Let Ravyn Lenae's Red Hair And New Album ‘Bird’s Eye’ Empower You | Essence (2024)

Ravyn Lenae has an unmistakable falsetto tone that blends melodically with her vibrato. Her new album Bird’s Eye is a documentation of Lenae’s different phases in life. As we know with any artist, a work often relates to the depths of their lives. Within hers were stories within her childhood and growth into the woman she is today. Through a bird’s eye view, we get to see her for she is in all iterations.

While her musical inspiration lies in the melodies of Janet Jackson, Fleetwood Mac, and No Doubt, her beauty influences have been Doja Cat’s recent makeup looks. “I think it’s so good because she strikes that balance of dewy skin mixed with a sharp eye. I love that,” she gushed to ESSENCE. Within the wellness space, the singer has been particularly fond of Thorne’s offerings. Recently, the budding R&B singer has partnered with the science-driven wellness and personalized performance supplement brand back in 2023. To maintain her good health as she constantly gets her makeup done, travels, sings, and so on, her favorite products to help her bounce back have been the Zinc Bisglycinate, for healthy skin and eyes, Magnesium Bisglycinate for muscle relaxation, and Sleep+ for a deep restful sleep.

“I’ve been implementing some of the Thorne products. I really like their Memoractiv supplement. I feel like it keeps me focused in sessions, keeps my thought process a little more pointed, because sometimes there are a million things going on in my brain and having to bring your full self to a session or a song is sometimes hard to do when there are a lot of things going on outside of it,” she explained. “So, I’ve also been loving magnesium. I’ve been mixing it in some water before I go to sleep, but especially around release time, I get really anxious in general, and my sleep is really bad. It’s hard for me to kind of unwind, relax, and stay asleep, so that’s been helpful for me.”

The songstress also implemented a few beauty products that she uses in her daily routine such as Cerave’s Hydrating Facial Cleanser, the Embryolisse moisturizer and Black Girl Sunscreen. She likes to keep things simple and effective on her skin while her hair has been through a transition that brought her back to herself.

“This project was interesting for me, because I think, naturally, when you have a new project, we like to think of it as a new era or topping yourself each time and getting bigger and bigger with how you express yourself with clothes, or hair, makeup,” she shared. “For me, it felt like the complete opposite. It was almost coming back to the basics of my persona and identity. So, that’s why on the cover you see just a white tank top, and a very classic, timeless approach to thinking about clothes and how I want to represent myself right now. And then the big hair— my hair is still red, but I dyed it ginger, so it’s a different shade of red that I haven’t done before. Feeling so confident in who you are, your identity, that you’re able to move through different shades of life, and that can be represented through hair or makeup,” she added. The best new beginnings always seem to be the return to self. “On the cover, I’m dying my hair ginger in my grandmother’s basem*nt. I dyed my hair red for the first time, actually, in her basem*nt.”

She chose red as a stamp for her identity in her young and searching age. She was drawn to the boldness, the hue, its striking power, and the passion it embodied. Choosing red or ginger is a reflection of her growth in her career. With only being in her 20s, the “Love Is Blind” singer showcases immense amounts of discernment and wisdom. “The longer you’re in an industry that you’re passionate about, the easier it is to kind of slip into these spells of not listening to your voice and accepting too many opinions as fact. It’s easy to lose your own sense of direction and self when going for something or being ambitious. With this album, I’ve returned to a state where that inner 12 year old Raven is resurfacing. I’m not really caring about what people think, really leaning into my impulses and my intuition with music and what feels good for me.”