{"id":2082925,"date":"2026-08-07T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T05:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2082925"},"modified":"2026-08-07T08:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T05:00:09","slug":"ravyn-lenae-blue-island-review-rbs-wunderkind-finds-her-new-pop-groove","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2082925","title":{"rendered":"Ravyn Lenae \u2013 \u2018Blue Island\u2019 review: R&amp;B\u2019s wunderkind finds her new pop groove"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ravyn-Lenae-Credit-Press.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-3332206\" class=\"post-3332206 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_1400 td-stretch-content\">\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_single_featured_image tdi_71 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\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-Press-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"Ravyn Lenae Blue Island Artwork\" title=\"Ravyn Lenae Credit Press\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Ravyn Lenae. Credit: Press<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_72\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_73  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_75  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Reviews<\/span><span>Album Reviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_77 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_77\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Ravyn Lenae \u2013 \u2018Blue Island\u2019 review: R&amp;B\u2019s wunderkind finds her new pop groove<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_78 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_78\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The Chicago singer-songwriter frees herself from preconceived notions of her music and comes guns blazing for the pop crown<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_review_overall tdi_79 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_79\">\n<table class=\"td-review td-fix-index\">\n<tr class=\"td-review-footer rate_stars\">\n<td class=\"td-review-score\">\n<div class=\"td-review-overall\">\n<div class=\"td-review-final-score\">4.5<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_80 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_80\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Sara Delgado<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_81 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-08-07T09:00:09+01:00\">7th August 2026<\/time><\/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>In the lead up to \u2018Blue Island\u2019, Ravyn Lenae\u2019s third studio album, the singer told <i>The Fader<\/i> she hoped to free herself of \u201cpreconceived notions about Blackness\u201d and what\u2019s expected of her as an R&amp;B stalwart: \u201cIt\u2019s fun to challenge the idea of what R&amp;B is supposed to sound like, what pop is supposed to sound like\u2026 and really say \u2018fuck all of that\u2019 and do my own thing.\u201d Lenae took a pop-tinged R&amp;B approach on 2022\u2019s \u2018Hypnos\u2019 and 2024\u2019s \u2018Bird\u2019s Eye\u2019, but on album three \u2018Blue Island\u2019, that tinge lends way to a pop tidal wave with dashes of \u201900s indie rock and \u201980s new wave and electro-funk.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: Ravyn Lenae: \u201cI now know what\u2019s possible \u2013 but that just makes me hungrier\u201d<br \/><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Lenae fuses a retro flair with modern sensibilities on single \u2018Handle\u2019, which serves as the album\u2019s diffident opener, but the record only gets more interesting from here. Chameleonic tracks that transform halfway through \u2013 the snappy synthpop experiment \u2018Saturday Night\u2019, ballad hybrid \u2018Find It One Day\u2019, chaotic closer \u2018Let Us In\u2019, the sci-fi-esque \u2018Wish You Well\u2019 \u2013 are the album\u2019s strongest points: catchy and toeing the line between familiar melodies and unexpected twists, traversing everything from alt-rock to folk rock and even indietronica. Looking at Lenae\u2019s inspirations for the project (Santigold, Tracy Chapman, Janet Jackson, Blondie, The Sundays, The Cranberries, Martin Rev), it\u2019s easy to see where the eclectic mix of sounds that refuses to stay idle comes from.<\/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>Much like on past records, Lenae is strongest when she plays with her breathy, honeyed soprano voice \u2013 and that is amplified by the indie-leaning production and nostalgic flair of the record. On the pre-chorus and chorus of \u2018Sew Me Back Together\u2019, she combines multiple registers for layered harmonies that feel both bubbly and bouncy. Guitar-led \u2018Familiar Dreams\u2019 is summery and skittery, with pop whimsy and vocal staccatos taking over. The vocal layering crown, however, goes to standout collab \u2018Babygirl\u2019, which sees Lenae joining forces with Doechii, fusing the star\u2019s velvet vocals with jazzy inflections and Doechii\u2019s laser-cut rap.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ravyn Lenae - Handle (Official Music Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/e2MS5f3Mnn8?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>Borrowing its name from the Chicago suburb city where she was born, \u2018Blue Island\u2019 feels like Lenae\u2019s homecoming. We can hear her experimenting with the sounds she grew up with while keeping the core of her success. She largely succeeds, even if her explorations of modern love, a perennial source of inspo for twentysomething musicians, doesn\u2019t always feel the most original. Still, her unabashedly giving in to pop without attempting to replicate the viral formula of her chart-topper \u2018Love Me Not\u2019 is a testament to her desire not to be boxed in.<\/p>\n<p>Through each of the 14 distinct tracks in \u2018Blue Island\u2019, Lenae breaks free from expectations and opens the door to her home. This is perhaps most explicit in \u2018Never Let Me Go\u2019, which interpolates Chuck Jackson\u2019s \u2018Love Of You\u2019, and features a candid call with her grandparents. It\u2019s her way of letting us in on the process, the trials and tribulations that shaped what ultimately became a fully idiosyncratic album that proves Lenae is blazing through a new path.