Ravyn Lenae connects with her Panamanian roots on new album "Blue Island"

Ravyn Lenae released her new album, "Blue Island," on Atlantic Records, connecting with her Panamanian roots and joining forces with Doechii, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The album's highlight "Never Let Me Go" ends with a recorded phone call to Lenae's grandfather, whom she calls for songwriting help. "Hey, Po-po," she says on the track, "I'm calling to ask grandma for help on this song."

Now 27, the R&B and pop singer-songwriter began releasing music at 16 and toured with SZA and Sabrina Carpenter before her 2025 single "Love Me Not" became a viral hit, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Blue Island" follows that breakout with a more experimental sound than her prior album, "Bird's Eye," built around more intimate lyricism, dance breakdowns and outside collaborators.

Raised in a third-generation immigrant household on Chicago's South Side, Lenae said moving into her own home in Los Angeles amid her sudden success made her want to connect with her family history for the first time, lining her hallways with photos of Panamanian relatives she had once kept at a distance. As she grew more confident in her identity as an artist, she said, "the more I felt like I could show the whole coloring book."

Lenae's bond with Doechii, who she features on "Babygirl," dates back to their 2022 collaboration "Xtasy Remix" with producer Kaytranada. "When Doechii won her Grammy, I literally cried," Lenae said. "It showed me that it was possible to be exactly who you are and be rewarded for it."

Lenae is now rehearsing four to five days a week for her North American tour in support of the album, which kicks off September 15 in Sacramento and reaches the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on October 21. "I want to be the biggest artist in the world," she said. "I want to do everything."

MusicSuey tracks new R&B and soul and pop releases on the release calendar. Elsewhere, MusicSuey covered how "Blue Island" leans into 1980s new wave and dance-pop touchstones following the runaway success of "Love Me Not."