ON SALE 2/23!
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Songbyrd Presents
Ravyn Lenae
Thursday April 5, 2018
D: 7:00 // S: 8:00 PM
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R&B singer based out of Chicago, Illinois, USA.
When Steve Lacy, known for his work as part of the Internet and for composing one of the best beats on Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. using only his iPhone, was offered an opportunity to produce an EP for Chicago R&B upstart Ravyn Lenae, he went for it. “She’s so young and she’s not locked into a certain style or vocal range, so anything I’d give her, she’s like, ‘I got you.’” he told Beats 1 late last year. He looks at his relationship with Lenae as his Pharrell-Kelis or Timbaland-Aaliyah moment.
Those are bold comparisons, but Lenae and Lacy’s alchemy on Crush bears them out. When Lacy works with artists like Kendrick or Tyler, the Creator, he often pushes them to change their style to adapt to his own delicate style of soul and funk. With Lenae, they’re exploring together, and “ Sticky,” the EP’s irresistibly catchy single, makes it clear they’ve found something special. On the song, Lenae’s not just proffering lyrics about a crummy relationship—she slips and slides through cadences over Lacy’s unconventional riffs, and her “woo-hoo-hoo”-ing is as muscular as the bass. She’s got the range to take on Lacy’s contemporary SoCal soul.
