Grammy-winning British artist Rag’n’Bone Man, born Rory Graham, returns to Australia in 2025 for his first tour down under since 2018. Known for his powerful blend of blues, hip hop, and soul, Rag’n’Bone Man’s deep, resonant baritone has captivated fans around the globe.
Armed with a powerful new album ‘What Do You Believe In?’ and his full band, Rag’n’Bone Man is ready to rip up Australian stages and is particularly looking forward to returning to Byron Bay for the final Bluesfest. “Wow, it was amazing actually last time we played there,” he told Australian Musician in our recent interview. “ I had a really great time and got to enjoy the festival properly, which is something I never usually get to do”
Since bursting onto the international stage with his 2016 global hit Human, the singer-songwriter has continued to amass critical acclaim and accolades, including multiple BRIT Awards and chart-topping albums. Rag’n’Bone Man’s debut album Human, which includes the breakout title track, went 4x platinum and cemented his place as one of the most distinctive voices of his generation. His follow-up album, Life By Misadventure (2021), continued his chart success, debuting at #1 on the UK Albums Chart and remaining in the Top 10 for seven weeks. Featuring standout singles like “All You Ever Wanted” and “Anywhere Away From Here” (a duet with Pink), the album showcases his emotive storytelling and genre-defying sound.
His recently released 3rd album ‘What Do You Believe In?’ is anchored in the blossoming of confidence and the enduring support network he finds in family life. It’s taken time, but Rag’n’Bone Man is in a secure, loving place – and he wants to share that feeling. The period surrounding second album, 2021’s ‘Life By Misadventure’, was marked by self-doubt, with troubles weighing down on the singer’s shoulders – but then he met his current partner “and everything just sort of fell into place… this is where I should have been all my life.” As a result, new album ‘What Do You Believe In?’ has a bold, yet radiant touch.
Rory Graham aka Rag ’n’ Bone Man recently took some time out of his day to chat with Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips about the new album ‘What Do You Believe In?’, his upcoming Bluesfest Byron Bay performance and side shows around the country.
MORE ABOUT RAG ’N’ BONE MAN AND THE ‘WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IN?’ ALBUM
Rag’n’Bone Man is ready to accept joy into his life. Born Rory Charles Graham, the Sussex-born singer known for his gravelly blues vocals, took the world by storm with his debut album ‘Human’ in 2016. Now multi award-winning, the British vocalist is embracing newfound balance, returning to his creative foundations while building anew. New album ‘What Do You Believe In?’ is his most profound testament yet – soulful and uplifting, it’s both a homage to his foundational love of hip-hop, and a love letter to the family he has built. Enriching and laced with hard-won wisdom, it contains the finest performances yet from this vocal powerhouse, while also lending new depth to his songwriting.
It’s the most vital chapter to date in one of British music’s defining stories. A truth-telling voice that has framed an era, Rag’n’Bone Man’s success speaks for itself: his debut album ‘Human’ went platinum four times over in the UK and multi-platinum in a further twenty seven countries – becoming the fastest selling male debut album that decade. While his latest release ‘Life By Misadventure’ debuted at #1 and spent seven weeks in the Top 10, making it the fastest-selling album by a solo artist in 2021. With over nine-billion worldwide streams (and counting) over his entire catalogue, Rag’n’Bone Man is a voice that can be heard across the globe. Now he’s ready to eclipse this: assured, and built with love, his new album finds the multi award-winning British artist (with three BRITs, two MTV Europe awards, and an Ivor Novello to his name) facing the future with passionate excitement.
The title track tackles big emotions with a playful air. The lyrics discuss the impact of loss, and his attempts to navigate that loss as a father himself. The end results are breathtaking: Rag’n’Bone Man is scarcely not vulnerable, and here he is channelling something that resonates on an incredibly deep level: to him, family is everything. “I wrote this after losing someone close. Now, having to explain something like that to your child is a bit weird. I’m an atheist, I’ve never been involved with religion, but the question you get asked is: where do people go? And that’s what the song is about. It doesn’t really matter what people believe in, you can believe that they’ve gone to a better place.”
With the pairing of the poignant and ubiquitous theme and the sonic brightness of both 00s hip-hop and the youthful memories they prompt, the song sets the tone for the album as a whole. Almost from the start of curating this body of work, Rag’n’Bone Man had a plan he wanted to follow, working with total assurance in his experiences and his new-found, optimistic sentiment. “I felt like I had a purpose from the start of the record. I knew what I needed to do, and that was motivating”
The songs flowed. Creating sketches at home – often waking up at 3am to jot down a lyrical note – Rag’n’Bone Man quickly found his stride, aiming to recreate the intimate connection of a live show in the studio.
Connection is key for Rag’n’Bone Man – it’s what propels his live shows, and it sits at the core of his new album. It’s why he makes music, after all. “It’s like a bit of medicine for people,” he adds. “If I feel a certain way, music takes me away from that… knowing that someone else understands. It can be really important in your life to know that.”
