Ravyn Lenae’s Breakout Summer Is Only Inspiring Her To Push Harder

The general online consensus is that 2025 doesn’t have a song of the summer (yet); Ravyn Lenae would beg to differ. The Chicago-born singer is experiencing a new career high with “Love Me Not,” a simple, nostalgic track that fits into themes other musicians are exploring right now — chiefly yearning and misfired timing in relationships — but done in her soulful, R&B-meets-Motown-meets-2010s-alt way. It’s 100% Ravyn, and it’s been a long time coming — not just for her fans like me, but for Lenae, who has been putting in the work for almost a decade.

The height of summer means music festivals, and Lenae returned home to Chicago for a big-time performance at Lollapalooza. Despite the nerves, Lenae tells NYLON, “I was exactly where I was supposed to be. It was everything for me.” The day before, she spent time with her family, visited her old high school, and gave an intimate performance at the 1,000-person venue Park West. Then, fresh from her Lolla set, she popped over to an intimate dinner, hosted in partnership with D’Usse, where friends old and new gathered to toast to her banner season.

When Lenae joined me on the phone during her busy press run, she sounded not in the least fatigued but rather energized by the love and increased attention her hit single has brought about. She’s back in the studio (“I want to keep pushing myself and figuring out what other colors work together for me”), and her excitement for the future — including two opening slots on both Sabrina Carpenter’s and Renée Rapp’s tours — is palpable.

Below, we chatted about her homecoming weekend, her whimsical fashion taste, and giving back to her “day ones.”

How was performance day at Lollapalooza?

I was so nervous. Whenever I perform at home, I get really nervous, but I just kept thinking about the times I would go to Lollapalooza as a teenager and see some of my favorite artists play, almost at that pivotal point in their careers, too. I knew this was that moment for me, and really tried to let that sink in and grab that by the reins. I was nervous because of that, but also because that was my first time performing on a festival stage with a built set. The whole time I was like, “Don’t trip down the stairs, don’t trip down the stairs.” I went into the pit for one of the songs, and that felt like I was levitating and I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

I’m so happy to hear that. My co-worker came back and said your set was one of the highlights of the weekend. You looked great at the D’Usse dinner and party you hosted. How did it feel to have that moment with your loved ones?

I was literally coming off my set from Lolla, running on pure adrenaline. I was excited for the dinner because it was a good opportunity for me to connect with the people who were there in the very beginning, who cared before anybody else cared. Somebody who was very pivotal in my early career was Chris Classick. He owned Classick Studios in Chicago, which a lot of artists came through, including me, Smino, Monte Booker, Chance the Rapper — a lot of Chicago artists. He gave me free studio time when I was 16, so having people like him there, plus some designers who believed in me early on, artists, my mom, my sisters, my manager… It felt very, very full circle and so necessary to do. As I’m walking into this next chapter, I think it’s important to honor where I come from and the people who have brought me up to this place.

You released “Love Me Not” over a year ago, and it’s still finding new life. How do you feel in this moment?

I feel like I wake up every day and almost have to pinch myself. You’ve been a part of my journey for a while, too, so you understand how much time, effort, and energy goes into doing something, working at it, and finally breaking through in a way a lot of people don’t reach. On one side, I’m experiencing so much gratitude for my team. I’m proud of myself. On the other side is that impostor syndrome where it’s like, “Wait, is this OK that this is happening? Am I in the right place to be doing this? Is this really where I’m at?” At the end of the day, I come back to the fact that I’ve worked so hard and I deserve to be where I’m at, and I want to keep pushing it. I’m trying to remain present but still looking towards the future.

I want to talk about your style, because it feels a little more whimsical and free-spirited. What are you feeling when you’re getting dressed?

When we spoke earlier in the year about Bird’s Eye, the meaning was me coming back to those earlier parts of myself I love so much. I think I’m still on that journey. With clothes, it weaves in and out. For now, I’m getting back to what I was wearing in high school. It’s so funny, because when I went back to my school, they had a picture of me at graduation and I had on polka-dot tights with red boots, and I had on polka-dot tights that day that I went. I was like, “This feels crazy, because I’m dressing how I used to dress and how I wanted to express myself back then.” If anything, this is just an exaggeration of what already lives inside me, and that is this fairy godmother, otherworldly creature. She wants to jump, she wants to dance, she wants to shout. It’s been fun to collaborate with Ian in that way and create a character that is Ravyn.

You’re joining Renée and Sabrina on tour this fall. What else in your life, musically or otherwise, is getting you excited right now?

I have no life right now outside of the studio and other music-related things. I’ve been super inspired off the heels of Bird’s Eye and the success of “Love Me Not.” I want to keep pushing myself and figuring out what other colors work together for me. That’s what keeps music exciting and inspiring. I’m looking forward to touring with Sabrina and Renée and reimagining my show for larger venues. Coachella and Lollapalooza have been great teasers for that, at least for me to understand how I want people to leave their shows feeling about me, and how I can do that times a million onstage. It’s been a great challenge, and I’m excited to see how those shows go.

How do you want people to leave the shows?

I hope people leave understanding me as an artist. I think the purest form of me is onstage because you get the rawness with the whimsy, the softness, but also a little hardness as well. There’s something very classic about it too, a little Motown about the way I approach my shows. I hope people feel that from me and feel I put my heart into every piece of it. Hopefully I gain a lot of new fans from those shows.