Dropped in the middle of our modern, noisy musical landscape, Ravyn Lenae’s “Love Me Not” achieved the impossible — breaking through by sounding like nothing else on the charts. The swoony, melodic R&B hit about yearning over a confusing lover is a mix of crisp vocals and fuzzy backing tracks, timeless orchestration, and a sing-along chorus. While other artists were wrestling for the title of hyperpop champion, Lenae released a soul-pop bop that is somehow both familiar and new, vintage and nostalgic, and fans took notice. Released in May of 2024 and submitted to the 2026 Grammys, the track peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, amassed millions of streams on Spotify, went viral on TikTok, launched a dance trend, and garnered hundreds of thousands of videos.
Now, Lenae is leveraging that hit into her 2026 Grammys campaign — submitting “Love Me Not” for consideration in the Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Performance categories, with a bonus FYC for Best New Artist. “For your consideration, the album that continues to tell me where I’m going…” Lenae wrote, adding a photo of the album artwork of her latest album, Birds Eye. “Thank you to every voice involved in bringing this to life.” This Friday — which will feel like just another day before the weekend to the rest of us — for countless musical artists, will forever be the day they received (or were snubbed …) when the Recording Academy shares their nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards.
So, will Lenae be among the nods? She’s already received a Song of the Summer nomination for “Love Me Not” from the MTV VMAs and was officially crowned Billboard’s R&B Rookie of the Year. Still, there are multiple barriers in the way of Lenae’s nomination and (hopeful) win in her proposed category.
For one, the definition of pop is in a constant flux. While “Love Me Not” is up for Best Pop Performance, artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, and Chappell Roan, who have traditionally been associated with the genre, may sway the votes of members. Similarly, “Manchild,” “Wildflower,” and “Subway,” may peak voting interest, with their singular sound and songwriting. (Though, in our opinion, “Love Me Not” deserves to be top contender, at least for the Record of The Year spot, an award which recognizes the artist’s performance as well as the overall contributions of the producers, mixers, and mastering engineers.)
Another potential roadblock in Lenae’s pursuit of Grammy glory? Despite her breakout success in 2025, the artist has been releasing music for nearly a decade. She dropped her debut album Hypnos in May of 2022, but she has yet to be recognized by the academy for her work. Still, Sabrina Carpenter was nominated for the same award last year during her sixth album cycle, so it’s not impossible that Lenae nabs a nom, or even wins.
Despite the odds against her, Lenae picking up a nomination and winning any of her potential categories would be not only promising for her individual career, but the future of R&B. Back in 2017, rap and R&B became the biggest music genre in the U.S., surpassing rock for the first time in terms of consumption by fans. In fact, between October 25 to November 1 there were no rap songs in the Top 40 Billboard charts for the first time in 35 years. As pop takes over once again, the other genres seem to be losing footing, but highlighting the creative and industry achievements of acts like Lenae not only contributes to the shift of the genre back to the center, it also gives other would-be artists an example to follow, ensuring the genre continues to evolve, iterate, and succeed.
Leon Thomas, Kehlani, Mariah the Scientist, and Olivia Dean are all working the charts, foreshadowing the possibility of R&B making a 2000s-esque comeback, but of all of these artists, Lenae seems to be the most primed to bring in this potential era.
Born and raised in the South side of Chicago, priming her vocals in the church choir before attending Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts) — she knew where she was heading, spending her money on recording equipment and sharing her music online. She shared multiple EPs, worked with Steve Lacy on production, and by the time she dropped Hypnos in 2022, already had a substantial following. But Birds Eye was her most realised album, one that showed who she was inside and out and fans took notice. That album, and it’s most prominent hit “Love Me Not,” feel like just the start for Lenae, because, as she told PAPER: “I’m also thinking beyond ‘Love Me Not’ and this moment, and thinking about the artist I want to continue to grow into and the music I want to continue to make.”
As R&B icon Mariah Carey told her during Elle’s ‘Three Generations of R&B’ conversation: “You’re going to have to get after these things.” Judging by Lenae’s momentum, she seems more than ready to do just that. Her first Grammy nod (and potential win) could mark the beginning of the lasting legacy Lenae is looking to build.