On April 24, Oakland-born R&B artist Kehlani released her fifth studio album, “Kehlani,” the same day as her 31st birthday. The singer’s self-titled release discusses ideas of reinvention and a newfound personal identity.
Following her best period of well-being and after her single “Folded” catapulted her to success and won her two Grammys, Kehlani decided it was time to begin a new era.
“[After] getting really healthy and well and grounded, what better time to reintroduce that I’ve found myself for the first time in years?” Kehlani said in an interview with Sway’s Universe. “You get the record that changes your life, you gotta follow that up.”
The very first track on the album, titled “Intro,” is a spoken, 30-second-track, where Kehlani sets the stage for her album, briefly mentioning ideas like a reborn heart and speaking from an unfiltered, truthful voice: “You’re about to hear a heart that’s been stretched, healed and reborn. A voice stepping into its truth, with no fear and no apologies. I am Kehlani.”
Moreover, in “Lights On (feat. Big Sean),” Kehlani zeroes in on another aspect of personal growth: her sexuality. For this track, she uses a lower register and embraces her sensuality, highlighted by lyrics like “all the lights on, my body out on display.” This motif is also seen in tracks like “Oooh” and “Pocket (feat. Cardi B),” both of which focus on Kehlani’s vocal ability. Throughout the album, she adopts a more mature, more soulful vocal sound, which subtly sets this apart from her previous works, strengthening her newfound musical individuality.
In addition, staying true to her R&B roots, many of Kehlani’s new songs are inspired by love, reinforcing themes of yearning and devotion. A particular stand-out is “I Need You (feat. Brandy)” for its striking lyricism. The collaboration with fellow R&B artist, Brandy, makes the track more memorable for the blend of two distinct, yet complementary vocals. Both singers’ voices come through beautifully and the emotion behind the song conveys a sense of longing that is so classically R&B.
There were a few prominent tracks, though, such as “Back and Forth (feat. Missy Elliott)” and “Shoulda Never (feat. Usher),” which both had subtle hip-hop and pop influences. There was more wordplay and more unique beats, which caused these songs to stand out from the rest of the album, as well as from Kehlani’s past work. However, this may have been due to the creative ideas of the artists she collaborated with, as both Missy Elliott and Usher are known for blending R&B music with hip-hop motifs.
Nonetheless, the various collaborations reinforce the album’s loyalty to the R&B genre and create a unique sound that makes it stand out.
“There were lots of collabs and I think that’s cool since you can hear a lot of different peoples’ voices [on one album], like Usher, Brandy, Cardi B,” said junior Aubrey Leao. “I like the vibes and the lyrics, though the meaning [of the lyrics] was only kind of there. I’d highly recommend it if you like R&B and wanna hear lots of voices.”
In the final track, “Unlearn,” Kehlani describes her mindset when trying to heal from past relationships in order to grow and prepare for a new one through this slow, smooth track, poetically concluding her reinvention album.
But, like many other songs on the album, “Unlearn” spotlights Kehlani’s soulful vocals and utilizes a relaxed beat in order to do so, making it not particularly distinctive when compared to the rest of the album. As a whole, Kehlani’s selftitled release reinforces her newfound identity through lyricism and message, yet maintains her previous musical sound and voice. However, considering her goal with this album was not to reinvent her music genre, but rather, to reestablish herself as a mature, confident artist, I would argue Kehlani’s self-titled piece was successful in conveying this new identity.
Despite some musical repetition, Kehlani’s new release, with its creative articulation of her new personal individuality and aesthetically attractive — albeit slightly overused — sound, earns itself four out of five stars.
