When I was getting ready for R&B artist Raveena Aurora’s (known more commonly as Raveena) Where The Butterflies Go In The Rain Phoenix show, the artist’s third-to-last stop on her North American tour, a specific set of imagery came to mind. The album’s reflective and vulnerable nature, paired with Raveena’s soft soprano vocals and springtime, pastel visuals seen in the album’s accompanying film, made me decide: I need some floral prints. And lace.
Upon arriving at the show at the intimate downtown Phoenix music venue, The Van Buren, I realized Raveena had transported not only me to this very specific place with her conceptual third album, but also a few hundred other people in Phoenix. Fans all came dressed with specific nods to the artist: florals, pastel colors, album merch, and, of course, butterfly prints and patterns, from hair clips to clothing.
Raveena’s latest project, which came out nearly a year ago, blends the honest lyricism and artistry of her debut album, Lucid, that first made her resonate with fans with fans, with the soulful sounds of her Moonstone EP and inspirations from South Asian music similar to her sophomore album, "Asha’s Awakening," a concept album told from the perspective of Asha, a “Punjabi space princess.”
“It represents such a joyful time in my life and I felt like I worked my whole life to get to that point,” Raveena said on stage about the album and tour. “Being with you here in a time that’s a lot harder in my life it’s like a celebration of joy in a time I need that.”
Renao, the London-based supporting act for the tour, took to the stage promptly at 8 p.m., smooth vocals to match an equally charming and buttoned-up presence with his shiny hair and suit and tie. Much like Raveena, Renao made his love for his Indian heritage clear during chats with the audience, mentioning he had recently shot two music videos in the country.
Though Renao had a pleasant enough singing voice alongside easy-on-the-ears tunes, with a solid blend of indie folk guitar and R&B-inspired vocals, he makes the type of music that tends to glaze over if you’re not familiar enough with his work. And a brief pause during his set, caused by some crowd interruption I was too far away to see, made for a bit of an awkward standstill during his set.
Still, it wasn’t as if the entire audience was unreceptive to the opening set. Several people were swaying along, and a select few were even singing the lyrics to a few songs. One girl standing near the barricade screamed excitedly that her name was Jasmine when he asked the crowd if there was anyone out there with his single’s namesake, and though he didn’t seem fully convinced, still gave her a brief but winning serenade.
There was almost exactly half an hour between Renao and Raveena’s sets (timing was definitely a strong suit of this show). The intermission was also my first time to fully assess the house. Though the venue wasn’t packed, Raveena had pulled a sizable crowd of what mostly seemed to skew millennial and older Gen Z (the show’s age limit capped at 13) out to her Saturday show.
Raveena’s opening number was the audience’s first introduction to her dancers, who would be one of many recurring highlights through the show. Her dancers came out waving streams of blue silk, alongside a harmonious echo of Raveena’s layered vocals, before Raveena spun out onto the stage to her microphone, which was covered in a floral decorative piece, for her opening song, “We Should Move Somewhere Beautiful.” Her tasseled blue dress added dramatic flair alongside her ornate silver earrings and necklace, immediately connecting me to the garden princess aesthetic and building the world of the show for the next hour and a half of her set.
The setlist featured nearly all 14 tracks of her project. Upbeat, poppy numbers from her new project like “Lose My Focus” and “Baby Mama” and the jazz-tinged “Honey" gave the audience something to groove along to, while “Close 2 U” a wistful ballad about “long-distance love." The whimsical, violin-backed “Lucky” brought a more emotional, introspective layer to the show. Tracks like “Junebug” paid homage to Raveena’s Indian heritage through traditional sounds, a practice she often incorporates into her music.
With a number of full-length projects and EPs under her belt, Raveena seemingly had no issue crafting a mostly seamless journey through her discography. The 27-song-setlist featured fan favorites (the flirty queer anthem paired with sensual choreography “Temptation” and the raw and powerful “If Only” shared an empowering story about “having the courage to leave an abusive relationship”). The set took a journey through breezy summer pop (“Mystery”), 2000s-esque dance tunes (“Secret”), and even new takes on classic songs, as Raveena covered the Isley Brothers’ “At Your Best (You Are Love).”
Raveena’s vocal talent is undeniable. Throughout each of the 27 songs in her set, her voice remained pure and sweet, effortlessly and consistently swaying between perfectly pitched high notes, melodic riffs, and soulful growls.
She has the sort of presence that can still capture the spotlight without demanding it. She has this seemingly radiant, positive energy that makes you want to sing when she asks you to sing (the entire crowd would either be singing the lyrics or mumbling them with a clear level of uncertainty), dance when she asks you to dance (some bopping and toe tapping could be seen at least), and give your full attention to the show, whether she’s in the middle of the stage, her dancers are, or a loving couple from the crowd (Raveena brought an engaged couple to dance on stage during her single “Smile For Me").
She even led the crowd through a guided meditation that led into a brief but total silence, during an intermission titled “Let Your Breath Become Like a Flower.” It was genuinely therapeutic to take a moment from the noise to just breathe and center myself, hearing the room get genuinely silent until interrupted by a beautiful cacophony of her and her accompanying singers’ harmonized vocals, soft piano, and calming bird noises that signaled the transition into the song "Petall."
“Thank you so much for breathing with me, Phoenix,” Raveena would thank the audience.
Knowing that Sikh and Buddhist spirituality (and subsequently meditation) play an important role in her daily life, the guided meditation felt like Raveena was really sharing a piece of herself with the audience. And at a glance (yes, I peeked, okay?), the audience, if only for a moment, felt that calmness and togetherness as well.
But that was far from her only personal or vulnerable moment throughout the night. Raveena shared two covers of traditional Indian songs with the audience, “Kehni Hi Kaya” and “Kariye Na,” which provided a chance to show off her captivating vocal range and homage to traditional Indian language and dance styles. Musically, Raveena touched upon incredibly difficult topics during her set during singles “If Only,” "Rise,” a powerful ballad “dedicated to all oppressed people from Palestine,” and her encore song, “Stronger” (which details her experience with sexual assault), with these moments moving many of the audience members to great moments of emotional surrender, some even to tears.
While the encore showcased a beautiful and vulnerable moment, it was somewhat shocking how quickly it happened. With less than a minute off stage and cheers from the audience, Raveena was back on stage. Encores are admittedly rather performative, so perhaps it is to Raveena’s credit that she jumped right back in.
With Raveena’s enchanting voice and equally so enchanting album and tour concept, she was able to craft an experience that felt special and beautiful, regardless of who you came with or how familiar you were with her music. Her setlist delivered a bit of something for everyone and her versatility on the stage marked her as a seasoned performer and someone I would encourage you to look out for the next time she stops in the Valley.
