Ravyn Lenae is opening up about why it is important for an artist to recognize their true identity and stay loyal to it.
In a recent chat with People at the red carpet of the 2025 Z100 Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Friday, the 26-year-old singer shared her thoughts on how an artist should react when questions are being raised about their identity.
“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,” Lenae told the outlet.
The Love Me Not singer went on to say, “That’s something I have to remind myself because sometimes it can get a little discouraging.”
“But just 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 added.
This came after the Spice singer responded to an online remark about her “aesthetic” as a Black woman.
In a video posted on Instagram, she was remarked as “only Black girl in the white friend group.” Lenae acknowledged the comment while discussing her inspiration behind her aesthetics and also addressed the questions surrounding her identity.
“There’s been a few moments like this where I feel like my Blackness, my identity, has been questioned or picked apart, and I really want to understand where it’s coming from,” Lenae replied at the time. “To me, if you really study Black aesthetic you would know that I’m pulling directly from the women who have come before me — the Chaka Khans, the Minnie Ripertons, the Diana Rosses. That’s who I look to.”
“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 and this type of projection is only perpetuating a really sad and small mindset. So, don’t do this to me. Don’t project on other Black girls,” she added.
