Maverick City Music's Naomi Raine delivers her vulnerable new track "Not Ready"

TRIBL Records

She says the song came as the result of a mental illness she didn't even know she was living with. She revealed details about her upcoming album, The Journey, which speaks to just that -- her journey through hardship, healing and leaning on faith. In a recent interview with ABC Audio, Maverick City Music member Naomi Raine spoke candidly about intimate life details ahead of her debut TRIBL Records solo single, "Not Ready.

The inspirational new track provides listeners with a firsthand account of Raine's honest conversation with Jesus, about grappling with the idea of having everything she's wished for but at the same time feeling incomplete. 

"I think that first line of, 'Let's be honest, Jesus I'm a mess' -- I wrote that when I was on my way out of a depression," she said. Though "nothing was really wrong," Raine came to the conclusion that she wasn't living as her authentic, true self. "I was still trying to please everybody else and make everybody else feel good and I felt like my life was slipping away from me." 

But out of her struggle grew "Not Ready," which has since served as a healing mechanism and reminder of her not just her power, but the power of music. 

"I started to write ... and get out of some of the funk that I was in. Putting language to it, just began to heal me in a way that I can't even explain. I think music is miraculous."

Raine's realization that her artistry impacts others who can relate to the content of her songs helped her feel better about the lows life sometimes brings. 

"I started to feel like, 'OK, I'm normal,'" she said. "'Not Ready' is just a snapshot of my journey."

Friday, May 27, 2022 at 6:00AM by Jamia Pugh Permalink