{"id":2076842,"date":"2026-08-04T08:00:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T05:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2076842"},"modified":"2026-08-04T08:00:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T05:00:47","slug":"ravyn-lenae-i-now-know-whats-possible-but-that-just-makes-me-hungrier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2076842","title":{"rendered":"Ravyn Lenae: \u201cI now know what\u2019s possible \u2013 but that just makes me hungrier\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ravyn-lenae-credit-drew-jarett.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-2947849\" class=\"post-2947849 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_71 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Features<\/span><span>Music Interviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_72 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_72\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Ravyn Lenae: \u201cI now know what\u2019s possible \u2013 but that just makes me hungrier\u201d<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_73 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_73\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>On the Chicago artist\u2019s expansive, rock-tinged third album, she reckons with viral fame, reconciling her past and future, and what happens after her dreams come true<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_75 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_75\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Cordelia Lam<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-08-04T09:00:47+01:00\">4th August 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_77\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_78  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_80  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_81 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ravyn-lenae-credit-drew-jarett-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"Ravyn Lenae\" title=\"ravyn-lenae-credit-drew-jarett\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Ravyn Lenae credit: Drew Jarett<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap\">\u201cO<\/strong>h, she\u2019s up next\u201d, reads a comment under a recent performance video of Ravyn Lenae online \u2013 a prophecy for a star-in-waiting.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Love Me Not\u2019, a track from her 2024 album \u2018Bird\u2019s Eye\u2019, might have seemed like a miraculous delivery on that promise when it scored viral success months after its initial release. But to those in the know, the Chicago-born artist has already been \u201cit\u201d for years. As a fixture of the Zero Fatigue collective and across two albums and three EPs, Lenae was a beloved figure in R&amp;B and alt-pop long before the rest of the world caught up.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Today, Lenae is gearing up to release her third album \u2018Blue Island\u2019. Chatting with <em>NME<\/em> from a Warsaw hotel room, she\u2019s laidback in leopard print, her signature red hair unmistakeable even on a Zoom screen. \u201cA lot of the album was made during a really interesting time in my life,\u201d she begins. \u201cI was experiencing the biggest highs of my career whilst trying to manage the inevitable changes that came with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After being catapulted from respected up-and-comer to the front row of pop with \u2018Love Me Not\u2019, she spent the next year performing the track \u201cat every college in America\u201d while adjusting to the new shapes of popstar life. The shift was seismic, coinciding with the end of a four-year relationship and bringing a mass of new listeners who viewed her through a very different lens: more passive, less familiar, even sceptical. \u201cPeople were picking apart and questioning my identity and Blackness, and what kind of music I make,\u201d she shares.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ravyn Lenae - Saturday Night (Official Lyric Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Xe0dsX_uKjM?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Lenae\u2019s sound has always been a moving, undefinable thing, slipping seamlessly between R&amp;B, neo-soul and indie. She counts genre-defying Santigold, OutKast and Pharrell among her north stars \u2013 artists who \u201cinfuse different genres to make something uniquely universal that can touch everyone\u201d. Yet, that instinct collided with online discourse around \u2018Love Me Not\u2019, where purist fans questioned why she\u2019d \u201cdo pop\u201d while other listeners made it known they\u2019d assumed she was white based on her sound alone. That scrutiny on her identity and artistry felt like a personal affront. \u201cI had to do a lot of reconciliation of the self and what I ultimately want to say as an artist,\u201d she reflects.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the whirlwind has been wonderful too. For one, it gave Lenae renewed confidence in her own creative vision, earned from \u201cloud, vibrating validation from the world\u201d: \u201cOnce you get that \u2018Job well done, this works!\u2019 you internalise that and take it into the studio with you. I don\u2019t know if you can walk away from something like that unscathed, even in a positive way.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap\">\u2018B<\/strong>lue Island\u2019 is the culmination of that internal work \u2013 a record suspended between arrival and unease. Named after the Illinois neighbourhood where she was born, the title anchors her to her roots, but also mirrors her current transition state. Growing up, her family mostly passed through Blue Island rather than it being a destination in its own right. It\u2019s a fitting metaphor for an artist \u201ccaught between familiar and comfortable worlds in my past, and new worlds I could see in my future\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>That push and pull between states runs through tracks like \u2018Saturday Night\u2019 and \u2018Familiar Dreams\u2019, which wrestle between relationship nostalgia and moving forward. \u201cDuring times of big change, you\u2019re kind of forced to choose which of the two places you want to be,\u201d she muses. \u201cThere\u2019s something antsy and exciting in that in-betweenness; something scary about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI just want to stay close to my dreams And make space for myself to keep being a person in all of this\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>She leaned into that tension musically, trusting her instincts completely, \u201cthrowing everything that I love into one bucket\u201d. The result is perhaps her most experimental album yet. \u2018Handle\u2019 and \u2018In &amp; Out\u2019 bring a buzzy rock energy, while the latter half drifts into late-\u201990s and 2000s pop (\u2018Barriers\u2019, \u2018Saturday Night\u2019). \u2018Potential\u2019 goes even further into a metallic, almost J-pop territory. \u201cNo one\u2019s made that connection,\u201d she says, face lighting up. \u201cI love that!