Blue Island (album)
2026 studio album by Ravyn Lenae
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Blue Island is the third studio album by the American singer and songwriter Ravyn Lenae. It was released on August 7, 2026, through Atlantic Records. It serves as the follow-up to her second studio album, Bird's Eye (2024).
- Alissia
- Craig Balmoris
- Ryan James Carr
- Dahi
- Ely Rise
- Flanafi
- Lucian Gray
- Saya Gray
- John Hill
- Tyler Johnson
- Ian Kirkpatrick
- Danny McKinnon
- Julian Nixon
- No I.D.
- Rascal
- Karriem Riggins
- Jonah Stevens
| Blue Island | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 7, 2026 | |||
| Length | 48:43 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producers |
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| Ravyn Lenae chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Blue Island | ||||
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The album was preceded by the dual lead singles "Reputation", featuring Dominic Fike, and "Bobby", both released on April 3, 2026. "Handle", was released as the second single on May 28, 2026, and "Saturday Night" was released as the third single on June 26, 2026.
Background and promotion
Following the release of her second album and commercial breakthrough Bird's Eye in August 2024, Lenae achieved her biggest hit to date with "Love Me Not" the following year, as well as collaborations with American and Colombian singer-songwriter Kali Uchis and British singer-songwriter PinkPantheress.[1] Additionally, she spent much of 2025 on tour with Sabrina Carpenter and Reneé Rapp.[2] In an interview with Paper in August 2025, Lenae first discussed working on new music, stating that she aspired for her next era "to feel limitless and free". She described the creative process as "jumping over hills", expressing excitement about the collaborators she would work with and the artist she could potentially grow into.[3]
Lenae released her first solo material since 2024 on April 3, 2026, with the dual lead singles "Reputation" (featuring American singer-songwriter Dominic Fike) and "Bobby".[4] On May 28, 2026, Lenae announced the album, scheduled for release on August 7, 2026, alongside the release of its second single, "Handle".[5] Blue Island is described as an "immersive world shaped by poise, playfulness, and quiet confidence".[6] It was executive-produced by American producer DJ Dahi, whom Lenae had previously described as an "ideal creative partner", particularly for their shared distaste for "genre tropes and boundaries".[7] For Lenae, the album represents a "point of arrival" in her identity, free from any "preconceived notions about Blackness" or expectations of who she was supposed to be in the past.[8] She felt it was the right moment to challenge ideas of R&B and pop, disregard outside expectations, and create music in her own style.[9] In support of the album, Lenae is scheduled to headline several European festivals in August 2026.[10]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 77/100[11] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Clash | 8/10[12] |
| The Guardian |   [13] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 7/10[14] |
| NME |  [15] |
| Paste | B[16] |
| Pitchfork | 7.1/10[17] |
| Rolling Stone | [18] |
| Slant Magazine | [19] |
Blue Island received generally favorable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 77, based on 7 reviews.[11]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Handle" |
| 3:06 | |
| 2. | "Familiar Dreams" |
| 2:53 | |
| 3. | "Never Let Me Go" |
| 3:11 | |
| 4. | "In & Out" |
| 3:20 | |
| 5. | "Potential" |
| 3:24 | |
| 6. | "Sew Me Back Together" |
| 3:17 | |
| 7. | "Reputation" (featuring Dominic Fike) |
|
| 3:55 |
| 8. | "Saturday Night" |
| 3:37 | |
| 9. | "Babygirl" (featuring Doechii) |
| 3:43 | |
| 10. | "Barriers" |
| 4:09 | |
| 11. | "Wish You Well" |
| 3:30 | |
| 12. | "Bobby" |
|
| 3:31 |
| 13. | "Find It One Day" |
| 4:05 | |
| 14. | "Let Us In" |
| 3:02 | |
| Total length: | 48:43 | |||
Notes
Personnel
Credits are adapted from Tidal.[20]
Musicians
- Ravyn Lenae – vocals (all tracks), background vocals (track 2), vocal arrangement (7)
- Dahi – bass (1, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14), keyboards (1, 5, 8, 9), drum programming (1), programming (3, 5, 9), drums (4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 13), guitar (6), background vocals (7, 14), Moog (7), synthesizer (12)
- Ely Rise – keyboards (1, 3, 4, 6–11, 13, 14)
- Jonah Stevens – synthesizer (1), guitar (4)
- Flanafi – guitar (1, 5, 9, 11, 14), bass (5)
- Denise Stoudmire – background vocals (2, 4, 10, 13)
- Marcus Neither – background vocals (2, 4, 10, 13)
- Olivia Walker – background vocals (2, 4, 10, 13)
- Eric Leva – background vocals (2, 9, 10), vocal arrangement (7)
- Danny McKinnon – guitar (2, 8–10, 12), bass (2)
- Tayla Parx – background vocals (2, 9)
- Craig Balmoris – keyboards, synthesizer (2)
- Julian Nixon – keyboards, synthesizer (2)
- John Hill – drums (2)
- Ryan James Carr – drums (2)
- Amalia Williams – background vocals (3)
- Richard Williams – background vocals (3)
- Rascal – programming (3)
- Monte Booker – drums, programming (5)
- DJ Manny – MIDI programming (5)
- Spencer Stewart – bass, guitar (6); strings arrangement (7)
- Karriem Riggins – break beats (6, 9)
- Ian Kirkpatrick – drums, sound effect vocals (6)
- Tyler Johnson – keyboards (7), drums (14)
- Dominic Fike – guitar, vocals (7)
- Ryan James Carr – percussion (8), drums (12, 13), sound design (13)
- Alissia Benveniste – synthesizer (8, 9), bass (9)
- Doechii – vocals (9)
- Saya Gray – guitar (12)
- Lucian Gray – synthesizer (12)
- Veronika Wyman – background vocals (14)
Technical
- Bryan Schwaller – engineering
- Veronika Wyman – engineering
- Caleb Laven – engineering (2, 3)
- Daniel Escobar – engineering assistance
- Kyle McAulay – engineering assistance
- David Wrench – mixing
- Dale Becker – mastering
- Adam Burt – mastering assistance
- Katie Harvey – mastering assistance
- Noah McCorkle – mastering assistance