{"id":2082289,"date":"2026-08-07T09:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T06:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2082289"},"modified":"2026-08-07T09:35:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T06:35:00","slug":"ravyn-lenae-my-identity-was-picked-apart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2082289","title":{"rendered":"Ravyn Lenae: \u2018My identity was picked apart\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-159-2999-1999\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/0\/1450888.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/music\/article\/70772\/1\/ravyn-lenae-blue-island-new-album-interview\" data-article-id=\"70772\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.23\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ravyn Lenae \/ Blue Island \" class=\"img\" height=\"2448\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1400\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/0\/1450888.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of <span class=\"nowrap\">Ravyn Lenae<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-08-07T09:35:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"07 August 2026\"><span class=\"month\">August<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"7\">7,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - music\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>Ravyn Lenae: \u2018My identity was <span class=\"nowrap\">picked apart\u2019<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>The \u2018Love Me Not\u2019 singer on being confused for British, working with Doechii, and existing in spaces where it feels like \u2018Black women are fundamentally <span class=\"nowrap\">not wanted\u2019<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-08-07T09:35:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"07 August 2026\"><span class=\"month\">August<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"7\">7,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-08-07T09:35:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"07 August 2026\"><span class=\"month\">August<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"7\">7,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/isobelvandyke\"><br \/>\nIsobel Van Dyke<br \/>\n<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>It might come as a shock to some, but Ravyn Lenae is not British. The 27-year-old singer was born and raised in Chicago, but fans online and in person are constantly surprised to learn that she\u2019s American and not English. \u201cI have people come up and ask if I\u2019m British, without even knowing me,\u201d she says through a syrupy Chicagoan accent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>She may not have grown up here, but the UK has played a pivotal role in her journey as an artist. In her early teens, when she first started uploading tracks to SoundCloud, the highest percentage of her listeners were based in London. Her first ever European show took place in London in 2018 and tickets sold out in an hour.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As for why she\u2019s so popular over here, Lenae has her own theory. \u201cI think [it\u2018s because] there\u2019s more of an acceptance and tolerance for Black women to move freely between genres in the UK,\u201d she says. \u201cYou look at so many of our [American] alt-Black stars, like Santigold or Kelis or Donna Summer, and they\u2019ve had huge careers across the pond. A lot of times they blew up there first. Then America is like \u2018Oh, that\u2019s cool\u2019 three years later. There\u2019s a respect and an eagerness for people to break the mould [in the UK]. I think that\u2019s maybe what\u2019s being recognised.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The music industry has a habit of trying to keep Black women in a box labelled \u2018R&amp;B\u2019. But in recent years, we\u2019ve seen a new wave of artists challenging that stereotype. Lenae is among them, and she\u2019s right, many of them are British: take <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/pinkpantheress\"><span>PinkPantheress<\/span><\/a><span>, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/70139\/1\/natanya-sza-approved-singer-approaching-pop-like-wrestling-london\"><span>Natanya<\/span><\/a><span>, Rachel Chinouriri, Nova Twins or Flowerovlove, for example.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"dc3910de-c6dd-4adf-92af-b49e01129381\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/0\/1450890.