Rai Omri is a Western Colorado-based songwriter inspired by dreams, stories, old melodies, ambient sound, and the natural world. In 2023, she was named a Finalist in Kerrville Folk Festival’s Grassy Hill New Folk Competition. Her first EP, Astral Plains, explores the dream world, the cycle of death and rebirth, and life in a small town.

Rai will join seven other finalists to network and compete at the NewSong Performance & Songwriting Competition finals on Saturday, January 11, at Citizen Vinyl. Find tickets here.

NewSong Music: What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?

Rai: My mom loved listening to Gillian Welch and John Prine on long drives. My dad loved Bob Dylan, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Leonard Cohen, Bob Marley, lots of Arabic music – a bunch of different stuff. He and I did a lot of dancing.

What inspired you to become a songwriter?

It was a hodgepodge of things – there wasn’t really one seminal moment. I had this amazing elementary school music teacher, Mr. Mayer, who made me love music. I loved poetry and took some poetry classes in college – I got very lucky and had a brilliant poet/teacher, Dave Mason. At the same time, I was getting into old folk songs and the history of folk music. I couldn’t really play guitar back then, but I started going to this guitar summer camp for grown-ups, Puget Sound Guitar Workshop. I had already been writing a little, but one year I worked up the courage to take a songwriting class there with Patrice Haan, who’s incredible and created a really safe space to share and create. I’ve been going to guitar camp for 10 years now. All that and just listening to music I loved and admiring people’s songcraft.

If you could partner with another living songwriter to co-write a song, who would it be?

This is so hard. Honestly, it’s gotta be Dolly. I had a dream once that she came over to me and said, “Girl, you’ve got everything going for you — you should just go for it!” I was in a good mood for, like, a week after that – I had been blessed with a visitation from Dolly. I don’t think I write in the style that she does, but I’d love to learn from her. She’s a genius and a legend, and I’d also just want to meet her and hang out. There are LOTS of dream co-writes though, so many people I’d want to learn from.

What attracted you to submit your song(s) to the NewSong Competition?

I heard about the competition through friends. Jackson Emmer encouraged me to start submitting to things, and Olivia Ellen Lloyd was a NewSong finalist. They’re both awesome songwriters.

Do you have any recent or forthcoming projects to tell us about?

Yes! I’m recording an EP right now which will be out sometime next year, so stay tuned. I also recently recorded a couple live songs at this place called The Tank – it’s a huge, seven-story empty metal water tank out in rural Northwestern Colorado. It has something like a 40-second natural reverb. I had a transcendent time in there. I’ll be releasing those songs in the New Year, too. If anyone wants to keep up on things coming out, I have an email list you can sign up for at raiomri.com or on Instagram!