“I just know I’m 24, small to the world,” repeats Chicago-born, LA-raised R&B singer Ravyn Lenae on “Pilot”, landing on her breakthrough album Bird’s Eye. That might have been vaguely true at the time, but a lot has changed since the retro RnB record released last year. The project’s lead single, “Love Me Not”, has become somewhat of an international mega-hit, paving the way for a standout performance at Coachella and an upcoming tour with Sabrina Carpenter. But, where most rising artists would run the risk of getting lost in the sauce, Lenae has to make a conscious effort to enjoy the success.

“I have to pull myself back in when I start getting too critical about what’s happening or anxious about the future,” she tells Dazed. “I have a tendency to be like that, so I’m just trying to stay cool, stay collected, stay… here.” Later, she confesses that she was surprised that anyone even showed up to her Coachella performance, since it was ‘so early in the day’. 

It’s a striking presence for a young artist whose world has been turned upside down in the last few months, but it also speaks to the profound relatability that made Lenae stand out to begin with. Bird’s Eye is notably stripped-back for a pop record, eschewing vast soundscapes in favour elegant guitar melodies that showcase Lenae’s timeless voice to the fullest. Much like the artist herself, Bird‘s Eye has a remarkable knack for staying grounded. 

As for whether Lenae still feels ‘small to the world’, however, the reality of success is finally starting to settle in. “When I wrote [‘Pilot’], I felt like I was on the brink of something and I was driving through clouds and not really knowing what’s on the other side of it,” Lenae reminisces. “Now it feels like the smoke is kind of clearing and I’m starting to see my path. So, no, I don’t feel so small anymore.” 

Below, Ravyn Lenae answers the dA-Zed quiz, sharing everything from her obsession with ‘white-collar scam documentaries’ to why she prays in the shower.

A IS FOR… ADVICE. WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN? 

From my friend Monte Booker, who I first started making music with. He gave me really simple advice, but it’s stuck with me: no matter how many things change or shift or how many transitions you go through, make sure the music is at the forefront of all decisions. It’s a challenge of having to balance things of monetary value or things that feel fun with making sure I’m staying creative and inspired.

B IS FOR… BIRTHPLACE. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

Southside Chicago, Illinois.

C IS FOR… CRUSH. WHO’S YOUR ULTIMATE CRUSH?

My ultimate crush is Rihanna.

D IS FOR… DREAM. WHAT WAS YOUR CHILDHOOD DREAM?

My childhood dream was, honestly, to be on stage. It’s all I’ve ever thought about.

E IS FOR… ENDGAME. WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL?

My end game is to reach my maximum in all areas – in spirituality, family, love, music, career.

F IS FOR… FOR YOU PAGE. WHAT’S ON YOUR FYP RIGHT NOW?

My For You Page is full of beautiful women with really good outfits and really great make-up. It’s like a whole spreadsheet of inspo.

G IS FOR… GOD. DO YOU HAVE FAITH OR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE?

I was raised Christian, so I definitely was raised practicing prayer. I don’t go to church regularly, but I do stay in conversation with God. [Laughs] It’s usually in the shower, that’s my time to think, to talk to myself, and talk to God.

H IS FOR… HOBBY. DO YOU HAVE A NICHE HOBBY? 

I’m really into white-collar scam documentaries, like people frauding or getting over people in stocks, that type of shit. It’s weird. I don't know what I’m going through right now, but that’s been my thing. I look them up on Reddit, get the best ones and just fly through them.

I IS FOR… INTERNET. WHERE DO YOU SPEND THE MOST TIME ONLINE?

I probably spend the most time on Twitter and TikTok. I like seeing what people are thinking. Instagram can feel really boring to me, but seeing what people are thinking or laughing about or talking about is news in a way – it’s social news.

J IS FOR… JOKES. WHO MAKES YOU LAUGH MOST IN THE WORLD?

My boyfriend – belly laughs! We just have the funniest moments together.

K IS FOR… KISMET. DO YOU BELIEVE IN FATE?

I believe in divine timing and the butterfly effect – anything in that realm. Something I’ve been thinking about a lot is when I met the girl who originally did the ‘Love Me Not x Losing You’ Solange mashup on TikTok – which is what got the song even going viral – she told me that she wasn’t even going to post it because she didn't like her outfit in the video. Just thinking about how those small things can trigger other things into a big moment is really crazy. I was like ‘Thank God you posted it!’

L IS FOR… LOVE. WHAT’S THE MOST ROMANTIC THING SOMEONE’S EVER DONE FOR YOU?

