Kehlani Ashley Parrish ( ; born April 24, 1995) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. She is originally from

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

, and achieved initial fame as a member of the teen pop group PopLyfe in 2011. Kehlani's debut

mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

, '' Cloud 19'' (2014), was listed as one of ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

''s "50 Best Albums of 2014." Its follow-up, '' You Should Be Here'' (2015) entered the ''Billboard'' 200, received

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

certification by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA), and was nominated for

Best Urban Contemporary Album The Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for high quality works on albums in the urban contemporary subgenre within the R&B field. Honors in several categories are presented ...

at the

58th Annual Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 201 ...

. Kehlani signed with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

to release her debut studio album, ''

SweetSexySavage ''SweetSexySavage'' is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Kehlani. The album was released on January 27, 2017, by Atlantic Records. Kehlani started work on the album shortly after the release of their mixtape '' You Shoul ...

'' (2017), which peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200, while her second, '' It Was Good Until It Wasn't'' (2020) peaked at number two. Her third album, ''

Blue Water Road ''Blue Water Road'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Kehlani. It was released through Atlantic Records and TSNMI on April 29, 2022. The album features guest appearances from Blxst, Justin Bieber, Syd, Jessie Reyez, Ambr ...

'' (2022) peaked at number 13 on the chart and was met with critical acclaim, while her fourth, '' Crash'' (2024), peaked at number 25.

Early life

Kehlani Ashley Parrish was born on April 24, 1995, in

. She was adopted and raised by her aunt when her mother, who had a drug addiction, served time in jail. Kehlani's father, who also had a drug addiction, died when she was a toddler. During her teenage years, she attended the

Oakland School for the Arts Oakland School for the Arts (OSA) is a Visual arts, visual and performing arts charter school in Oakland, California, United States. OSA opened in 2002 with a curriculum that integrated college preparatory school, college preparatory academics wi ...

, where she initially practiced dance, particularly ballet and

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert dance, concert or theatrical dance which includes dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th ...

. Early in her life, Kehlani aspired to train as a dancer at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

, but she had a knee injury in junior high, which led her to turn her attention towards singing. While living with her aunt, Kehlani was exposed almost exclusively to R&B and

neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from Soul music, soul ...

artists, such as

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American musician. She is celebrated as one of the most influential musical artists of her generation. Hill is credited with breaking barriers for female rappers, contributing to the popular music, m ...

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

and Jill Scott, whom today she describes as some of her early musical influences. When she was 14, Kehlani was recruited to join a local

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

cover band, PopLyfe.

Career

2009–2013: Beginnings with PopLyfe

Kehlani's singing career effectively began when she started out as a member and lead vocalist for the group called PopLyfe. The band's music was produced by former Tony! Toni! Tone! member D'Wayne Wiggins. Within two years, the group performed throughout the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...

and other cities. In 2011, she auditioned for the sixth season of ''America's Got Talent,'' and eventually finished in fourth place. During her final appearance, judge

Piers Morgan Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (; O'Meara, born 30 March 1965) is an English journalist and media personality. He began his career in 1988 at the tabloid ''The Sun (United Kingdom), The Sun''. In 1994, at the age of 29, he was appointed editor of ...

told Kehlani, "You've got real talent, but I don't think you need the group." After the end of ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is an American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distributed by) and ...

'', Kehlani left PopLyfe, because of several managerial and contractual disputes. Over six months, she avoided doing anything music related to avoid being sued by the group's management. In 2012 and 2013, Kehlani was effectively homeless, moving from house to house and often sleeping on couches. During her senior year of high school, she moved to Los Angeles, California, with no legal guardian. In 2013,

Nick Cannon Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American comedian, television presenter, actor, and rapper. In television, he began his career as a teenager on Nickelodeon's '' All That'' before going on to host '' The Nick Cannon Show'', '' ...

, who had been the host of ''America's Got Talent'' during PopLyfe's run, called Kehlani to ask about being in a rap group. She agreed at first and went to Los Angeles, but, ultimately didn't like the direction of the group and moved back to Oakland. To help with money and food, she decided to begin stealing iPhones to sell, and items from grocery stores for a short time. Months later, Kehlani released her first solo track on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

, called "ANTISUMMERLUV". Cannon called back after hearing the song and he bought her an apartment in LA, along with studio time.