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then there\u2019s \u2018Reputation\u2019, a curious little vignette shared with Dominic Fike. \u201cI always wanted that Rihanna and Mikky Ekko moment,\u201d Lenae jokes, referencing \u2018Stay\u2019. \u201cThat song was always so cool to me. It showed us a version of Rihanna, existing naturally, beyond what we\u2019d seen of her so far.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>The album\u2019s rowdier, more \u201crambunctious\u201d moments are intentional, capturing a sense of urgency she still feels about \u201cwhere I\u2019m sitting right now. Like, this major thing has happened for me, but I still feel like I have to knock down the door\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>After chasing a breakout moment her entire career, stepping into it sparked an unexpected scarcity mentality. \u201cI felt like I couldn\u2019t say no to anything,\u201d she admits. The pressure showed up in oddly specific moments, like obsessively watching her Spotify live listeners climb toward 30,000 people simultaneously streaming \u2018Love Me Not\u2019, wondering what it would take to convert every single listener into a concert ticket. \u201cI started getting really crazy up in my brain, wanting to \u2018turn everybody\u2019,\u201d she reveals. \u201cIt\u2019s this weird dichotomy where I now know what\u2019s possible, but that just makes me hungrier.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3960560\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3960560\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3960560\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ravyn-lenae-blue-island-credit-drew-jarett.jpg\" alt=\"Ravyn Lenae\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2667\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3960560\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ravyn Lenae credit: Drew Jarett<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cYou almost create this factory for yourself, just pushing, pushing, pushing, without any sense of release. That can make it hard to be present or just feel proud of myself. That\u2019s something I\u2019m in therapy for,\u201d she adds with a wry laugh.<\/p>\n<p>If the album has a thesis, Lenae points to \u2018Baby Girl\u2019, her collaboration with Doechii. Delivering sentiments like \u201c<em>Breaking them walls \/ Babygirl why go through the window? \/ Could never be wrong \/ Even if you don\u2019t go where everybody goes<\/em>\u201d, the track offers an intimate look at her experience as a Black woman who resists being \u201cthe most neatly packaged, accessible, easy thing\u201d. Sharing this message with Doechii felt especially resonant. \u201cThat\u2019s my sister,\u201d she says warmly. \u201cI feel so connected with artists who have a strong conviction in who they are. Doechii came out the gates that way; there was never a day when I didn\u2019t believe she was exactly who she says she is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the music, that tension found a physical outlet in movement. The tactile, tightly-wound choreography in the \u2018Handle\u2019 video, developed with choreographer Akira Uchida, wasn\u2019t a calculated pivot so much as a valve for catharsis. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t any deliberate decision that \u2018I need to do choreo now\u2019,\u201d she jokes. \u201cThings just manifested themselves outwardly, in my body.\u201d Having long assumed she wasn\u2019t \u201cthat girl\u201d enough for dance routines, Uchida\u2019s work changed her mind: \u201cI really connected with the shapes he was making; how dance can feel a little quirky and magical.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her broader artistic vision has only been sharpened by these few years of touring, from headlining festivals to arena support slots for Sabrina Carpenter and Rene\u00e9 Rapp. \u201cI started to ask myself different questions about the kinds of spaces I want my music to live [in]\u201d, she says. Admitting to herself \u201cI want to do arenas\u201d pushed her toward a \u201cbigger, chancier, more-in-your-face feeling\u201d to the music. She plans to bring that feeling to life on her upcoming North American headline tour. \u201cFor the first time I have the resources to have stage design. I want people to walk away feeling like they were just in Blue Island.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s that sense of arrival, finally, at the scale of the ambition she\u2019s always carried, that sits at the centre of this chapter. Asked what she\u2019d tell herself right after finishing \u2018Bird\u2019s Eye\u2019,\u00a0 before any of this, Lenae thinks for a moment, then shares her answer gamely. \u201cI just want to stay close to my dreams,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd make space for myself to keep being a person in all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Ravyn Lenae\u2019s \u2018Blue Island\u2019 is out on August 7 via Atlantic Records.