Ravyn Lenae Washington (born January 22, 1999) is an American R&B singer and songwriter from Chicago, currently signed to Atlantic Records and the Three Twenty Three Music Group.[1] She is also a member of the musical collective Zero Fatigue.[2] Her debut EP, Moon Shoes, was released independently in 2015 and it was later reissued by Atlantic Records in 2016. Her follow up EP, Midnight Moonlight, was released in 2017. She has performed at several music festivals and in 2017 toured with SZA on her Ctrl Tour[3] and Noname on her Telefone Tour.[4]
She released her debut album, Hypnos, on May 20, 2022, and her second album, Bird's Eye, on August 9, 2024, to critical acclaim. The latter spawned her breakout hit, "Love Me Not", which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked within the top 50 of the music charts in several countries.
Early life and education
Washington was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her mother is from Panama, with her maternal grandfather being part of a doo wop musical group in the country.[5][6] She was raised as a member of the PullmanChristian Reformed Church on the far South Side of the city. Her paternal grandfather, Richard Williams, served as the pastor of the congregation for 30 years. She credits her participation in worship at the church with helping to develop her interests and abilities in music.[7] In middle school at Roseland Christian School, Lenae began writing her own songs.[8] She would go on to attend the Chicago High School for the Arts, where she studied classical music.[9] She graduated from the school in May 2017 at 18 years of age.[10]
Musical career
As a sophomore in high school, Lenae spent $300 for a studio session that would ultimately produce her first single, "Greetings".[8] Soon after, in 2015, she was featured on Monte Booker's song, "Baby".[11][12] Booker and Lenae along with rapper, Smino, formed the original core of the music collective, Zero Fatigue, which was brought together by Chris "Classick" Innumerable at his recording studio, Classick Studios.[9][13] Lenae's first EP, Moon Shoes, was originally released as a free download in August 2015, but was later reissued by Atlantic Records and the Three Twenty Three Music Group in 2016.[11][14] It drew praise from critics for her "fluid vocals and spare, poetic lyrics."[15]
Ravyn Lenae performing as part of the Telefone Tour on March 5, 2017.
In 2016, Lenae was officially signed to Atlantic Records.[16] She also appeared as a featured performer on Mick Jenkins' album The Healing Component[17] and on Noname's song "Forever".[18] She would go on to tour with and open for Noname on her Telefone Tour from January to March 2017.[14] Lenae also performed at WBEZ's Winter Block Party alongside fellow members of the underground collective Medicine Woman: Drea Smith, Via Rosa, and Jean Deaux.[19]
She released her second EP Midnight Moonlight on March 3, 2017.[20][21] Later that month, she performed at SXSW,[22] was featured on Smino's "Glass Flows,"[21] and was listed by Rolling Stone as one of "10 New Artists You Need to Know."[14] In the following three months, she would go on to perform at several other festivals, including Mamby on the Beach in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood[10] and Culture Shock in Purchase, New York.[23] Beginning in August 2017, Lenae opened for SZA on her Ctrl Tour. The tour ended in December 2017.[24][25] On February 9, she released her third EP, entirely produced by Steve Lacy, titled Crush.[26]
On February 1, 2022, she released "Skin Tight"[27] with Steve Lacy, the first single of her debut album, Hypnos. Following, she released her debut album[28] on May 20, 2022, which featured vocals and production from Monte Booker, Steve Lacy, Kaytranada, Fousheé, Mereba, Smino, Sango, Luke Titus, IAmNobodi, Phoelix and Teo Halm. She announced a tour spanning 16 cities beginning at Neumos in Seattle, Washington, with special guest, Unusual Demont, opening for some concerts on the tour.
Lenae released singles "Love Me Not" and "Love Is Blind" on May 3, 2024. These releases were the first of four songs released in the lead up to her second album, Bird's Eye, with "Dream Girl" with Ty Dolla Sign and "One Wish" featuring Childish Gambino following soon after. On August 9, 2024, Lenae released Bird's Eye, and announced a tour with the same name spanning 12 cities and seven countries.[29]
Comparing Lenae's two EPs, Mosi Reeves of Rolling Stone said Midnight Moonlight "delves into more romantic concerns with the same quiet grace" first heard on Moon Shoes in which she "sings about life as a dreamy, sometimes-melancholy teenager in a softly assertive voice."[14] Marcus J. Moore's Pitchfork review of Midnight Moonlight noted that it "carries a methodical late-night vibe suitable for Quiet Storm radio" particularly when compared to the "far brighter" energy on Moon Shoes.[33]
Discography
Studio albums
List of studio albums with selected details and chart positions
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