2014–2017: ''SweetSexySavage''

In 2014, the studio time culminated in the release of her first mixtape, called '' Cloud 19''. The mixtape features

guest appearance The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting. The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are disting ...

s from Kyle Dion. Cannon also sent her to New York City to work with record producer Jahaan Sweet. The mixtape ranked at twenty-eighth on ''Complex's'' list of the "50 Best Albums of 2014," and was also listed among

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

's "Overlooked Mixtapes 2014." A song she released in late 2014, "Till the Morning" was placed by ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' as one of the "Emerging Picks of the Week" on November 7, 2014. In 2015, Kehlani opened for American rapper

G-Eazy Gerald Earl Gillum (born May 24, 1989), better known by his stage name G-Eazy, is an American rapper. Based in Oakland, California, he began his career in 2006 and released two independent studio albums before signing with RCA Records to releas ...

on the second leg of his From the Bay to the Universe tour. On April 28, 2015, she released her second mixtape '' You Should Be Here''. ''Billboard'' called it the "year's first great R&B album", when it debuted at number five on ''

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

chart. The project features guest appearances from fellow American rapper

Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' (2012) during one of his high school suspension ...

and American singer

BJ the Chicago Kid Bryan James Sledge (born November 23, 1984), better known by his stage name BJ the Chicago Kid (or simply BJ), is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Sledge is best known for frequently collaborating with Top ...

. A week after the release, she announced that she had signed a deal to Atlantic Records. In support of the mixtape, she embarked on the You Should Be Here tour, which sold out every North American date and select European dates. Throughout 2015, she also received individual plaudits: ''Complex'' called her one of the "15 Artists to Watch Out for in 2015" and ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' named her one of the "10 New Artists You Need to Know". ''You Should Be Here'' also earned a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nomination for

. In March 2016, Kehlani guest featured on English singer Zayn's single "

Wrong A wrong or wrength (from Old English – 'crooked') is an act that is illegal or immoral. Legal wrongs are usually quite clearly defined in the law of a state or jurisdiction. They can be divided into civil wrongs and crimes (or ''criminal of ...

" from his debut solo studio album ''

Mind of Mine ''Mind of Mine'' is the debut solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Zayn. It was released on March 25, 2016 through RCA Records, and was released one year after his departure from One Direction. Primarily an R&B and alternative R&B reco ...

''. Her song " Gangsta" was featured on the soundtrack for the August 2016 hit movie ''

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

,'' which gave her and her music some beneficial recognition, as it reached number 41 on the Hot 100. On November 26, 2016, Kehlani revealed the title of her debut studio album ''

'', which was released on Atlantic Records on January 27, 2017. In December 2017, Kehlani guest featured on American rapper

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

's single " Nowhere Fast" from his ninth studio album '' Revival''. Kehlani's third annual Tsunami Christmas tour concluded in Santa Ana, California on December 18, 2017.

20182023: ''It Was Good Until It Wasn't'' and ''Blue Water Road''

Kehlani served as an opening act on American singer

Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...

Tell Me You Love Me World Tour The Tell Me You Love Me World Tour was the sixth headlining concert tour and third worldwide tour by American singer Demi Lovato, in support of her sixth studio album '' Tell Me You Love Me'' (2017). The tour began on February 26, 2018, in San Di ...

in North America, which started on February 26, 2018, and concluded on April 2. She then opened on American singer Halsey's Hopeless Fountain Kingdom World Tour on the Oceania leg during April 2018. In March 2018, Kehlani guest featured on American singer

Charlie Puth Charles Otto Puth Jr. (; born December 2, 1991) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His initial exposure came through the viral success of his cover (music), song covers uploaded to YouTube. Puth signed with the record labe ...

's single "

Done for Me "Done for Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth, featuring guest vocals from fellow American singer-songwriter Kehlani. Written by its performers with Jacob Kasher, John Ryan and produced by Puth, it was released by Atlantic R ...

" from his second studio album, ''

Voicenotes ''Voicenotes'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth. Almost entirely produced by Puth himself, the album was released by Artist Partner Group and Atlantic Records on May 11, 2018. Five singles have been released ...

''. In April 2018, she guest-featured on American rapper

Cardi B Belcalis Marlenis Cephus (; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper. Noted for her unfiltered public image and lyrics, Cardi B is one of the most successful female rappers. From 2015 to early 2017, she ga ...

