Ravyn Lenae opened for SZA on her Ctrl tour before even releasing an album, had a few songs featured on Insecure, and is probably on your favorite artist’s playlists. Last month, she dropped Bird’s Eye, her second studio album, which you might want to put on your own end-of-summer playlist. It’s the kind of fantastic sophomore effort that confirms a musician’s artistry, building on their bona fides while expanding into newer sonic territories. Lenae is boldly, generously stretching the alt-R&B label she’s been carrying: The album opens with what sounds like a Kylie Minogue fantasy (“Genius”) and then delves into reggae, dim-the-lights soul, arena foot-stompers, hip-hop, and indie rock before ending with woozy surf guitars (“Days”). But it’s all Lenae, and the 25-year-old is excited to share her world of influences with listeners.
“I listen to a lot of music, and I’m inspired by a lot of different things. But I was a little scared about releasing this, knowing that fans attach themselves to a certain sound,” she tells the Cut. “But having an understanding that some people won’t connect with some things that go outside of what I’ve done in the past is what’s exciting about it, too.”
With all the disparate influences on the album, it’s only natural we put Lenae to the “Taste Test” to see where else she stands on the culture.
Was there a sound that you feel like you’ll want to follow more going forward?
It felt really natural to acknowledge the things I listen to and the things that make me excited about music. I want to be able to touch every single part of my brain, so that might be a lot of different genres. That was something really fun for me: going down a more pop route with “Genius.” Even “Love Me Not,” which has a classic thing about it, does have this pop sensibility. And “Days” was inspired by Fleetwood Mac. I’m really just incorporating other textures and other colors outside of R&B that have inspired me.
I feel like a big part of R&B is about projecting maturity, if not just sexual maturity. You started doing this when you were 16 — have you always felt mature, or is that something that you’ve had to tap into?
I agree with you in the sense that I think R&B is a mature genre. That’s an interesting way to look at it. I have always thought I was much older than I am, even when I was younger, because of the way I write. But that’s why it’s so fun for me to explore other parts of my musical identity, because I can let out these different ages and feelings and emotions through music. Exploring pop music a little bit more, I feel like I’m getting off that 15-year-old angst that is so fun to let out.
Who are some pop artists you’re into?
I love Chappell Roan — I think she’s really cool. I love Doja Cat; she’s incredible. I’ve been referencing Nelly Furtado, who has a really interesting perspective and vocal tone that is able to ride multiple genres, which is something that I love: when you can’t really pinpoint a voice or where it’s supposed to sit. She just effortlessly flows between anything she wants. I’ve been thinking about what the next thing is gonna feel like for me, and I’ve been diving into her superheavy.
So I have this “Taste Test” to figure out who you are as a consumer of culture: Where do you get your cultural recommendations from?
My boyfriend is a huge movie person, so I always trust his opinion, and he’s gotten me into film and how music interacts with it. He’s a huge fan of Black cinema, so he’s gotten me into the world of John Singleton and Denzel Washington. For general culture recs, I talk to my little sister a lot. She’s 14, and I like talking to younger people and getting their perspective of what’s cool. It’s such a funny age because they can’t seem too impressed with anything but are secretly the biggest fans of a lot of things.
Right — someone’s running the stan accounts.
Someone is paying those bills, but they cannot seem like they enjoy anything in life.
What’s a show that your boyfriend can’t watch without you?
We really enjoyed Mr. Robot. I’m a huge sci-fi girlie. I’ve always been obsessed with things that felt otherworldly or not real. He’s not a sci-fi person at all, but he likes mystery and action, so it combines both of our worlds together.
Do you have a comfort rewatch?
Sex and the City and Insecure, which had a few of my songs on multiple seasons. I’m a huge fan of Issa Rae and the show.
What’s something that you’ll never watch, no matter how hard people try to put you on?
Maybe Star Wars. Something about it just does not draw me in. I don’t know what it is.
What would your last meal be?
Probably some Caribbean food. My grandmother makes this shrimp-curry dish with peas and plantains that I grew up eating. That’s the perfect meal for me.
Speaking of the Caribbean, I have to ask: I’m Venezuelan, and I really just don’t hear the country referenced ever —
I get so many comments about that!
I’ve just been wondering, Huh. Why?
I get so many comments from Venezuelans saying, literally, “Why?” When Monte [Booker, a producer] sent it to me, the beat was called “She From Venezuela,” and I remember thinking that I don’t hear Venezuela used, like, ever in a title. So I just took that as inspiration for the song. I wish there was a more interesting story around it, but I felt the same way when I saw the name of the beat.
What music do you listen to when you’re alone?
If I’m just in the house cleaning or doing whatever, I love some Brazilian jazz, bossa nova in the background. Or if I’m going somewhere and want to wind down and ease any anxiety. I throw that on because it just levels me out. Not too many words, not too many harsh sounds — it’s the perfect neutral, balancing feel.
If someone wants to get into what your music was like before this album, which three songs would you point them to?
“Sticky,” for sure. I feel like that song really marks me. I attach songs to moments in my life, and that was my first time touring by myself and understanding that people would pay to see me. I really gained that confidence around my EP Crush. I think that “Venom,” from my last album, touches on the electronic influence I had early on, being on SoundCloud and hearing the production landscape. That one feels like something I would have made when I was 16, in the best way possible, and I think it embodies the other side of my music that usually has this off-kilter feel to it. And then “Skin Tight” with Steve Lacy. I strive for a classic feel with my music and understanding that things will live on and beyond me. I love the simplicity of it and the detail of the songwriting. It feels like something that my mom would have listened to.
What’s the best advice you’ve received?
The best advice I’ve received, pertaining to music, is probably from Q-Tip. He told me that if you can’t strip a song down to a guitar or keys, then you don’t have the song. That’s something that I think about often when creating. Taking out every production element, at the basis of it, do you have strong lyricism and melody and something that feels timeless? That’s major advice.
Do you have a favorite game to play?
My friends and I play Taboo a lot. That’s the one where you have to act out or describe whatever word is on the card without saying the clues.
Are you better at guessing or acting it out?
I’m pretty fire at guessing.
Last one: You’re hopping in an UberXL and you can bring five celebrities, dead or alive. Who’s coming?
Prince. I have to think of what the vibe is going to be with everybody and mixing personalities. Rihanna — they’d get along. Diana Ross. Charli XCX?
Oh, wow, okay. What interaction are you trying to get out of putting Charli and Diana Ross together?
I feel like they might like each other in a really weird way. I don’t know — Charli just seems fun, and I feel like Diana has this wild-card thing about her that people might not see. I want to bring that out.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
