Ravyn Lanae has been in music for a long time – however her first gig wasn’t in a recording studio, but rather in the choir at her childhood church. While attending the Pullman Christian Reformed Church, where her grandfather was pastor, she participated in gospel performances and began writing original songs in middle school; later attending the Chicago High School of the Arts.
During her sophomore year of high school, Lanae booked her first recording studio session and recorded her first single – “Greetings”. Soon after, she also formed the musical collective Zero Fatigue with producer Monte Booker and rapper Smino. In 2016 she was officially signed to Atlantic Records and the year after that was featured in Rolling Stone magazine as one of the “10 New Artists You Need to Know”. Since her debut, Lanae has also released two full albums – HYPNOS (2022) and Bird’s Eye (2024). She has also worked with artists such as Steve Lacy, Kaytranada, Childish Gambino, Rex Orange County, Ty Dolla $ign, and Kali Uchis as well and opened for SZA on her CTRL the Tour.
Besides making waves on TikTok with her viral melodies, Lanae has also reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 list with her song “Love Me Not” (it is currently sitting at #7 and has been on the chart for 25 weeks). Her musical style combines R&B with neo-soul and jazz influences, creating tracks that are both catchy and calming at the same time. Lanae’s voice is really unique because of its gentle tone, clarity, and breathiness, which she utilizes in a way to create an almost ethereal feel to her works.
Lanae also is really considerate in the way she crafts her lyrics, which feel more poetic and more personal with the listener. Her songs almost feel like lullabies – not boring, but lovely and soothing. A lot of her music discusses heartbreak, which I think really works with her style and vocals. Her use of acoustic guitar and piano (combined with bass and drums), create a beat that is strong enough to back her songs but soft enough to blend with her voice.
I also appreciate Lanae’s incorporation of songs that are occasionally out of her typical style, because it creates variety in her albums and shows off her ability to turn pretty much anything into a lovely Lanae song.
My Top Ten:
- “Genius” (Bird’s Eye)
- “Cry about it!” (feat. Kali Uchis) (Bird’s Eye)
- “One Wish” (feat. Childish Gambino) (Bird’s Eye)
- “Love Me Not” (feat. Rex Orange Country) (Bird’s Eye)
- “Venom” (HYPNOS)
- “M.I.A.” (HYPNOS)
- “Deep In The World” (HYPNOS)
- “Dream Girl” (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) (Bird’s Eye)
- “Candy” (Bird’s Eye)
- “1 of 1” (Bird’s Eye)
For fans of SZA, Steve Lacy, and Janet Jackson.
