‘You Should Be Here’ for the Tsunami of Kehlani
Oakland-born R&B singer Kehlani Parrish, known by her stage name Kehlani, has been making waves on the underground music scene but is finally starting to come to the surface. The melodic voice of this 20 year old is definitely something to hear, and her lyrics are more than relatable.
From losing her father soon after birth, having a mother addicted to drugs, and being shuffled to live with an aunt, Kehlani has clearly had some hardships come her way early in life. But even through a knee injury that ended her upcoming ballerina career, singing was always where she felt at home.
You might remember a group named Poplyfe on America’s Got Talent’s sixth season in 2011, then 16 year-old Kehlani was the lead singer. The group’s talent got them into the finals, and a chance to perform alongside Stevie Wonder; unfortunately they lost at 4th place.
Last year, Kehlani released her first mixtape, Cloud 19, and the public got a taste of her amazing talents. BuzzFeed mentioned her as #4 on their “41 SXSW 2015 Artists You Need In Your Life”.
This past April, Kehlani’s second mixtape, You Should Be Here, came out and has completely skyrocketed her career, including guest features by Chance the Rapper and BJ the Chicago Kid, also allowing her to go on her first North American tour. YSBH is something everyone needs on their playlist.
I’m actually excited to rediscover Kehlani’s voice because my sister and I were rooting for her and the other members of Poplyfe to win on America’s Got Talent. I have been listening to the entire YSBH mixtape for about two weeks nonstop. Kehlani’s sound is like a mixture of the entire Mowtown era plus a little Jhene Aiko’s soulful lyrics and the spirit of America’s youth. Whether singing about her life, getting high, or boys/girls (oh I forgot to mention, she’s bisexual), Kehlani has a hold on how she wants herself and her music to be seen.
There’s a reason she’s also known as Lani Tsunami because her music is a tsunami of sound. Listen to her popular track from You Should Be Here, The Way feat. Chance the Rapper:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E1xYcXsGp0&list=RDMM151jRSzKZUE&index=31
I don’t know what you guys have been doing with your life, but if you aren’t riding the Lani Tsunami, clearly you’re doing something wrong.
-Jakim Lett