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.75\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ravyn Lenae \/ Blue Island \" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/0\/1450890.jpg\" width=\"2250\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of <span class=\"nowrap\">Ravyn Lenae<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In 2025, Lenae\u2019s career reached its highest peak yet. Her 2024 single \u201cLove Me Not\u201d went viral on TikTok, causing it to enter the top five in charts across the UK, US, Australia and Ireland. It currently sits at over a billion streams on Spotify alone. However, with success also comes criticism and online trolls. \u201cWith \u2018Love Me Not\u2019 reaching a bigger audience, I felt like there were times when my identity was picked apart. My Blackness was questioned in regards to the type of music I liked to make,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The enormous success of \u201cLove Me Not\u201d propelled the artist to dizzying new heights. \u201cThere\u2019s a fun tension between the unstable feeling and trying to grab the reins of my career and my identity,\u201d she says. Aware that she was entering a significant and transitional period of her life, she began to write her third album immediately after the release of her sophomore record, <\/span><em><span>Bird\u2019s Eye. <\/span><\/em><span>The new album, which lands today (August 7), is named after her hometown, Blue Island \u2013 a small city on the outskirts of Chicago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Mirroring this moment in her career, Blue Island is a place that people travel through, rather than stick around in. \u201cWe\u2019d never stop there for lunch or hang out with friends there,\u201d she says. \u201cAs the album started to take shape, I began to realise the parallels between Blue Island and how much of a transitional period this is for me. It made me reflect on what last year meant \u2013 experiencing one of the biggest highs of my career so far and trying to find my footing in that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>My identity was picked apart. My Blackness was questioned in regards to the type of music I liked to make<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Lenae and her two younger sisters were raised by their single Panamanian mother, while their father was absent for most of their childhood. Her maternal grandfather served as a pastor for almost 40 years, leading Lenae to find her voice while singing in church. She studied classical music at Chicago\u2019s High School for the Arts, before uploading her first track to SoundCloud at the age of 15. She signed to Atlantic Records the following year and released her debut album, <\/span><em><span>Hypnos<\/span><\/em><span>, in 2022 with the help of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/steve-lacy\"><span>Steve Lacy<\/span><\/a><span>, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/kaytranada\"><span>Kaytranada<\/span><\/a><span>, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/64663\/1\/foushee-pointy-heights-album-jamaica-steve-lacy\"><span>Foushe\u00e9<\/span><\/a><span>, to name just a few contributors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If <\/span><em><span>Blue Island <\/span><\/em><span>marks a metamorphosis in the artist\u2019s life, I ask, who does she see herself becoming on the other side of it? \u201cI\u2019m transitioning into an artist that is more convicted in my taste, my ability and my body,\u201d she says, after taking a long pause to consider the question.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In the two years since releasing her last album, her self-confidence has grown significantly. \u201cEven the way I feel entering certain rooms \u2013 there\u2019s a complete 180 there,\u201d she says. \u201cWith each album I learn more about how I want to be received. I\u2019ve learnt a lot about standing firm in who I am, and not being scared of being seen.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>There are odds stacked against you before you\u2019ve even entered the race<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In the past, she\u2019s admitted to feeling undermined in the music industry, and while she now feels more sure of herself than ever before, she doesn\u2019t know if that feeling will ever truly dissipate. \u201cI think that will always be a thing for me,\u201d she says. \u201cBeing a Black woman, in spaces I feel we fundamentally just aren\u2019t wanted, creates this feeling that there are odds stacked against you before you\u2019ve even entered the race.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>She explains that her recent confidence boost comes from understanding that her road may be longer and slower than most, but not allowing that to deter her. \u201cIt\u2019s more difficult for someone like me to move between pop and R&amp;B and go back and forth freely. I know that it\u2019s less easy for people to understand if they can\u2019t neatly put it into one box, or be able to describe it in one snapshot. But the confidence comes with owning that. I\u2019m not watering myself down or simplifying myself for success.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s this ethos that made <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/doechii\"><span>Doechii<\/span><\/a><span> the perfect choice to feature on the new album. The Tampa rapper, another artist who refuses to water herself down, appears on the track, \u201cBabygirl\u201d. It\u2019s a song that acts as a thesis for the entire album, Lenae <\/span><span>explains. \u201cI basically talk about what it feels like to be me, navigating the industry as a Black girl, who might dance to the beat of her own drum a little bit. I immediately thought of Doechii, because she\u2019s living proof of that. I sent it to her and she responded immediately saying \u2018You\u2019re a fucking superstar!