Kelela

Kelela blends progressive electronic music with contemporary R&B in a manner that suits both club environments and intimate settings. Emerging in the early 2010s through various supporting contributions, the singer/songwriter and producer issued her debut mixtape Cut 4 Me on the Fade to Mind label in 2013. That release paved the way for an association with Warp, which began with the conceptual Hallucinogen EP in 2015 and extended to her charting, widely praised first album Take Me Apart two years later. Following a four-year absence, she issued the ballad “Washed Away” as the opening indicator of Raven, which arrived in 2023; she characterized the project as “an affirmation of Black femme perspective in the midst of systemic erasure and the sound of our vulnerability turned to power.” The club-oriented companion RAVE:N, The Remixes appeared the next year.

Kelela Mizanekristos entered the world in Washington, D.C., grew up in suburban Maryland, and formed no serious vocal ambitions until jazz studies intervened. Further immersion in the work of Amel Larrieux and Little Dragon steered her toward a personal approach that crystallized after she relocated to Los Angeles in 2010. There she linked with Teengirl Fantasy for a contribution to their album Tracer on the track “EFX,” an encounter that introduced her to Fade to Mind’s Prince William and, through him, to the lean yet incisive productions of his circle. Captivated, she made her recorded entrance on Kingdom’s August 2013 single “Bank Head.” Months afterward she offered the free-download mixtape Cut 4 Me, assembled with the intention of evoking a remix anthology and featuring input from Kingdom plus Bok Bok, Girl Unit, Jam City, and Nguzunguzu. Night Slugs later supplied the first physical edition, a two-CD set containing actual remixes, in April 2015.

During the interval separating the digital and physical versions of Cut 4 Me, Kelela appeared on Bok Bok’s “Melba’s Call,” two tracks from Kindness’ Otherness, and Future Brown’s “Danger Zone,” the last of which also brought her onto the Warp roster alongside that collective. Her initial Warp project, the six-track Hallucinogen EP, reached listeners in October 2015; structured in reverse chronological order to trace the arc of a relationship, it incorporated work from prior associates as well as Arca, Obey City, and Ariel Rechtshaid. Throughout the ensuing year and into 2017 she broadened her profile via guest spots on Clams Casino’s 32 Levels, Danny Brown’s Atrocity Exhibition, Solange’s A Seat at the Table, and Gorillaz’s Human.

Warp issued Kelela’s first full-length album, Take Me Apart, in October 2017 after the Jam City collaborations “LMK” and “Frontline.” The set reached the Billboard 200, attained number 18 on the R&B/hip-hop chart, and climbed to number three on the U.K. R&B chart. The 2018 follow-up Take Me A_Part, The Remixes introduced newly recorded vocals alongside contributions from Kaytranada, CupcakKe, and go-go legends Rare Essence. After an extended hiatus she resurfaced in September 2022 with the Yo van Lenz collaboration “Washed Away,” several further previews preceding the February 2023 arrival of her second proper album, Raven. RAVE:N, The Remixes, featuring reworkings with Bbymutha, Yaeji, Loraine James, Shygirl, and additional artists, surfaced digitally in February 2024 before receiving a vinyl release toward year’s end.