Ravyn Lenae has long been one of the biggest up-and-comers in American R&B. At 26, she’s toured with SZA and collaborated with Steve Lacy, and her 2022 debut, ‘HYPNOS,’ is among the genre’s highest-rated of the year.
Chicago native Lenae first rose to prominence in 2016 with her EP ‘Moon Shoes’, which featured her most-played song, ‘Free Room’ featuring Appleby. Then, in 2018, the EP ‘Crush’ put her on the map thanks to the magnificent ‘Sticky’. With Steve Lacy she produced the wonderful ‘Skin Tight’ and, most recently, Renae has appeared on KAYTRANADA’s album.
With a silky, angelic voice reminiscent of Minnie Riperton, Lenae has just released her second album, ‘Bird’s Eye’. On this work, Lenae flirts with 70s pop (‘Genius’), Afro-Latin rhythms (‘Dream Girl’) and even reggae (‘Candy’). Among the hidden gems on the album are ‘Love is Blind’ and, among the standout singles, ‘One Wish’.
‘One Wish’ is one of those Ravyn Lenae songs that warrants comparisons to Minnie Riperton even though their vocals are similar. The foundation of ‘One Wish’, which takes up the classic sound of R&B and soul, sounds divine and floral like Ripperton’s music, even though the lyrics hide a sadder and darker undertone. It’s today’s Song Of The Day.
On ‘One Wish’, Lenae takes us back to her childhood to recount a memory that has shaped her life: the day her father failed to show up for her 10th birthday party. On ‘One Wish’, Lenae performs a heartbroken lyric (“I can’t forgive you, no matter how hard I try”) while guest artist Childish Gambino plays the role of a regretful father.
‘One Wish’ is written from the perspective of a girl who discovers that her parents break their promises… but also from the vision of a woman who is still stuck in that trauma and transfers it to her romantic relationships. An old story told in a very beautiful way in the metaphorical video for ‘One Wish’, where the image of a car – and who drives it – tells us everything.