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Pop<\/li>\n<li>R&amp;B<\/li>\n<li>Ravyn Lenae<\/li>\n<li>Rock<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_content td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row tdc-element-style\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-block td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-custom-spot tdi_92 td_block_template_2\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_93\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_94  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_96  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_98  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_100  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_102 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_103 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_103\">\n<div id=\"tdi_103\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Film News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">\u2018V\/H\/S\u2019 found footage horror anthology to feature Ghost\u2019s Tobias Forge, RZA and more<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Sharon Osbourne says Ozzfest 2027 announcement is coming \u201csoon\u201d and that Ozzy \u201cloved the idea\u201d of AI avatar: \u201cIt\u2019s not as if I\u2019m using&#8230;<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Bob Dylan ends US tour by adding extra guitarist to live band<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Van Morrison announces 10 extra 2026 UK tour dates<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Boy George hits out at \u201cbunch of c***s\u201d Bandcamp for removing pro-Israel song<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Amyl &amp; The Sniffers announce country concert film and live album \u2018Truth Or Consequence\u2019<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_104\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_105  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_107  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_109 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap\">\u201cO<\/strong>h, she\u2019s up next\u201d, reads a comment under a recent performance video of Ravyn Lenae online \u2013 a prophecy for a star-in-waiting.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Love Me Not\u2019, a track from her 2024 album \u2018Bird\u2019s Eye\u2019, might have seemed like a miraculous delivery on that promise when it scored viral success months after its initial release. But to those in the know, the Chicago-born artist has already been \u201cit\u201d for years. As a fixture of the Zero Fatigue collective and across two albums and three EPs, Lenae was a beloved figure in R&amp;B and alt-pop long before the rest of the world caught up.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Today, Lenae is gearing up to release her third album \u2018Blue Island\u2019. Chatting with <em>NME<\/em> from a Warsaw hotel room, she\u2019s laidback in leopard print, her signature red hair unmistakeable even on a Zoom screen. \u201cA lot of the album was made during a really interesting time in my life,\u201d she begins. \u201cI was experiencing the biggest highs of my career whilst trying to manage the inevitable changes that came with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After being catapulted from respected up-and-comer to the front row of pop with \u2018Love Me Not\u2019, she spent the next year performing the track \u201cat every college in America\u201d while adjusting to the new shapes of popstar life. The shift was seismic, coinciding with the end of a four-year relationship and bringing a mass of new listeners who viewed her through a very different lens: more passive, less familiar, even sceptical. \u201cPeople were picking apart and questioning my identity and Blackness, and what kind of music I make,\u201d she shares.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ravyn Lenae - Saturday Night (Official Lyric Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Xe0dsX_uKjM?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Lenae\u2019s sound has always been a moving, undefinable thing, slipping seamlessly between R&amp;B, neo-soul and indie. She counts genre-defying Santigold, OutKast and Pharrell among her north stars \u2013 artists who \u201cinfuse different genres to make something uniquely universal that can touch everyone\u201d. Yet, that instinct collided with online discourse around \u2018Love Me Not\u2019, where purist fans questioned why she\u2019d \u201cdo pop\u201d while other listeners made it known they\u2019d assumed she was white based on her sound alone. That scrutiny on her identity and artistry felt like a personal affront. \u201cI had to do a lot of reconciliation of the self and what I ultimately want to say as an artist,\u201d she reflects.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the whirlwind has been wonderful too. For one, it gave Lenae renewed confidence in her own creative vision, earned from \u201cloud, vibrating validation from the world\u201d: \u201cOnce you get that \u2018Job well done, this works!\u2019 you internalise that and take it into the studio with you. I don\u2019t know if you can walk away from something like that unscathed, even in a positive way.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap\">\u2018B<\/strong>lue Island\u2019 is the culmination of that internal work \u2013 a record suspended between arrival and unease. Named after the Illinois neighbourhood where she was born, the title anchors her to her roots, but also mirrors her current transition state. Growing up, her family mostly passed through Blue Island rather than it being a destination in its own right. It\u2019s a fitting metaphor for an artist \u201ccaught between familiar and comfortable worlds in my past, and new worlds I could see in my future\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>That push and pull between states runs through tracks like \u2018Saturday Night\u2019 and \u2018Familiar Dreams\u2019, which wrestle between relationship nostalgia and moving forward. \u201cDuring times of big change, you\u2019re kind of forced to choose which of the two places you want to be,\u201d she muses. \u201cThere\u2019s something antsy and exciting in that in-betweenness; something scary about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI just want to stay close to my dreams And make space for myself to keep being a person in all of this\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>She leaned into that tension musically, trusting her instincts completely, \u201cthrowing everything that I love into one bucket\u201d. The result is perhaps her most experimental album yet. \u2018Handle\u2019 and \u2018In &amp; Out\u2019 bring a buzzy rock energy, while the latter half drifts into late-\u201990s and 2000s pop (\u2018Barriers\u2019, \u2018Saturday Night\u2019). \u2018Potential\u2019 goes even further into a metallic, almost J-pop territory. \u201cNo one\u2019s made that connection,\u201d she says, face lighting up. \u201cI love that!