“I was really focused on emitting pure love,” Indian-American singer Raveena on her latest album

The artist speaks to Cosmo India about her musical journey, performing in India, and more!

02 February, 2025

“I was really focused on emitting pure love,” Indian-American singer Raveena on her latest album

“I want to be remembered for my kindness,” Raveena, the Indian-American singer-songwriter, tells me over an email, her words ringing with sincerity. I first discovered her single 'Honey' during the COVID-19 lockdown, and immediately felt as if I had discovered an oasis in a desert of DIY haircuts and Zoom calls. I thought to myself ‘Finally a musician who looks like me!’ Since independently releasing her debut EP 'Shanti' in 2017, Raveena has cultivated a loyal following and matured as an artist. “I have evolved SOOO much, oh my god,” she admits. “I’ve grown in the way I handle my business and I am so comfortable stating my boundaries, opinions, and vision clearly. I feel so much more confident and fluid on stage, and know a lot more about performing now. But I think the biggest thing is having written so many songs—I know how to pick them for the album and how to know when it is the one.”

Raveena’s journey is nothing short of remarkable. She’s not only toured internationally and become the first woman of Indian heritage to perform solo at Coachella, but she’s also recently released her new album, Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain. Each piece in her discography reflects her growth, and for her latest album, she sought a profound rest and a more liberated artistic process intertwined with nature and meditation. “This album felt more like spirit was channelling through me, and I really got lost in both the creation and the elements around me,” she explains. “I was really focused on emitting pure love, peace, and flow states more than reaching for any type of aesthetic goal or ‘trying to be the best’.”

Taking inspiration early on from musicians like Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, Joni Mitchell, Sheryl Crow, Corinne Bailey Rae, and Sade, Raveena simply had a lot of fun making this album and later listening to it. “I just wanted to see what came naturally out of my body when I tapped into my most natural instincts + the pure love of the universe.”

Growing up in a Sikh household to Indian immigrant parents in America, Raveena was always around music. With her bathroom-singing parents introducing her to a wide range of music—from Bollywood classics to those by folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel—Raveena found her calling. “I fell in love with jazz and Ella Fitzgerald while on a school trip to the Apollo Theater in Harlem, NYC when I was 10, and began obsessively singing since I heard that music. Every day I would try to recreate those tunes for three to four hours a day in my bathroom,” she reminisces.

At Lollapalooza India 2023 in Mumbai, Raveena made her debut performance in the country. “It was so gorgeous—I want to prepare more Hindi songs to play there because playing 'Dum Maaro Dum' definitely hit different than anything else.” She visits India once or twice a year, drawn back by her family, nostalgia, and “the sweet people there”. “I would like to live there someday full-time,” she muses.

Raveena’s contented spirit and grounded nature shines through, even though we converse over text. I can’t help but ask if it is her sun in Libra or moon in Cancer! “I think my Libra is always trying to balance out my fiery Aries (rising) that is so passionate and will work herself into the ground to see my dreams come true; and my watery Cancer that secretly wishes to be in a cabin in the forest just taking care of my loved ones, cooking, and staring at flowers all day. I exist between both realms and the Libra finds meditation and stillness in the extremes of both personalities.”

Unlike many celebrities, Raveena has been extremely vocal about the Palestinian resistance and freedom. Even her latest album was released through one of the few Palestinian-owned record labels, Empire. Curious about whether such activism could hinder her work, I pose the question. “I think God protects and guides those who choose to serve and speak for the times and the severe injustices at play,” she responds.

Now 31, Raveena describes this decade as “the most beautiful” of her life—“abundant, loving, and magical”. She reflects on her life’s decades in whimsical terms: “0-10: The Song That Sleeps Inside a Tree; 10-20: The Tree That Fell in the Forest and Nobody Heard; 20-30: Chaos & Awakening; and now, 30+: Pure Beauty.” Her childhood affinity for nature and spirituality is clear: “I have always been talking to trees and spirits since I was a toddler, now I am just more aware of it and know how to relate the material world to it.”

Recently on tour in the US, Raveena is finding inspiration in jazz and instrumental music. “I want to study instruments and my voice to a deeper degree. I am inspired by the idea of being in deep study for the rest of my life.” And if she weren’t a musician? “Probably a reiki healer, a farmer, or even a set designer for movies.” How very Raveena! “I am just deeply focused on touring right now and building an even stronger story and world for the stage. Once I feel like I’ve accomplished that at a new level and toured it around the world, I’ll hopefully have some inspo for another album.” And how does she prep for an album? Spoiler alert: There’s no prep involved. “It’s usually an earth shaking shift that happens in my life before every album and then I get inspired by the way I deal with the shifts,” she explains, probably while sipping on some herbal tea in a garden.

And she's listening to...

From the Swamp by King Krule