LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� While recording 鈥淐rash,鈥� faced a career-defining decision: Stick with the familiar R&B sound that helped build the singer's name, or risk it all to showcase their full artistic range.
For Kehlani, who uses she/they pronouns, choosing the latter was a gamble, but trusting their instincts paid off in the long run. Their fourth studio album became a catalyst to earning Grammy nods, a massive world tour and proving that their versatility should never be in question.
鈥淚 was taking a risk, because I鈥檓 one of those artists that have been around long enough for people to pigeonhole me into a sound,鈥� said Kehlani, who first realized she was being cornered musically after releasing the single 鈥� 鈥� from their 2019 mixtape 鈥淲hile We Wait.鈥� Though she loved the track, calling it a 鈥渞eally pretty song,鈥� she felt a growing need to break out of the box and evolve their sound.
Kehlani pushed genre boundaries on 鈥淐rash,鈥� blending elements of R&B, rock, dance floor, rap and country. Their bold experimentation earned three Grammy nominations: best R&B progressive album for 鈥淐rash,鈥� R&B song through the viral sensation track 鈥� 鈥� and best melodic rap performance for 鈥淜ehlani.鈥�
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Kehlani discussed crediting the dance community for 鈥淎fter Hours鈥� going viral, how their pro-Palestinian stance impacted them personally, their Christmas , and how embracing a rock star persona for 鈥淐rash鈥� challenged their health but unlocked a creative breakthrough for the album.
Exploring Kehlani鈥檚 various musical reflections
Kehlani鈥檚 music mirrors their mental state. While recording 鈥淐rash,鈥� she fully embraced a rock star lifestyle, staying up all night and drinking alcohol. It certainly wasn鈥檛 conducive for their health, but at times, this led to some intense, manic bursts of 鈥渆xpression and understanding,鈥� which defined the album.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I think had to come out of me in order for 鈥楥rash鈥� to come out of me in that way,鈥� said Kehlani, who noted that all the 鈥渃haos鈥� delivered on the album wasn鈥檛 always negative. She recorded songs in different Airbnb locations including from a house in San Diego, where she could surf every day; found their grunge sound while going out in Harlem; and exuded their confidence while she laid down tracks on vacation in the Dominican Republic.
鈥淚t was a rock star album made in a very rock star process,鈥� said Kehlani, whose approach was completely different than their 2022 release 鈥淏lue Water Road,鈥� where she was focused more on meditation, leaving them in a spiritually grounded space.
These days, Kehlani has found middle ground through isolation and a healthier lifestyle. She now works out like a 鈥渘inja warrior,鈥� hitting the gym multiple times a day, doing yoga and hiking up mountains and incorporating healthier eating habits.
That helped Kehlani create the mixtape 鈥淲hile We Wait 2,鈥� which released a couple months after 鈥淐rash.鈥� It took only two weeks to record their latest mixtape inside their backyard house while wearing pajamas.
鈥淭he music I make will always reflect exactly where I鈥檓 at in my mental health journey,鈥� she said.
Dance community contributes to Kehlani鈥檚 viral song
Kehlani credits the massive success of 鈥淎fter Hours鈥� to the dance community on social media, thanks to Darius Hickman, who was behind the infectious dance challenge.
The singer said musicians owe gratitude to dancers like Hickman, . The post showed Hickman dancing to the intro of 鈥淎fter Hours.鈥�
鈥淒ancers are like the new DJs,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey are breaking songs.鈥�
Kehlani often shows their gratitude to the many who looped 鈥淎fter Hours鈥� into their dance videos. She tagged Hickman on their own social media, accepting the dance challenge.
鈥淚t just feels good and it brings people together,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o when I noticed that it was actually doing it in real time, I was like, 鈥極K, it鈥檚 beyond me now.鈥� I really owe it to the dancers really.鈥�
Kehlani and GloRilla bring holiday cheer with a trap music twist
Kehlani dabbled in Christmas music nearly a decade ago with a few low-key SoundCloud tracks. But this year, she鈥檚 giving the holidays a bold new twist by collaborating with rapper GloRilla on 鈥� ,鈥� which flips the script on traditional carols.
鈥淚 never imagined I鈥檇 be on a trap Christmas song,鈥� said Kehlani, who noted that she didn鈥檛 think twice when GloRilla鈥檚 team reached out about teaming up on the festive, bass-thumping track that released last week.
鈥淚鈥檓 such a fan of GloRilla in any shape, way or form," she said. 鈥淪he could鈥檝e said she was making an Easter song and I would鈥檝e been like 鈥楩antastic. Girl, let鈥檚 do it.'鈥�
How Kehlani managed mental health while being a Palestinian supporter
Despite warnings to protect their career, Kehlani used their music and platform to boldly support Palestinians, marching alongside thousands at a last year.
The singer inspired followers to rally behind the cause, but the weight of activism took a quiet toll on their mental health and livelihood.
鈥淭he hardest part of it for me was I had to maintain my sanity,鈥� said Kehlani, who this year released the 鈥� 鈥� music video. (The video opens with a poem by a Palestinian American writer, and Kehlani performs in front of a Palestinian flag.) Kehlani said she struggled with keeping tabs on the war in Gaza and watching friends struggle with depression because of them 鈥渂earing witness to a genocide.鈥�
鈥淚n a whole new scope of 鈥榃ow, my safety, my livelihood, my career, how I take care of myself, how I take care of my family, how I feed my child,鈥� All of this is endangered,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or a while, I felt like I was alone. ... I had community leaders. I had activists. But I didn鈥檛 have another person in my world that I could be like 鈥橶hat happens when you get threatened at this rate?' Everything could crash and burn because you鈥檙e just being a person.鈥�
Still, Kehlani stands firm in their beliefs, hoping to inspire others 鈥� including fellow artists and entertainers 鈥� to speak out fearlessly.
鈥淚f the Grammy nominations validate anything, I hope people see that we shouldn鈥檛 be scared to speak about anything that (could be) threatening to our careers,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 still went on a tour. ... post speaking up for Palestine. If all of us had stuck together, who knows what kind of further change could happen.鈥�
___
The 67th Grammy Awards will be held Feb. 2, 2025, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The show will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+. For more coverage, visit .
Jonathan Landrum Jr., The Associated Press