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then there\u2019s \u2018Reputation\u2019, a curious little vignette shared with Dominic Fike. \u201cI always wanted that Rihanna and Mikky Ekko moment,\u201d Lenae jokes, referencing \u2018Stay\u2019. \u201cThat song was always so cool to me. It showed us a version of Rihanna, existing naturally, beyond what we\u2019d seen of her so far.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>The album\u2019s rowdier, more \u201crambunctious\u201d moments are intentional, capturing a sense of urgency she still feels about \u201cwhere I\u2019m sitting right now. Like, this major thing has happened for me, but I still feel like I have to knock down the door\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>After chasing a breakout moment her entire career, stepping into it sparked an unexpected scarcity mentality. \u201cI felt like I couldn\u2019t say no to anything,\u201d she admits. The pressure showed up in oddly specific moments, like obsessively watching her Spotify live listeners climb toward 30,000 people simultaneously streaming \u2018Love Me Not\u2019, wondering what it would take to convert every single listener into a concert ticket. \u201cI started getting really crazy up in my brain, wanting to \u2018turn everybody\u2019,\u201d she reveals. \u201cIt\u2019s this weird dichotomy where I now know what\u2019s possible, but that just makes me hungrier.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3960560\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3960560\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3960560\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ravyn-lenae-blue-island-credit-drew-jarett.jpg\" alt=\"Ravyn Lenae\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2667\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3960560\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ravyn Lenae credit: Drew Jarett<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cYou almost create this factory for yourself, just pushing, pushing, pushing, without any sense of release. That can make it hard to be present or just feel proud of myself. That\u2019s something I\u2019m in therapy for,\u201d she adds with a wry laugh.<\/p>\n<p>If the album has a thesis, Lenae points to \u2018Baby Girl\u2019, her collaboration with Doechii. Delivering sentiments like \u201c<em>Breaking them walls \/ Babygirl why go through the window? \/ Could never be wrong \/ Even if you don\u2019t go where everybody goes<\/em>\u201d, the track offers an intimate look at her experience as a Black woman who resists being \u201cthe most neatly packaged, accessible, easy thing\u201d. Sharing this message with Doechii felt especially resonant. \u201cThat\u2019s my sister,\u201d she says warmly. \u201cI feel so connected with artists who have a strong conviction in who they are. Doechii came out the gates that way; there was never a day when I didn\u2019t believe she was exactly who she says she is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the music, that tension found a physical outlet in movement. The tactile, tightly-wound choreography in the \u2018Handle\u2019 video, developed with choreographer Akira Uchida, wasn\u2019t a calculated pivot so much as a valve for catharsis. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t any deliberate decision that \u2018I need to do choreo now\u2019,\u201d she jokes. \u201cThings just manifested themselves outwardly, in my body.\u201d Having long assumed she wasn\u2019t \u201cthat girl\u201d enough for dance routines, Uchida\u2019s work changed her mind: \u201cI really connected with the shapes he was making; how dance can feel a little quirky and magical.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her broader artistic vision has only been sharpened by these few years of touring, from headlining festivals to arena support slots for Sabrina Carpenter and Rene\u00e9 Rapp. \u201cI started to ask myself different questions about the kinds of spaces I want my music to live [in]\u201d, she says. Admitting to herself \u201cI want to do arenas\u201d pushed her toward a \u201cbigger, chancier, more-in-your-face feeling\u201d to the music. She plans to bring that feeling to life on her upcoming North American headline tour. \u201cFor the first time I have the resources to have stage design. I want people to walk away feeling like they were just in Blue Island.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s that sense of arrival, finally, at the scale of the ambition she\u2019s always carried, that sits at the centre of this chapter. Asked what she\u2019d tell herself right after finishing \u2018Bird\u2019s Eye\u2019,\u00a0 before any of this, Lenae thinks for a moment, then shares her answer gamely. \u201cI just want to stay close to my dreams,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd make space for myself to keep being a person in all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Ravyn Lenae\u2019s \u2018Blue Island\u2019 is out on August 7 via Atlantic Records.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/features\/music-interviews\/ravyn-lenae-blue-island-interview-3960557&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ravyn-lenae-credit-drew-jarett.jpg&#8221;] FeaturesMusic Interviews Ravyn Lenae: \u201cI now know what\u2019s possible \u2013 but that just makes me hungrier\u201d On the Chicago artist\u2019s expansive, rock-tinged third album, she reckons with viral fame, reconciling her past and future, and what happens after her dreams come true By Cordelia Lam 4th August 2026 Ravyn Lenae credit: Drew [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2076842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2076842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076842\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2076842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2076842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2076842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}