's single "

Ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

" from her debut studio album, ''

Invasion of Privacy The right to privacy is an element of various legal traditions that intends to restrain governmental and private actions that threaten the privacy of individuals. Over 185 national constitutions mention the right to privacy. Since the global ...

''. The song peaked at number 28 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Kehlani's first song to enter the top 40 of the chart. On February 22, 2019, her third commercial mixtape ''

While We Wait ''While We Wait'' is the second commercial and third mixtape by American singer Kehlani. The album was released on February 22, 2019, by Atlantic Records. ''While We Wait'' features guest appearances from Musiq Soulchild, Dom Kennedy, Ty Dolla $i ...

'' was released by

and debuted at number nine on the ''Billboard'' 200 and sold 34,000

album-equivalent units The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, often shortened to just unit, is a sales metric in the music industry that defines the number of streaming media, songs streamed and music download, songs downloaded equal to one Record sales, tradi ...

in its first week. It was supported by the singles " Nights Like This" featuring

Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Griffin gai ...

, "Nunya" featuring

Dom Kennedy Dominic Ross Hunn (born August 22, 1984), better known by his stage name Dom Kennedy, is an American rapper. His fourth mixtape, ''From the Westside with Love'' (2010), was met with critical acclaim; its sequel, '' From the Westside with Love II' ...

, and "Butterfly". On September 27, 2019, Kehlani and Russian-German DJ

Zedd Anton Zaslavski (; born 2 September 1989), known professionally as Zedd (), is a German record producer and DJ. His stage name, Zedd, was derived from ''zed'', the Z#Name and pronunciation, English pronunciation, barring American English, for ...

released the collaborative single " Good Thing." Kehlani and American singer

Teyana Taylor Teyana Me Shay Jacqueli Taylor (born December 10, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model, dancer, choreographer, and music video director. After choreographing the video for Beyoncé's 2006 single " Ring the Alarm," she signed ...

's then released the single "

Morning Morning is either the period from sunrise to noon, or the period from midnight to noon. In the first definition it is preceded by the twilight period of dawn, and there are no exact times for when morning begins (also true of evening and nigh ...

" in November of that year. On January 28, 2020, Kehlani guest-featured on singer

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...

's promotional single " Get Me" from his fifth studio album, ''

Changes Changes may refer to: Books * '' Changes: A Love Story'', 1991 novel by Ama Ata Aidoo * ''Changes'' (The Dresden Files) (2010), the 12th novel in Jim Butcher's ''The Dresden Files'' Series * ''Changes'', a 1983 novel by Danielle Steel * ''Chan ...

''. She was also set to be a supporting act alongside American rapper and singer

Jaden Smith Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (born July 8, 1998) is an American rapper and actor. The son of Jada Pinkett-Smith and Will Smith, he has received various accolades, including a Teen Choice Award, an MTV Movie Award, a BET Award and a Young A ...

for Bieber's Changes Tour, which was pushed back due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The tour was pushed back to 2022 and renamed the Justice World Tour to support both ''Changes'' and its successor, Bieber's sixth studio album, ''

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

'' (2021), although Kehlani was dropped as an opening act. Kehlani released her second studio album, '' It Was Good Until It Wasn't'' on May 8, 2020. It debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200, based on 83,000

album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, often shortened to just unit, is a sales metric in the music industry that defines the number of streaming media, songs streamed and music download, songs downloaded equal to one Record sales, tradi ...

s earned (including 25,000 copies of pure album sales). In September 2020, Kehlani recorded songs for the deluxe version of ''It Was Good Until It Wasn't''. However, after the session she decided that the songs would fit better on a separate project, and began working on her third studio album, ''

''. On September 14, 2021, Kehlani revealed the teaser for ''Blue Water Road'', and announced that the album will be released later that year. The album's lead single "Altar" was released on September 15. The second single, "Little Story", was released on February 24, 2022. On March 30, Kehlani released "Up at Night", featuring Justin Bieber, as the third single from the album, while the album was confirmed for an April 29 release. To support the album, Kehlani embarked on the Blue Water Road Trip tour in the US and Europe from July to December 2022. The tour had opening acts

Rico Nasty Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly (born May 7, 1997), known professionally as Rico Nasty, is an American rapper from Prince George's County, Maryland. She began Self-publishing, self-releasing while in high school, and had released five solo mixtapes by ...

and Destin Conrad. In 2023, Kehlani was the headliner for concert performances at the

2023 WNBA All-Star Game The 2023 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on July 15, 2023, at Michelob Ultra Arena. The Las Vegas Aces hosted the game and related events for the third time - the previous games being in 2019 and 2021. A'ja Wilson, o ...

and the 2023 MLS All-Star Game.

