It gained attention on TikTok in 2022, became her first number-one single in the UK, and has been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

It depicts the singer turning to "partying, drinking, and drugs to escape her emotions and numb her feelings" after breaking up with her boyfriend.

[7] Raye stated that she "love[s] how rebellious" "Escapism" is for disregarding "the standard" of "pop music structure", particularly being "longer than three minutes and twenty seconds".

[5] The song depicts Raye on a post-breakup spree of unhealthy coping mechanisms, engaging in hookups, drugs, and alcohol.

[7][9] In an interview with Clash, Raye revealed that she wrote the song in a log cabin in Utah: "Me and a friend hired a car, and drove up there, in the middle of winter, through the snow and everything!

The following week, the song ascended to number six, becoming Raye's first single as a solo artist to reach the top ten in the UK.

[5] On 9 December, "Escapism" climbed to number two, becoming Raye's highest-charting single to date, passing her collaborations "You Don't Know Me" with Jax Jones (2016) and "Bed" with Joel Corry and David Guetta (2021).

It reflects the song's lyrics, with Raye turning to "partying, drinking, and drugs to escape her emotions and numb her feelings" after breaking up with her boyfriend.

[25] On 26 September 2023, Raye performed a live version of "Escapism" at the Royal Albert Hall, London, accompanied by the Heritage Orchestra and the Flames Collective gospel choir, with Anna Lapwood on the venue's organ.