Kehlani

Kehlani, an outspoken vocalist and composer in R&B, applies a fresh and shifting approach to the pop-R&B and neo-soul voices such as TLC, Brandy, Lauryn Hill, and Jill Scott that shaped their early listening. The Oakland-raised artist’s independently issued Cloud 19 mixtape from 2014 opened doors to the Grammy-nominated You Should Be Here project in 2015, an Atlantic Records contract, and the number-three Billboard 200 debut SweetSexySavage two years later, which contained the second Grammy-nominated Kehlani track “Distraction.” In addition to Recording Academy notice, the singer became a sought-after guest during their commercial breakthrough, appearing on Charlie Puth’s “Done for Me” and Cardi B’s “Ring.” Two further Top Ten releases arrived with the 2019 mixtape While We Wait and the 2020 album It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, after which three tracks from the third studio set Blue Water Road (2022) reached the Hot R&B Songs chart, among them the Justin Bieber duet “Up at Night.” Prior to the June 2024 arrival of Crash, whose material drew on dancehall, amapiano, and rock textures, the number-five R&B single “After Hours” appeared.

Born Kehlani Parrish and raised in Oakland, California, the artist enrolled at the Oakland School for the Arts to study ballet and modern dance before an injury prompted a transfer to the vocal department, where their singing abilities developed rapidly. In eighth grade they became a member of Poplyfe, the group that performed on season six of America’s Got Talent; after their engaging rendition of Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire,” a judge suggested the frontperson could succeed independently. Although Kehlani initially dismissed the comment, they later launched a solo career that positioned them as a slightly younger, more grounded counterpart to prevailing R&B figures such as Jhené Aiko.

Their first project, the short Cloud 19 mixtape, appeared on an independent basis in 2014. Two selections charted on Billboard’s Twitter Emerging Artists list, and several outlets named the release among year-end standouts. The more expansive You Should Be Here followed in 2015 and featured the Chance the Rapper collaboration “The Way.” Enjoying stronger sales and reviews, the set reached number 36 on the Billboard 200 and number five on the R&B/hip-hop chart before earning a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album; “The Way” later achieved platinum status.

After signing with Atlantic, Kehlani issued major-label singles throughout late 2015 and 2016, including the platinum or gold cuts “CRZY,” “Distraction,” and “Gangsta,” the last of which was contributed to Suicide Squad: The Album. The opening pair appeared on the first full-length SweetSexySavage, which debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 in February 2017 and brought a second Grammy nomination, this time for Best R&B Performance, for “Distraction.” Additional tracks emerged across the remainder of 2017 and 2018: “Good Life,” a G-Eazy collaboration from The Fate of the Furious: The Album, and “Honey” each earned gold certification for Kehlani as lead artist, while guest spots included Calvin Harris’ “Faking It,” Charlie Puth’s “Done for Me,” Kyle’s “Playinwitme,” and Cardi B’s Top 40 single “Ring.”

That collaborative momentum continued on the 2019 mixtape While We Wait. Filled with multiple guest appearances and varied production, the project entered the Billboard 200 at number nine, propelled by the platinum Ty Dolla $ign track “Nights Like This.” Together with features alongside Justin Bieber and Megan Thee Stallion, the mixtape generated anticipation for the second proper album, It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, which arrived in May 2020 and peaked at number two. Further supporting roles on recordings by Disclosure, Pink Sweat$, Lil Durk, and others followed through the close of the year and into early 2021.

Kehlani abandoned plans for a deluxe edition of It Was Good Until It Wasn’t upon deciding that newly recorded material belonged on a separate project. This choice proved fitting with the September 2021 release of “Altar,” among the artist’s most resonant singles to that date. Cloud 19 received a reissue within a week, and 2022 brought “Little Story” plus the Justin Bieber collaboration “Up at Night.” Both tracks appeared on the third album Blue Water Road, which reached number 13 after its April 2022 launch and yielded a third charting single, “Everything.” Two years afterward Kehlani returned to the Hot R&B Songs chart with “After Hours,” which climbed to number five ahead of the June 2024 release of its parent album Crash.