2024present: ''Crash'' and ''While We Wait 2''

On April 4, 2024, Kehlani released the lead single "After Hours" ahead of her next album. Kehlani affirmed her support for Palestine, expressing her stance in her music video "Next 2 U". The video, which premiered on May 31, 2024, began with a poem by Palestinian-American writer Hala Alyan and the demonstration chant "Long Live the Intifada", an allusion to the 1987 uprising against

Israeli occupation Israel has occupied the Golan Heights of Syria and the Palestinian territories since the Six-Day War of 1967. It has previously occupied the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and southern Lebanon as well. Prior to 1967, control of the Palestinian terr ...

of the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

and

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

. In the music video's outro, Kehlani vocalized a personally penned message dedicated to the Palestinian children who were killed in the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

. Kehlani's fourth album, '' Crash'', was released on June 21, 2024, and featured collaborations with Jill Scott,

Omah Lay Stanley Omah Didia (born 18 May 1997), known professionally as Omah Lay, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. Omah Lay came into limelight and gained international recognition with his singles "Godly,” Understand," "Attention ...

and

Young Miko María Victoria Ramírez de Arellano Cardona (born November 8, 1997), known professionally as Young Miko, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter and former footballer. In 2022, she released her debut EP, ''Trap Kitty'', featuring Latin tr ...

. Her fourth mixtape, ''

While We Wait 2 ''While We Wait 2'' is the third commercial and fourth mixtape by American singer Kehlani, released on August 28, 2024. The mixtape serves as a sequel to Kehlani's 2019 mixtape ''While We Wait'', and is their second project of 2024, following th ...

'', was released on August 28, 2024. It included 14 songs with features from

Lucky Daye David Debrandon Brown (born September 25, 1985), known professionally as Lucky Daye, is an American R&B singer-songwriter from New Orleans. He signed with Keep Cool Records and RCA Records to release his first two extended plays, ''I'' (2018) ...

, kwn,

Vince Staples Vincent Jamal Staples (born July 2, 1993) is an American rapper. Born in Compton, California and raised in Long Beach, California, he first became known for his appearances on projects by Odd Future members—''Earl (mixtape), Earl'' by Earl Sw ...

, FLO, Destin Conrad,

Lil' Mo Cynthia Karen Loving (born November 19, 1978), known professionally as Lil' Mo, is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2001 single "Superwoman Pt. II" (featuring Fabolous), which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot ...

, and

DIXSON Dixson is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Adrienne Dixson, American educational theorist * Alice Dixson (born 1969), Filipino American actress, commercial model, and former beauty queen * Hugh Dixson (1841–1926), Australian ...

. Kehlani states that the album only took two weeks to record and was done all at home. The cover art nods to the original ''While We Wait'' album cover, featuring her staring at herself in the mirror with a floral wallpaper in the background. She also recently collaborated with

GloRilla Gloria Hallelujah Woods (born July 28, 1999), known professionally as GloRilla, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter from Memphis, Tennessee. She first became known for her 2022 single " F.N.F. (Let's Go)" (with Hitkidd), which peaked wi ...

on a Christmas-themed trap song, providing a bold twist on holiday cheer.

Personal life

In January 2016, it was confirmed that Kehlani was in a relationship with star NBA point guard

Kyrie Irving Kyrie Andrew Irving ( ; , ; born March 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named the Rookie of the Year after being selected by the Cleveland Cav ...

. In March 2016, Canadian singer

PartyNextDoor Jahron Anthony Brathwaite (born July 3, 1993), known professionally as PartyNextDoor (often stylized in all caps), is a Canadian singer, songwriter, rapper and record producer. He was the first artist to sign with Drake's record label OVO Sound ...

posted a picture of Kehlani's hand on Instagram, insinuating that they were in bed together. This caused a media controversy across Twitter, in which abuse was tweeted against Kehlani in hundreds of thousands of posts. Kehlani attempted

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

shortly thereafter. Irving later stated on Twitter that they had broken up before the incident. Kehlani took to social media to explain that she did not cheat on Irving in a public statement to acknowledge her attempted suicide in the wake of the media attention. In 2018, Irving penned an apology to Kehlani via an Instagram post, expressing appreciation towards the singer, and she responded wishing him well. On September 6, 2019, it was confirmed that Kehlani was dating American rapper YG, but after three months of dating, Kehlani and YG broke up. However, the two released a collaborative single for

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...

, "Konclusions", on February 14, 2020. In May 2020, during an interview with ''The Breakfast Club'', Kehlani said that she discovered that YG was cheating on her after seeing his phone. YG apologized by filling her lawn with roses. Kehlani added that they do not speak, but remain cordial. Kehlani announced that she was pregnant with her first child, a girl, on Instagram on October 12, 2018, with the father being Javaughn Young-White, who plays guitar for Kehlani. She opened up in December 2018 about prenatal depression and how her pregnancy is harder than it might look. On March 23, 2019, Kehlani gave birth to a daughter at home. Kehlani is a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

. She has spoken about her past experiences being a survivor of sexual assault and rape. Between her second and third studio albums, ''It Was Good Until It Wasn’t'' and ''Blue Water Road'', she stated she went through a spiritual detox in order to get out of a toxic cycle with herself. After her breakup with YG and near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she stripped herself down emotionally and began writing ''Blue Water Road'' to process this change. In the summer of 2020, Kehlani bought a small farm in

Simi Valley, California Simi Valley (; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''Shimiyi'') is a city in Simi Valley (valley), the valley of the same name in southeastern Ventura County, California, United States. It is from Downtown Los Angeles, making it part of the Greater ...

, where she lives with her daughter. She was in a relationship with the 070 collective member, Danielle Balbuena, better known as

070 Shake Danielle Balbuena (born June 13, 1997), known professionally as 070 Shake (pronounced "oh seven oh shake"), is an American rapper and singer. She is best known for her guest appearance on English singer Raye's 2022 single "Escapism (Raye song), ...

. In 2020, Kehlani started practicing the African diasporic religion La Regla de Ocha.

In politics

Kehlani expressed solidarity with Palestine during the

. In

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

posts, she voiced disapproval for celebrities who have chosen to remain silent on the matter, implying that they prioritize their personal business endeavors over addressing a pressing humanitarian crisis. She was a principal signer of the October 2023 open letter, ''Artists Against

Apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

''. In November 2023, Kehlani signed an open letter calling for a ceasefire and an end to the

Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip The restrictions on movement and goods in Gaza imposed by Israel date to the early 1990s. After Hamas took over in 2007, Israel significantly intensified existing movement restrictions and imposed a complete blockade on the movement of good ...

. On May 27, 2024, Kehlani voiced her criticism on Instagram, this time directed specifically at fellow musicians for remaining silent about the

Gaza–Israel conflict The Gaza–Israel conflict is a localized part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict beginning in 1948, when about 200,000 of the more than 700,000 Nakba, Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes settled in the Gaza Strip as ref ...

in Palestine. She further demonstrated her support for Gaza in the “Next 2 U” music video, which opens up with a poem by a Palestinian American writer and has a Palestinian flag in the background of the entire video. In April 2025, Kehlani's scheduled performance at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

's annual

Slope Day Slope Day is an annual day of celebration held at Cornell University, historically held during the last day of regular undergraduate classes, though it has been moved to the following day as of 2014. The Slope Day Programming Board (SDPB) is resp ...

was canceled by university president

Michael Kotlikoff Michael I. Kotlikoff is an American biomedical researcher, veterinarian, and the current president of Cornell University since March 2025. He was the provost of Cornell from 2015 to 2024. Since 1986, his academic research on cardiovascular biolo ...

over her support for Palestine. Kotlikoff claimed that Kehlani had "espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos, and on social media." In response, she responded on Instagram saying, "I am not antisemitic, nor anti-Jew. I am anti-genocide, I am anti the actions of the Israeli government, I am anti an extermination of an entire people, I am anti the bombing of innocent children, men, women—that’s what I’m anti." In May 2025, another scheduled Kehlani concert in New York was canceled after pressure from New York City mayor

Eric Adams Eric Leroy Adams (born September 1, 1960) is an American politician and former police officer who has served as the 110th mayor of New York City since 2022. Adams was an officer in the New York City Transit Police and then the New York City P ...

citing "security concerns." The free concert had been scheduled to take place on June 26 at

SummerStage The City Parks Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization that provides free arts, sports, education, and community-building programs in parks across New York City. Founded in 1989, the Foundation operates in more than 400 parks, recre ...

as part of Pride events taking place in the city, but was canceled after first deputy mayor Randy Mastro sent a letter to event organizers threatening to revoke her license and refer the matter to police to investigate if the event was a "risk to public safety." The event was canceled in the midst of ongoing backlash against Kehlani's pro-Palestine views.

Sexuality and gender identity

In April 2018, she spoke about her sexuality on Twitter, stating, "I'm

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

. Not bi, not

straight Straight may refer to: Slang * Straight, slang for heterosexual ** Straight-acting, normal person * Straight, a member of the straight edge subculture Sport and games * Straight, an alternative name for the cross, a type of punch in boxing * Str ...

. I'm attracted to women, men, REALLY attracted to queer men,

non-binary Non-binary or genderqueer Gender identity, gender identities are those that are outside the male/female gender binary. Non-binary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since non-binary people typically identify with a gende ...

people,

intersex Intersex people are those born with any of several sex characteristics, including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binar ...

people,

trans Trans- is a Latin prefix meaning "across", "beyond", or "on the other side of". Used alone, trans may refer to: Sociology * Trans, a sociological term which may refer to: ** Transgender, people who identify themselves with a gender that di ...

people. lil

poly Poly, from the Greek πολύς meaning "many" or "much", may refer to: Businesses * China Poly Group Corporation, a Chinese business group, and its subsidiaries: ** Poly Property, a Hong Kong incorporated Chinese property developer ** Poly R ...

pansexual Pansexuality is sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction towards people of all genders, or regardless of their sex or gender identity. Pansexual people may refer to themselves as gender-blind, asserting that gender and sex are not determ ...

". After that, during a

livestream Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming media, streaming of video or Digital audio, audio in real-time communication, real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature ...

in early 2021, Kehlani announced that she is a

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

, after having publicly identified as

and

in the past. She prefers

polyamorous Polyamory () is the practice of, or the desire for, romantic relationships with more than one partner at the same time, with the informed consent of all partners involved. Some people who identify as polyamorous believe in consensual non-mono ...

relationships. She has stated that it is important for her to include female pronouns in her music. In an April 2019 interview with ''

Diva Diva (, ) is the Latin word for a goddess. Diva is a name from Roman mythology, and is associated with the nouns divus, diva, which means god, goddess, and the adjective divinius, which means divine or heavenly. It has often been used to refer t ...

'', Kehlani stated she is "definitely on the

scale" despite preferring "she" pronouns.

Tattoos

Kehlani got her first tattoo when she was 16. Some of her tattoos include

Coraline ''Coraline'' () is a 2002 British dark fantasy horror children's novella by author Neil Gaiman. Gaiman started writing ''Coraline'' in 1990, and it was published in 2002 by Bloomsbury and HarperCollins. It was awarded the 2003 Hugo Award for ...

, Regina "Reggie" Rocket, Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega dancing,

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by Culture of Mexico, the country' ...

, a sleeve of roses, a sunflower, and face tattoos of a paper plane and four dots. In an interview with Power 106, Kehlani discusses her attempted suicide was due to the negative media response as well as her first major heartbreak. She states that her album was therapeutic through her difficult time. During her recovery, she got a tattoo that says "perdida y encontrada" which in English translates to "lost and found". On her travels to Australia during August 2017, Kehlani received a "Kirituhi", a Tā moko, Māori tattoo from a New Zealand artist, whom she flew from New Zealand to Sydney, Australia to complete. On Kehlani's Instagram post, she captioned the photo: "[T]he piece representing my whānau/family, 6 koru representing my 4 siblings here on earth and the 2 that have transferred into the next life. 2 mangopare/hammerhead sharks representing guidance and strength through adversity and tribulation." On January 5, 2018, Kehlani posted a photo to Instagram showing that her hand tattoo of the word "woke" had been covered up with a lotus flower; she stated that she felt that her "hand would speak for [her] before [she] even got a chance to open [her] mouth".

Business ventures

Entrepreneurship in activism

In tandem with the release of her single "Next 2 U" in 2024, she unveiled merchandise created by Palestinian, Nöl Collective creative director and founder, Yasmeen Mjalli. The entirety of the proceeds from the sales of the merchandise went towards aiding Palestinian, Congolese and Sudanese families, in collaboration with Operation Olive Branch.

Discography

Studio albums

*''

'' (2017) *'' It Was Good Until It Wasn't'' (2020) * ''

'' (2022) * '' Crash'' (2024) * Big Waves Vol. 1 (2025)

Mixtapes

* Cloud 19 (2014) * You Should Be Here (2015) * While We Wait (2019) * While We Wait 2 (2024)

Singles

* Folded (2025)

Filmography

Tours

;Headlining * SweetSexySavage World Tour (2017) * Blue Water Road Trip (2022) * Crash World Tour (2024–2025) ;Supporting *

–

(2018) * Halsey – Hopeless Fountain Kingdom World Tour (2018)

Awards and nominations

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" , - ! scope="col" , Award ! scope="col" , Year ! scope="col" , Nominee(s) ! scope="col" , Category ! scope="col" , Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable", , - !scope="row", American Music Awards , American Music Awards of 2017, 2017 , rowspan=2, Themself , American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist, Favorite Female Artist – Soul/R&B , , , - !scope="row" rowspan=5, BET Awards , BET Awards 2016, 2016 , BET Award for Best New Artist, Best New Artist , , , - , rowspan=2, BET Awards 2017, 2017 , "Distraction (Kehlani song), Distraction" , BET Her Award, Centric Award , , rowspan=2, , - , rowspan=3, Themself , rowspan=3, BET Award for Best Female R&B Artist, Best Female R&B/Pop Artist , , - , BET Awards 2018, 2018 , , , - , BET Awards 2020, 2020 , , , - !scope="row", Billboard Music Awards , 2021 Billboard Music Awards, 2021 , '' It Was Good Until It Wasn't'' , Billboard Music Award for Top R&B Album, Top R&B Album , , , - !scope="row", Billboard Women in Music , 2017 , rowspan=4, Themself , Rulebreaker Award , , , - !scope="row" rowspan=2, British LGBT Awards , 2018 , rowspan=2, MTV Music Artist , , , - , 2022 , , , - !scope="row" rowspan=1 , Give Her FlowHERS Awards , 2022 , The Alchemist Award , , , - !scope="row" rowspan=2, GLAAD Media Awards , 29th GLAAD Media Awards, 2018 , ''

'' , rowspan=2, GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Artist, Outstanding Music Artist , , , - , 32nd GLAAD Media Awards, 2021 , '' It Was Good Until It Wasn't'' , , , - !scope="row" rowspan=5, Grammy Awards , 58th Annual Grammy Awards, 2016 , '' You Should Be Here'' ,

, , rowspan=2, , - , 60th Annual Grammy Awards, 2018 , "Distraction (Kehlani song), Distraction" , Best R&B Performance , , - , rowspan=3, 67th Annual Grammy Awards, 2025 , "After Hours (Kehlani song), After Hours" , Grammy Award for Best R&B Song, Best R&B Song , , rowspan="3", , - , '' Crash'' , Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album, Best Progressive R&B Album , , - , "Kehlani (song), Kehlani" , Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance, Best Melodic Rap Performance , , - !scope="row", iHeartRadio Music Awards , 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards, 2018 , rowspan=3, Themself , Best New R&B Artist , , , - !scope="row", Queerty Awards , 2022 , Closet Door Bustdown , , , - !scope="row", Soul Train Music Awards , 2017 Soul Train Music Awards, 2017 , Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Female Artist, Best R&B/Soul Female Artist , ,

References

External links

Official website
* * {{Authority control Kehlani, 1995 births Living people 21st-century American singer-songwriters American contemporary R&B singers Atlantic Records artists LGBTQ people from California American LGBTQ singers American LGBTQ songwriters Singers from Oakland, California Non-binary singers Non-binary songwriters American women pop singers American non-binary musicians Singer-songwriters from California 21st-century American LGBTQ people Polyamorous people Non-binary lesbians American lesbian musicians American activists for Palestinian solidarity