Festival - Newport, RI

August 26 - Ghost Ranch Music Festival - Abiquiu, NM

September 14 - Hotel Cafe - Los Angeles, CA*

September 21-23 - Áak'w Rock Indigenous Music Festival - Juneau, AK

September 27 - Soiled Dove Underground - Denver, CO*

September 28 - UWYO Poke’s Pub - Laramie, WY*

September 30 - E-Town Hall - Boulder, CO

October 2 - Reverb Lounge - Omaha, NE*

October 3 - XBK - Des Moines, IA*

October 4 - North Street Cabaret - Madison, WI*

October 8 - Logan Square Auditorium - Chicago, IL*

October 10 - Club Passim - Boston, MA*

October 12 - Joe’s Pub - New York, NY*

October 13 - City Winery Loft - Philadelphia, PA*

October 14 - Jammin Java - Washington, D.C.*

October 16 - Eddie’s Attic - Atlanta, GA*

October 19 - Salem Art Festival - Salem, OR

October 20 - Walters Cultural Arts Center - Hillsboro, OR

*headline show