\u2019\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Above all, Lenae wants the freedom to experiment with her sound as and when she likes \u2013 without pressure from fans or the industry. She\u2019d love to explore her Panamanian-West Indian heritage, for example. \u201cLeaning into those rhythms and melodies, I\u2019m excited to go down that road,\u201d she says. Maybe that\u2019s a teaser for album four, though she\u2019s not ruling out any genres. The world is her oyster, but for now, it\u2019s all about <\/span><em><span>Blue Island.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! 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The controversial new \u2018genre\u2019 making a splash online<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>It might come as a shock to some, but Ravyn Lenae is not British. The 27-year-old singer was born and raised in Chicago, but fans online and in person are constantly surprised to learn that she\u2019s American and not English. \u201cI have people come up and ask if I\u2019m British, without even knowing me,\u201d she says through a syrupy Chicagoan accent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>She may not have grown up here, but the UK has played a pivotal role in her journey as an artist. In her early teens, when she first started uploading tracks to SoundCloud, the highest percentage of her listeners were based in London. Her first ever European show took place in London in 2018 and tickets sold out in an hour.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As for why she\u2019s so popular over here, Lenae has her own theory. \u201cI think [it\u2018s because] there\u2019s more of an acceptance and tolerance for Black women to move freely between genres in the UK,\u201d she says. \u201cYou look at so many of our [American] alt-Black stars, like Santigold or Kelis or Donna Summer, and they\u2019ve had huge careers across the pond. A lot of times they blew up there first. Then America is like \u2018Oh, that\u2019s cool\u2019 three years later. There\u2019s a respect and an eagerness for people to break the mould [in the UK]. I think that\u2019s maybe what\u2019s being recognised.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The music industry has a habit of trying to keep Black women in a box labelled \u2018R&amp;B\u2019. But in recent years, we\u2019ve seen a new wave of artists challenging that stereotype. Lenae is among them, and she\u2019s right, many of them are British: take <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/pinkpantheress\"><span>PinkPantheress<\/span><\/a><span>, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/70139\/1\/natanya-sza-approved-singer-approaching-pop-like-wrestling-london\"><span>Natanya<\/span><\/a><span>, Rachel Chinouriri, Nova Twins or Flowerovlove, for example.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"dc3910de-c6dd-4adf-92af-b49e01129381\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/0\/1450890.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.75\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ravyn Lenae \/ Blue Island \" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/0\/1450890.jpg\" width=\"2250\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of <span class=\"nowrap\">Ravyn Lenae<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In 2025, Lenae\u2019s career reached its highest peak yet. Her 2024 single \u201cLove Me Not\u201d went viral on TikTok, causing it to enter the top five in charts across the UK, US, Australia and Ireland. It currently sits at over a billion streams on Spotify alone. However, with success also comes criticism and online trolls. \u201cWith \u2018Love Me Not\u2019 reaching a bigger audience, I felt like there were times when my identity was picked apart. My Blackness was questioned in regards to the type of music I liked to make,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The enormous success of \u201cLove Me Not\u201d propelled the artist to dizzying new heights. \u201cThere\u2019s a fun tension between the unstable feeling and trying to grab the reins of my career and my identity,\u201d she says. Aware that she was entering a significant and transitional period of her life, she began to write her third album immediately after the release of her sophomore record, <\/span><em><span>Bird\u2019s Eye. <\/span><\/em><span>The new album, which lands today (August 7), is named after her hometown, Blue Island \u2013 a small city on the outskirts of Chicago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Mirroring this moment in her career, Blue Island is a place that people travel through, rather than stick around in. \u201cWe\u2019d never stop there for lunch or hang out with friends there,\u201d she says. \u201cAs the album started to take shape, I began to realise the parallels between Blue Island and how much of a transitional period this is for me. It made me reflect on what last year meant \u2013 experiencing one of the biggest highs of my career so far and trying to find my footing in that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>My identity was picked apart. My Blackness was questioned in regards to the type of music I liked to make<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Lenae and her two younger sisters were raised by their single Panamanian