Ravyn Lenae soars to new heights on ‘Bird’s Eye’ tour
29th May 2025
By Amy Wooller
Chicago-born R&B star Ravyn Lenae graced Australian shores with her first tour in six years.
2025 is a huge year for Lenae: she’s fresh off the back of her debut at Coachella, has dates locked in for Lollapalooza and other European shows and will be opening for Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet Tour in Los Angeles and Toronto throughout November.
It felt truly special to witness her Naarm/Melbourne show at a more intimate, charming venue like Northcote Theatre.
The setlist gifted the audience with many tracks from her sophomore album ‘Bird’s Eye’.
Other goodies from previous projects, including her 2018 ‘Crush EP’ also made an appearance. As soon as the first notes of ‘Bad Idea’ struck my ears, I knew that I was in for a treat. Lenae was a sweet, captivating presence right from the beginning.
Lenae reflected on the creation of ‘Bird’s Eye’ occurring through a time of navigation through her early to mid twenties and “becoming closer to who you are.”
In particular, the lyrics in ‘Pilot’ touch on this in a beautiful, relatable way: As I pull my world apart / Can't say where I fit in / I just know I'm twenty-four, small to the world I'm in.
What I admire the most about Lenae is the whimsical, fairy-like nature of her voice. Her tone and vibrato are both so enchanting. She oozes this soothing, gentle energy which she embodies especially well when speak-singing.
With her style taking notes from industry greats like Doja Cat, SZA and Janet Jackson, Lenae adds a sprinkle more soul and an extra pinch of funk influence to solidify her unique sound. This shines through in the charismatic production of tracks like Dream Girl (featuring Ty Dolla $ign), Sticky and Genius, which were my top picks from the show.
Also special mention to ‘One Wish’, her collaboration with Childish Gambino. Prior to performing this song, Lenae explained the lyrics are about her father who ghosted her after failing to show up at her 10th birthday party. This was such a raw, vulnerable moment that offered a glimpse into their fractured relationship.
Her encore song, ‘Love Me Not’, was certainly a crowd favourite thanks to its surge in popularity from social media. It was the perfect, wholesome singalong to end the show with and I felt so grateful to be present for that moment. In a time where Melbourne weather is taking a turn for the worst, this blissful track manages to lure you into a summer fantasy, even for a short spell.
‘Bird’s Eye’ stands out as a timeless album, one which many will relish for years to come. Ravyn Lenae is an absolute gem and I’m excited to witness what’s next on her journey.
‘Bird’s Eye’ is out on all streaming platforms — check it out now.
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