Andrew Rayel | |
|---|---|
 Rayel at A State Of Trance 600, April 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Andrei Rață |
| Born | 21 July 1992 Călărași, Moldova |
| Origin | Moldova |
| Genres | Trance |
| Occupation(s) | Electronic musician, composer, record producer, DJ |
| Instrument(s) | Synthesizer, strings, piano |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | Armada Music, inHarmony Music[1] |
| Spouse(s) | Daniela Prisacaru (m. 2022) |
| Website | Official website |
Andrei Rață (born 21 July 1992, in Chișinău), better known by his stage name Andrew Rayel,[2] is a Moldovan producer and DJ. Initially releasing his music on Armada Music, Rayel founded the label "inHarmony Music" on 22 September 2017, where his role is label chief and head of A&R.[3]
Rayel's electronic music career started in 2009 at age 17, but he had started to produce music and develop his style four years earlier. He is signed under the Armada Music label, co-founded by Armin van Buuren. His breakthrough followed his single "Aether" being voted as "Tune of the Week" on Van Buuren's radio program, A State of Trance. He performed at various "A State of Trance" events.[4]
He has DJ’ed notable clubs and large festivals, from Ultra Music Festival, Tomorrowland, Stereosonic, Electric Daisy Carnival, Ministry of Sound to multiple A State of Trance events, the A State of Trance Ibiza nights and the Monday Bar cruise, as well as AfterHills Music Festival[5] in Iasi, Romania in May–June 2017.
Rayel's tracks are frequently played by DJs and producers around the world, including Armin van Buuren, Tiësto, W&W, Dash Berlin, Hardwell and many others. In 2012, Rayel was ranked number 77 in DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs; he was ranked #28 in 2013, winning the title of "highest climber" in the ranking. His ascent continued in 2014, as being ranked #24.[6] Rayel announced in 2013 that a new artist album was to be released in 2014.[7]
In August 2013, Rayel announced his first official compilation, titled Mystery of Aether, including tracks from van Buuren, Ørjan Nilsen, Airbase and W&W, among others. It included new songs and remixes performed by Rayel. The album was released on 6 September 2013. In September 2013, he made an entry for the song he worked for the ASOT 650 Anthem contest, however did not win the contest.[8]
Rayel's first studio album, Find Your Harmony, was released on 30 May 2014.[9][10]
Rayel's second studio album, Moments, was released in May 2017. This album was supported by a solo "Moments Tour" that consisted of shows throughout the U.S./North America, Europe and Asia.[11] The lead single from the album is titled “I’ll Be There” featuring Eric Lumiere.[12]
On 22 September 2017, Andrew Rayel launched his own record label, inHarmony Music[1] (distributed by Armada Music),[3] as a platform to release his tracks and to promote new talents in the electronic music scene. He released the label together with single "Mass Effect" on the same day,[1] and a collaboration with Bogdan Vix & Keyplayer titled "Soul On The Run" featuring Roxana Constantin on 2 December 2017.[13]
Rayel's first single of 2018 titled "Horizon" was released on 9 February through label "inHarmony Music", and featured American singer Lola Blanc.[14] He released "Trance ReBorn" on 9 March 2018, which was a collaboration with Dutch DJ David Gravell and served as the main anthem for the 100th episode of Rayel's Find Your Harmony radio show.[15] On 20 April 2018, he collaborated with Graham Bell to release "Tambores", a trance-influenced big room house track which was initially debuted in his 2018 Ultra Music Festival performance.[16] He released "Dark Resistance" on 11 May 2018,[17] "In The Dark" with Haliene on 1 June 2018,[18] and "New Dawn" with Corti Organ and Max Cameron on 6 July 2018.[19] Rayel underwent a change in his big room sound with the release of "Last Summer" with Fernando Garibay, featuring Jake Torrey, on 3 August 2018, which was a pop song that incorporated aspects of acoustic music.[20] Rayel told Billboard that the track was an "completely unexpected sound", and that he enjoyed "experimenting and trying something [he has] never done before".[21]
In August 2021, Andrew announced his engagement to his girlfriend of six years Daniela Prisacaru in New York.[22]