The opening track ‘The Right Way’ has been written since 2018, but only felt right to share at this particular point in his life. “When we started making this record, I put it at the top of the list,” he smiles. Oozing soulful charm and funky finesse and beginning the record with a statement of conviction, ‘The Right Way’ was built with revered producer Jamie Lidell and long-term collaborator Ben Jackson-Cook. “The feel of it makes me happy every time I listen to it”
Along the way getting the album together, he hit up old friends. The glorious ‘Pocket’ was sculpted alongside the multi-talented Jonny Coffer – a close friend, his credits include everyone from FKA twigs to Kendrick Lamar – with Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid joining them to sprinkle some magic in the studio. The nimble ‘Hideaway’ blends a neo-soul arrangement worthy of Erykah Badu at her peak with a wistful vocal gripped with emotion. “My favourite song on the record, musically” he admits, it was built in collaboration with powerhouse pop producer Rob Milton – fresh from his Holly Humberstone winning streak – and the revered Simon Aldred. Simon also co-wrote ‘Grace’, on the singer’s astonishing debut – the two go back a long way. “There’s something about the way he writes songs,” Rag’n’Bone Man beams, “which is just unlike anybody else I’ve ever met.”
The filthy, bass-drenched ‘Chokehold’ is a sensual anthem, its chest-rattling low-end built for the bedroom or the concert hall, while ‘Iron’ is a rousing, empowering hymn penned for his superhero-fixated son. ‘Sorry For A Broken Heart’ is stunningly honest, a scintillating sense of intimacy that also resonates on the wonderful ‘All I Know’. “It came together really quick,” he says of the latter. “Often, I’d record myself playing chords and then sing over the top of it. It’s all about feeling, at the end of the day.”
An album framed by contradictions, ‘What Do You Believe In?’ embraces maturity while channelling the bliss of care-free youth; it allows Rag’n’Bone Man to re-centre himself in family life, while yearning for the connection of the live performance. Lyrically, it’s the solitary work of a sensitive soul, yet it took a number of outside voices to bring the songs to fruition. Blossoming creative relationships with Oak Felder, Seb Kole, and Serban Cazan help frame the album, creating a tapestry of sounds that bring his hip-hop and pop sensibilities into fresh focus. Outwardly, it’s a fun, soulful record, yet equally ‘What Do You Believe In?’ isn’t afraid to wear its emotions on its sleeve, at points tackling some of the most intimate events in a man’s life. “It was a very sunny-feeling album,” he says carefully, “and then I lost someone close to me”.
Golden highlight ‘Hope You Felt Loved At The End’ is a poem set to music alongside stalwarts of the Rag’n’Bone Man fabric Mark Crew, Dan Priddy and David Sneddon. A stunning vocal, listening to it feels like sitting beside Rag’n’Bone Man in the vocal booth, his raw feelings surrounding this loss on the line. “I can write by myself, but I feel it’s a lonely process. There’s no one to share it with, and with someone else, I get to share that emotion with them.”
The message of this new Rag’n’Bone Man album is one of perseverance. He has found balance in his life, and that is reflected in his work, blending this singular truth with the commutative possibilities behind his questing concerts; it’s tethered to his roots, while reflecting his fresh outlook. “It’s a representation of how I feel in this moment, at this time in my life. You’ve got to take people on a bit of a journey – not everything can be rosy on a record. It’s basically real life,” he asserts. “It’s always an accurate representation of how I feel. Songwriting is always an extension of my emotions.”
Amplifying his confidence, ‘What Do You Believe In?’ presents an artist who thrives on honesty, and who refuses to back down from a challenge. Digging into his bedrock, Rag’n’Bone Man has reaffirmed his personal and musical foundations, and built his finest album to date. “I’ve never felt very confident as a person… but I certainly do when I’m onstage. I have confidence in the music – I listen to it, and I genuinely do love it. You always have an element of self-criticism but… I don’t feel that way about this record. I love every aspect of it.”
RAG ‘N’ BONE MAN AUSTRALIAN DATES
Saturday 19 April: Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Sunday 20 April: Bluesfest, Byron Bay
Wednesday 23 April: The Forum, Melbourne
Friday 25 April: Hindley St Music Hall, Adelaide
Sunday 27 April: Metro City, Perth
ABOUT BLUESFEST
Held over the Easter long weekend from April 17 to 20, 2025, at the beautiful 300-acre Byron Events Farm, just 11km north of Byron Bay, the festival will continue to uphold its commitment to quality, featuring multiple stages and a diverse lineup that spans the best in Blues, Roots Music, and Beyond.
This final edition is not just the end of an era; it’s a celebration of everything that Bluesfest has stood for over the past 35 plus years – music, community, and unforgettable experiences.
Recognised globally for its excellence, Bluesfest has earned numerous accolades, making it the most awarded music festival in the Australian entertainment industry.
BYRON BAY BLUESFEST 36TH AND FINAL FESTIVAL
EASTER 2025 APRIL 17 – 20 APRIL 2025
Announced so far:
Crowded House • Vance Joy • Ocean Alley • Tones and I • Gary Clark Jr • Rag’n’Bone Man • RY X • Allison Russell • Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram • Brad Cox • Here Come The Mummies EXCLUSIVE• The California Honeydrops EXCLUSIVE • Marc Broussard • Pierce Brothers • Taj Farrant EXCLUSIVE • Fanny Lumsden • 19-Twenty • WILSN • Cimafunk EXCLUSIVE • Neal Francis EXCLUSIVE • Hilltop Hoods • Xavier Rudd • John Butler • The Cat Empire • Kasey Chambers • Melbourne Ska Orchestra • C.W. Stoneking • Budjerah • Lachy Doley Group • Ash Grunwald • Kim Churchill • Miss Kaninna • The Beards • Velvet Trip • FOOLS • ROSHANI • Sweet Talk • The Memphis Three Feat. Fiona Boyes, Jimi Hocking & Frank Sultana