Ravyn Lenae Talks Growing Up On The Southside of Chicago, Touring at Age Fifteen, Working On Her New Record, and Performs “Spice” Live In Studio
Ravyn Lenae is a phenomenally talented singer from the South Side of Chicago. She’s part of Zero Fatigue crew with the likes of rapper Smino, producer Monte Booker, and others. Consequently, her sound has a familial feel next to her musical comrades. Her angelic falsetto, story telling lyrics, and the chosen bouncy on-beat-off-beat rhythms create a soulful dreamscape of every song.
A wunderkind of sorts, Ravyn has been a standout since childhood solos at church. By high school she’d been accepted to the Chicago High School for the Arts to continue honing her craft. Soon thereafter she met Booker, and they created Moon Shoes when she was 15. By her sophomore year she was mentally checked out of high school. Music and touring seemed to become viable options. She was adopted into a thriving Chicago music scene. She’s collaborated with the likes of Mick Jenkins, Noname, Saba, and the aforementioned Smino. If you’re a fan of the broodingly poetic music coming from Chicago currently, you’re probably already familiar with Ravyn.
We’ve been working towards this episode for a while now. I’ve been observing Ravyn’s artistic growth over the last few years, and hoping to have her on before her certain explosion. We caught her while she was in LA working on new music with Steve Lacy. Be on the lookout for her next record, it may very well be her big cross over.
–Lee