mother, while their father was absent for most of their childhood. Her maternal grandfather served as a pastor for almost 40 years, leading Lenae to find her voice while singing in church. She studied classical music at Chicago\u2019s High School for the Arts, before uploading her first track to SoundCloud at the age of 15. She signed to Atlantic Records the following year and released her debut album, <\/span><em><span>Hypnos<\/span><\/em><span>, in 2022 with the help of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/steve-lacy\"><span>Steve Lacy<\/span><\/a><span>, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/kaytranada\"><span>Kaytranada<\/span><\/a><span>, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/64663\/1\/foushee-pointy-heights-album-jamaica-steve-lacy\"><span>Foushe\u00e9<\/span><\/a><span>, to name just a few contributors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If <\/span><em><span>Blue Island <\/span><\/em><span>marks a metamorphosis in the artist\u2019s life, I ask, who does she see herself becoming on the other side of it? \u201cI\u2019m transitioning into an artist that is more convicted in my taste, my ability and my body,\u201d she says, after taking a long pause to consider the question.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In the two years since releasing her last album, her self-confidence has grown significantly. \u201cEven the way I feel entering certain rooms \u2013 there\u2019s a complete 180 there,\u201d she says. \u201cWith each album I learn more about how I want to be received. I\u2019ve learnt a lot about standing firm in who I am, and not being scared of being seen.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>There are odds stacked against you before you\u2019ve even entered the race<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In the past, she\u2019s admitted to feeling undermined in the music industry, and while she now feels more sure of herself than ever before, she doesn\u2019t know if that feeling will ever truly dissipate. \u201cI think that will always be a thing for me,\u201d she says. \u201cBeing a Black woman, in spaces I feel we fundamentally just aren\u2019t wanted, creates this feeling that there are odds stacked against you before you\u2019ve even entered the race.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>She explains that her recent confidence boost comes from understanding that her road may be longer and slower than most, but not allowing that to deter her. \u201cIt\u2019s more difficult for someone like me to move between pop and R&amp;B and go back and forth freely. I know that it\u2019s less easy for people to understand if they can\u2019t neatly put it into one box, or be able to describe it in one snapshot. But the confidence comes with owning that. I\u2019m not watering myself down or simplifying myself for success.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s this ethos that made <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/doechii\"><span>Doechii<\/span><\/a><span> the perfect choice to feature on the new album. The Tampa rapper, another artist who refuses to water herself down, appears on the track, \u201cBabygirl\u201d. It\u2019s a song that acts as a thesis for the entire album, Lenae <\/span><span>explains. \u201cI basically talk about what it feels like to be me, navigating the industry as a Black girl, who might dance to the beat of her own drum a little bit. I immediately thought of Doechii, because she\u2019s living proof of that. I sent it to her and she responded immediately saying \u2018You\u2019re a fucking superstar!\u2019\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Above all, Lenae wants the freedom to experiment with her sound as and when she likes \u2013 without pressure from fans or the industry. She\u2019d love to explore her Panamanian-West Indian heritage, for example. \u201cLeaning into those rhythms and melodies, I\u2019m excited to go down that road,\u201d she says. Maybe that\u2019s a teaser for album four, though she\u2019s not ruling out any genres. The world is her oyster, but for now, it\u2019s all about <\/span><em><span>Blue Island.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/70772\/1\/ravyn-lenae-blue-island-new-album-interview&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-159-2999-1999\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1450\/0\/1450888.jpg&#8221;] Courtesy of Ravyn Lenae August\u00a0 7,\u00a0 2026 Music \/ Feature Music \/ Feature Ravyn Lenae: \u2018My identity was picked apart\u2019 The \u2018Love Me Not\u2019 singer on being confused for British, working with Doechii, and existing in spaces where it feels like \u2018Black women are fundamentally not wanted\u2019 August\u00a0 7,\u00a0 2026 August\u00a0 7,\u00a0 [&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":[226,76],"class_list":["post-2082289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2082289","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=2082289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2082289\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2082289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2082289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2082289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}