Rising R&B singer Arin Ray has announced his new project, Phases III, will release Oct. 20 via Interscope Records.
The upcoming project is the third installment of Ray’s Phases EP series, which began in 2016. He returned in 2019 with Phases II, which includes his Kehlani-assisted track “Change.”
Ray’s Phases III EP is said to be “his most mature and playful release yet.” The project will feature songs co-written and produced by Tricky Stewart and James Fauntleroy.
Ray’s EP announcement is accompanied by a new song, “Wait So Long,” produced by Stewart. Co-written by Ray, “Wait So Long” finds him asking his partner why it took so long for her to express her love.
“I love you anyway / But why would you wait so long / To say what you want / What you need,” Ray croons in the chorus.
“Wait So Long” is Ray’s first official single since his 2022 sophomore album, Hello Poison. The album featured Brandy, Ty Dolla $ign, Ari Lennox, VanJess, Terrace Martin, D Smoke and more.
Hello Poison was among Rated R&B’s 30 Best R&B Albums of 2022 list. “With solid pre-album singles, such as the seductive ‘Mood’ featuring D Smoke, Ray proved early on Hello Poison would be his most soulful album to date. Now, we know it’s his most vulnerable, too,” wrote Rated R&B’s Jakori Beauchamp.
Since then, Ray has appeared on Dinner Party’s Engimatic Society album and the Creed III soundtrack.
Ray will support Phases III on his Phases Tour, which begins Oct. 25 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
From there, he will play in major North American cities, such as Seattle, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., and New York. The Phases Tour will conclude Nov. 28 in Los Angeles, California.
Stream Arin Ray’s new song “Wait So Long” below.
Arin Ray’s Phases Tour Dates
Oct 25 – Vancouver, BC @ Fortune
Oct 26 – Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s
Oct 27 – Portland, OR @ Holocene
Oct 29 – San Francisco, CA @ The New Parish
Oct 31 – Fresno, CA @ Full Circle
Nov 2 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Soho Restaurant & Music Club
Nov 4 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues – Voodoo Room
Nov 5 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
Nov 8 – Dallas, TX @ Cambridge Room at House Of Blues
Nov 9 – Austin, TX @ Antone’s Nightclub
Nov 10 – Houston, TX @ Bronze Peacock Room at House of Blues
Nov 12 – New Orleans, LA @ The Parish
Nov 15 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
Nov 16 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground
Nov 18 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Nov 20 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
Nov 21 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
Nov 22 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake
Nov 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda