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3782516 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ravyn-Lenae-Blue-Island-Artwork.jpg\" alt=\"Ravyn Lenae Blue Island review\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Record label:<\/strong> Atlantic<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> August 7, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\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<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\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=\"vc_row_inner tdi_93  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_95  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_97 \">\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_98 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_98\">\n<div id=\"tdi_98\" 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                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Tributes paid after death of legendary electronic producer William Orbit, age 69: \u201cHe never followed the obvious path\u201d<\/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\">\u2018KPop Demon Hunters\u2019 singer\u2019 Audrey Nuna captures \u201cfeeling of redemption, of validation, of the tides finally turning\u201d on bold new single \u2018superHuman\u2019<\/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\">Madonna and Kylie Minogue team up for \u2018Love Sensation (Afterhours remix)\u2019<\/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\">Good Charlotte join Hilary Duff on-stage at Madison Square Garden just hours after the Madden Brothers\u2019 company carried out mass layoffs at US music&#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                    Film News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">\u2018Michael\u2019 sequel is officially starting filming soon<\/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\">Watch Timbaland perform only the times he says \u201cEH\u201d in Nelly Furtado\u2019s \u2018Say It Right\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_99\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_100  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_102  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_104 \">\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><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span><\/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>In the lead up to \u2018Blue Island\u2019, Ravyn Lenae\u2019s third studio album, the singer told <i>The Fader<\/i> she hoped to free herself of \u201cpreconceived notions about Blackness\u201d and what\u2019s expected of her as an R&amp;B stalwart: \u201cIt\u2019s fun to challenge the idea of what R&amp;B is supposed to sound like, what pop is supposed to sound like\u2026 and really say \u2018fuck all of that\u2019 and do my own thing.\u201d Lenae took a pop-tinged R&amp;B approach on 2022\u2019s \u2018Hypnos\u2019 and 2024\u2019s \u2018Bird\u2019s Eye\u2019, but on album three \u2018Blue Island\u2019, that tinge lends way to a pop tidal wave with dashes of \u201900s indie rock and \u201980s new wave and electro-funk.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: Ravyn Lenae: \u201cI now know what\u2019s possible \u2013 but that just makes me hungrier\u201d<br \/><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Lenae fuses a retro flair with modern sensibilities on single \u2018Handle\u2019, which serves as the album\u2019s diffident opener, but the record only gets more interesting from here. Chameleonic tracks that transform halfway through \u2013 the snappy synthpop experiment \u2018Saturday Night\u2019, ballad hybrid \u2018Find It One Day\u2019, chaotic closer \u2018Let Us In\u2019, the sci-fi-esque \u2018Wish You Well\u2019 \u2013 are the album\u2019s strongest points: catchy and toeing the line between familiar melodies and unexpected twists, traversing everything from alt-rock to folk rock and even indietronica. Looking at Lenae\u2019s inspirations for the project (Santigold, Tracy Chapman, Janet Jackson, Blondie, The Sundays, The Cranberries, Martin Rev), it\u2019s easy to see where the eclectic mix of sounds that refuses to stay idle comes from.<\/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>Much like on past records, Lenae is strongest when she plays with her breathy, honeyed soprano voice \u2013 and that is amplified by the indie-leaning production and nostalgic flair of the record. On the pre-chorus and chorus of \u2018Sew Me Back Together\u2019, she combines multiple registers for layered harmonies that feel both bubbly and bouncy. Guitar-led \u2018Familiar Dreams\u2019 is summery and skittery, with pop whimsy and vocal staccatos taking over. The vocal layering crown, however, goes to standout collab \u2018Babygirl\u2019, which sees Lenae joining forces with Doechii, fusing the star\u2019s velvet vocals with jazzy inflections and Doechii\u2019s laser-cut rap.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ravyn Lenae - Handle (Official Music Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/e2MS5f3Mnn8?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>Borrowing its name from the Chicago suburb city where she was born, \u2018Blue Island\u2019 feels like Lenae\u2019s homecoming. We can hear her experimenting with the sounds she grew up with while keeping the core of her success. She largely succeeds, even if her explorations of modern love, a perennial source of inspo for twentysomething musicians, doesn\u2019t always feel the most original. Still, her unabashedly giving in to pop without attempting to replicate the viral formula of her chart-topper \u2018Love Me Not\u2019 is a testament to her desire not to be boxed in.<\/p>\n<p>Through each of the 14 distinct tracks in \u2018Blue Island\u2019, Lenae breaks free from expectations and opens the door to her home. This is perhaps most explicit in \u2018Never Let Me Go\u2019, which interpolates Chuck Jackson\u2019s \u2018Love Of You\u2019, and features a candid call with her grandparents. It\u2019s her way of letting us in on the process, the trials and tribulations that shaped what ultimately became a fully idiosyncratic album that proves Lenae is blazing through a new path.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3782516 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ravyn-Lenae-Blue-Island-Artwork.jpg\" alt=\"Ravyn Lenae Blue Island review\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Record label:<\/strong> Atlantic<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> August 7, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/album\/ravyn-lenae-blue-island-review-3961268&#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-Press.jpg&#8221;] Ravyn Lenae. Credit: Press ReviewsAlbum Reviews Ravyn Lenae \u2013 \u2018Blue Island\u2019 review: R&amp;B\u2019s wunderkind finds her new pop groove The Chicago singer-songwriter frees herself from preconceived notions of her music and comes guns blazing for the pop crown 4.5 By Sara Delgado 7th August 2026 In the lead up to \u2018Blue Island\u2019, [&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-2082925","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\/2082925","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=2082925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2082925\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2082925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2082925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2082925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}