When my boyfriend flew to Chicago to surprise me at one of my shows. It was a big show for me and when he showed up I was like ‘Oh! We locked in.’ His initial plan was to surprise me at the front of the crowd, but then he called me when he landed there and I know Chicago the back of my hand so, when I saw the background, I was like ‘Are you here?!’

M IS FOR… MEME. WHAT’S A MEME YOU REFERENCE OVER AND OVER AGAIN?

One of my favourite videos online is the JT video of her at the spa. Behind her there was this lady kind of stretching and rubbing her neck and JT was mimicking her. ‘I saw this lady doing this and I just did it. No identity at all.’ I thought that was so funny. ‘No personality, no identity!’

N IS FOR… NATURE. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE ANIMAL?

When I was younger, I did a project on panda bears and I just became really fascinated with them. Nobody ever talks about them or gives them love. Also elephants, I’m really fascinated by just how larger than life they are but also how smart they are and that they remember everything.

Q-Tip said that if you can pull everything out of a song except for the vocals, and maybe a guitar or piano, and the song still feels full, that means you have a great song. I really like the idea of being able to pull back the layers of anything and learning to self-edit in real-time.

– Ravyn Lenae

O IS FOR… OPINION. WHAT’S YOUR HOT TAKE?

I despise slow drivers. I don’t know if it’s a Chicago in me or what, but it drives me crazy when people don’t keep up with traffic or aren’t considerate of everybody else on the road. That’s like my number one [peeve].

P IS FOR… PARTY. WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO GO OUT?

I love house parties, that’s my favourite setting to enjoy myself and be with friends and dance to music. In Chicago we dance, but in LA you get a different kind of ambiance, so it just depends on what feeling you want.

Q IS FOR… QUOTE. WHAT QUOTE DO YOU LIVE BY?

Another piece of advice I’ve been given that I apply to a lot of parts of my life is from Q-Tip. He said that if you can pull everything out of a song except for the vocals, and maybe a guitar or piano, and the song still feels full, that means you have a great song. I really like the idea of being able to pull back the layers of anything and if what you're left with feels impactful, then that’s it. Learning to self-edit in real-time.

R IS FOR… READING. WHAT BOOK COULD YOU READ AGAIN AND AGAIN?

I’m not reading anything right now, I’m so bad! But I just talked to my grandma yesterday and I was telling her about how this transition feels for me and how that relates to my relationships and learning to balance and manage that. So, she recommended this book called Love and the Expansion of Self. I haven’t read it yet though! I’m going to buy it today.

S IS FOR… STAR SIGN. WHAT’S YOUR BIG THREE?

I’m an Aquarius sun, Aries moon, Gemini rising.

T IS FOR… TV. WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A TV SERIES ABOUT YOUR LIFE?

I’ve always thought about who I want to play! I don’t know, probably a little black girl that’s like eight right now. It’s in the future, there’s more stories to be told yet.

U IS FOR… UNDERRATED. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS UNDERRATED?

Taking walks. I didn’t used to do this, but the past few years I’ve been trying to do it every day and it just clears my head in a way that a lot of things can’t. Whenever I feel tense or anxious, a walk usually brings me back down.

V IS FOR… VIDEO. WHAT IS THE LAST VIDEO ON YOUR PHONE?

The last video is actually a really funny TikTok of this older guy doing a cover at a friend’s birthday party. It looks like he got hired and the entire crowd was just not into it, their backs were turned to him. He was killing it! No one was younger than 80, it was the deadest crowd. He said something like ‘Let’s blow the roof off this place!’ and the camera pans to a bunch of old people just sitting there.

W IS FOR… WORLD. WHAT’S YOUR DREAM TRAVEL DESTINATION?

I've been thinking about Portugal recently. A lot of friends have said it’s beautiful so it’s somewhere I’d like to visit.

X IS FOR… EX. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE TRYING TO GET OVER THEIR EX?

I’m an Aquarius, so it’s really easy for me to go cold turkey with things. I just forget things even happened. It sounds so crazy, but if I feel like somebody wronged me or it didn’t end on a good note, I can just kind of check out and move on. It’s not my best quality.

Y IS FOR… YOUNGER SELF. WHAT’S ONE THING YOU’D SAY TO YOUR 13-YEAR-OLD SELF?

I would tell her to just not get swayed with all the other voices that come into play and try to remember the spirit of that girl, the 13-year-old Ravyn who made decisions off a whim, who put on outfits that she felt were cool, who did things that she thought was cool. I think so much of adulthood is trying to backtrack and get back to that mindset. Yeah, I would tell her to hold that close.

Z IS FOR… ZZZ. WHAT HELPS YOU SLEEP?

I put on an episode of Catfish and fall asleep to that. That usually winds me down.