“When I’m performing, I want to be an open channel,” says Raveena moments after her Outside Lands show on Friday afternoon in San Francisco. “And there’s so much work that goes into that. You have to clear emotional blockages, maintain a balanced system, and be kind to yourself. That’s so hard, but also such a beautiful journey to be on.”
For her first-ever appearance at the music festival, Raveena began by lighting incense to set the mood. The stage design looked like a duplicate of her own bedroom—paintings, plants, and a moss-covered cushion were on full display. She primarily performed songs from her 2019 debut album Lucid and her sophomore album Asha’s Awakening, which came out last year. Hits like “If Only” and “Secret” made their way onto the setlist, as well as some deep cuts from her 2020 EP Moonstone.
Though she hasn’t put out any of her own music this year, she’s on a strong feature run. In June, she was featured on King Krule’s new album Space Heavy on the moody song “Seagirl.” And she also appears on the Indian singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad’s album The Way That Lovers Do on the song “Bloom.”
Here, we caught up with Raveena to discuss her Outside Lands performance, pre-festival rituals, and how her collaboration with King Krule came to be.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone light incense during a show.
It just felt right for this festival. Outside Lands feels like something out of the sixties or seventies and I wanted the intention for the set to be a lot slower this time and really invite people into this intimate space. That’s also why we did the bedroom stage design.
How did you prep for the festival?
The spiritual intention behind every show is really important to me, especially in a live setting because you’re blasting out your energy to thousands and thousands of people and they can feel it if it’s off. So I like getting my space and head right before a show. This morning, I did an hour-long channeling meditation and a little bit of light rehearsal for an hour. And then right before the show I tried to meditate for like 20 minutes.
Your sophomore album Asha’s Awakening was released last year. Since it came out, what’s the reaction been like?
It’s been beautiful, especially amongst other South Asian people. There’s been so much appreciation for the incorporation of my heritage and I think people needed to see that. And off that album, I love performing “Mystery” and “Kismet” the most.
When can we expect your third album?
I’ve been working on so much music very quietly, like writing hundreds of songs. I’m just really taking my time now to let it simmer and bloom into the project that it needs to be. But the album is in the works.
Speaking of new music, you were just featured on King Krule’s new album Space Heavy on a song called “Seagirl.” How did that collab come to be?
We met pre-pandemic at a karaoke bar and our friendship was supernatural. Then at the beginning of the pandemic, we made the song and collaborated digitally. He sent me a really simple guitar line and I wrote my part.
Is there anyone that you want to collaborate with on your next project?
I have so many people that I could mention, but I really love Noname. She just released her new album a few days ago and I can’t wait to hear it. And I’d love to work with Khruangbin, too.
What do you have planned for the rest of your summer?
I’ve been on rest mode and really nourishing my community. Earlier in my career, I had this overworking mentality and would push myself really hard. And I had always valued community, but I didn’t understand the sacrifices and the labor it takes to really keep it strong in your life. So now as I get older and more settled in my career, I just wanna be surrounded by love and have beautiful experiences in nature with people I love. That’s the most important thing.
I’ve seen some of your TikTok videos and you’re always in the river.
[Laughs] Always! I was talking about this with my friend the other day and I feel like it’s so funny watching the pipeline of people going from their twenties in New York to their thirties. I grew up there and I feel like in our twenties we’re way more out, way more chaotic, and doing way more drugs. And once people start their late twenties and early thirties, they get a dog, they get a shared house upstate, they’re going to Hudson Valley to hike, and they’re throwing dinner parties. That’s where I am right now.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Juliana Ukiomogbe is the Assistant Editor at ELLE. Her work has previously appeared in Interview, i-D, Teen Vogue, Nylon, and more.