It has been a strong first half of 2022 for the R&B genre, and one name that has come up a lot in the conversation of best projects is Ravyn Lenae. It’s one thing to listen to her debut album Hypnos and witness the talent audibly, but she took things to another level visually with today’s (June 22) Tiny Desk Concert as part of NPR’s Black Music Month celebrations.
The Chicago talent was glowing as she took attendees and listeners through a multitude of emotions, opening with her track “Venom” before descending further into the feels with “Skin Tight” and the self-love ballad “Inside Out,” then kicking things up a notch with the closer “Sticky.” In a day and age where R&B is labeled too slow, moody, and not fit for upbeat settings, the 23-year-old firmly displayed she can provide all of those sounds and do so in a live setting.
Three of the four songs performed come from Ravyn Lenae’s aforementioned debut album Hypnos, which was released toward the end of May and features Steve Lacy, Mereba, Smino, and Fousheé. Prior to Hypnos, she released EPs Crush, Midnight Moonlight, and Crush in 2016, 2017, and 2018 respectively.
Watch Lenae’s dazzling Tiny Desk performance above.