Ravyn Lenae Encourages Fellow Artists to Celebrate Their Authentic Selves: Navigating the Loneliness of the Journey
Ravyn Lenae in December 2025.
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Arturo Holmes/Getty
Ravyn Lenae, the rising star behind the hit “Love Me Not,” has recently addressed a social media comment regarding her identity as a Black woman, emphasizing the importance of authenticity in artistic expression. During the 2025 Z100 Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Lenae shared her insights, urging fellow artists to remain true to themselves amidst scrutiny.
In her remarks, Lenae reflected, “I would wanna tell them that when there are a lot of questions or confusion around who you are, that’s usually a good thing. And that means that you’re disrupting something.” She acknowledged the challenges of navigating public perception, stating, “Sometimes it can get a little discouraging,” but reassured, “Remember that sometimes the path you walk is a little lonely, or it’s a little uneasy, but there’s something on the other side of it.”
Lenae’s comments come in the wake of her response to a critique that compared her aesthetic to being “the only Black girl in the white friend group.” In a recent Instagram video, she celebrated her rising fame while addressing the complexities of her identity.
Ravyn Lenae in New York City on Dec. 12, 2025.
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“There’s been a few moments like this where I feel like my Blackness, my identity, has been questioned or picked apart,” Lenae remarked. She affirmed her artistic influences, referencing icons like Chaka Khan, Minnie Riperton, and Diana Ross: “If you really study Black aesthetic you would know that I’m pulling directly from the women who have come before me.”
Lenae concluded with an important message against narrow-minded judgments: “This shows me that you have a very limited view on what Black girls or Black women can be, and that’s really unfortunate because I think we can be whatever we want to be. This type of projection is only perpetuating a really sad and small mindset.”
