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The general online consensus is that 2025 doesn\u2019t have a song of the summer<\/a> (yet); Ravyn Lenae<\/a> would beg to differ. The Chicago-born singer is experiencing a new career high with \u201cLove Me Not,\u201d a simple, nostalgic track that fits into themes other musicians are exploring right now \u2014 chiefly yearning<\/a> and misfired timing in relationships \u2014 but done in her soulful, R&B-meets-Motown-meets-2010s-alt way. It\u2019s 100% Ravyn, and it\u2019s been a long time coming \u2014 not just for her fans like me, but for Lenae, who has been putting in the work for almost a decade.<\/p>\n The height of summer means music festivals, and Lenae returned home to Chicago for a big-time performance at Lollapalooza<\/a>. Despite the nerves, Lenae tells NYLON, \u201cI was exactly where I was supposed to be. It was everything for me.\u201d 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\u2019Usse, where friends old and new gathered to toast to her banner season. <\/p>\n 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\u2019s back in the studio (\u201cI want to keep pushing myself and figuring out what other colors work together for me\u201d), and her excitement for the future \u2014 including two opening slots on both Sabrina Carpenter\u2019<\/a>s and Ren\u00e9e Rapp<\/a>\u2019s tours \u2014 is palpable. <\/p>\n Below, we chatted about her homecoming weekend, her whimsical fashion taste, and giving back to her \u201cday ones.\u201d<\/p>\n How was performance day at Lollapalooza?<\/strong><\/p>\n 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, \u201cDon\u2019t trip down the stairs, don\u2019t trip down the stairs.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n I\u2019m 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\u2019Usse dinner and party you hosted. How did it feel to have that moment with your loved ones?<\/strong><\/p>\n 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> \u2014 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\u2026 It felt very, very full circle and so necessary to do. As I\u2019m walking into this next chapter, I think it\u2019s important to honor where I come from and the people who have brought me up to this place.<\/p>\n You released \u201cLove Me Not\u201d over a year ago, and it\u2019s still finding new life. How do you feel in this moment?<\/strong><\/p>\n I feel like I wake up every day and almost have to pinch myself. You\u2019ve 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\u2019t reach. On one side, I\u2019m experiencing so much gratitude for my team. I\u2019m proud of myself. On the other side is that impostor syndrome where it\u2019s like, \u201cWait, is this OK that this is happening? Am I in the right place to be doing this? Is this really where I\u2019m at?\u201d At the end of the day, I come back to the fact that I\u2019ve worked so hard and I deserve to be where I\u2019m at, and I want to keep pushing it. I\u2019m trying to remain present but still looking towards the future.<\/p>\n I want to talk about your style, because it feels a little more whimsical and free-spirited. What are you feeling when you\u2019re getting dressed?<\/strong><\/p>\n When we spoke earlier in the year about Bird\u2019s Eye<\/em><\/a>, the meaning was me coming back to those earlier parts of myself I love so much. I think I\u2019m still on that journey. With clothes, it weaves in and out. For now, I\u2019m getting back to what I was wearing in high school. It\u2019s so funny, because when I went back to my school, they had a picture of me at graduation and I had on polka-dot<\/a> tights with red boots, and I had on polka-dot tights that day that I went. I was like, \u201cThis feels crazy, because I\u2019m dressing how I used to dress and how I wanted to express myself back then.\u201d 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\u2019s been fun to collaborate with Ian<\/a> in that way and create a character that is Ravyn.<\/p>\n You\u2019re joining Ren\u00e9e and Sabrina on tour this fall. What else in your life, musically or otherwise, is getting you excited right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n I have no life right now outside of the studio and other music-related things. I\u2019ve been super inspired off the heels of Bird\u2019s Eye<\/em> and the success of \u201cLove Me Not.\u201d I want to keep pushing myself and figuring out what other colors work together for me. That\u2019s what keeps music exciting and inspiring. I\u2019m looking forward to touring with Sabrina and Ren\u00e9e and reimagining my show for larger venues. Coachella<\/a> and Lollapalooza<\/a> 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\u2019s been a great challenge, and I\u2019m excited to see how those shows go.<\/p>\n How do you want people to leave the shows?<\/strong><\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n