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    Make Room For Raveena

    On her debut album, Lucid, the 25-year-old singer mashes up contemporary R&B with traditions from the South Asian diaspora. "I just think there's room for more stories."
    by Sidney Madden Jun 05, 2019 6 minutes
    Raveena's debut album, <em>Lucid</em>, is comforting but nuanced, balancing cultures old and new by mashing up contemporary R&B with traditions from the South Asian diaspora.

    The first time I saw Raveena live, the room at Washington, D.C.'s Songbyrd Music House was packed. Chatter from college-aged kids about gender politics and Instagram updates filled the venue before she got on stage, but for a Thursday night in the middle of summer, there weren't many drinks clinking. "The venues always tell me they never make money off the bar at my shows," the artist laughed backstage that night. "It's just a bunch of nice brown kids."

    But Raveena wasn't there to sell drinks. For the majority of these early fans, her music was a conduit to spaces they wouldn't normally occupy en masse. And if there's one thing Raveena is about, it's making space.

    The soft-spoken 25-year-old creates music that is comforting but nuanced, balancing cultures old and new by mashing up contemporary R&B with traditions from the South Asian diaspora. Since making her introduction with the 2017 EP , Raveena has quickly gained a following of fellow, she is encompassing it all while telling a personal story of resolve.

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