ABOUT

Kehlani was born on April 24, 1995 in east bay Months after her birth, Kehlani lost her father, never properly meeting him. Mired in drug addiction, her mom shuffled her to an aunt. She initially found solace in ballet but a knee injury sidelined her what might’ve been a budding career as ballerina. “That’s when I started singing,” she recalls. “When I was living with my aunt, she played me all of these powerful women and love songs. It was that Neo Soul-R&B, and I couldn’t get enough of it. It felt right to sing from the moment I began.” In eighth grade, she became a member of the group Poplyfe produced by D’wayne Wiggins ofTony! Toni! Toné! fame. With Kehlani front and center, Poplyfe ended up becoming a finalist on America’s Got Talent—even performing with her idol Stevie Wonder during the final round but didnt win. A few industry pitfalls and detours derailed her musical momentum for six months until she decided to pick up the mic again. Without a home, she moved from couch to couch until Cannon got back in touch wanting to help however he could. Kehlani wanted one thing: studio time.This studio time culminated in the 2014 release of her first mixtape, Cloud 19. Cannon also sent her to New York City to work with producer, Jahaan Sweet. The album ranked 28th on Complex's list of the "50 Best Albums of 2014," and was also listed among Pitchfork's "Overlooked Mixtapes 2014." Her song, "Till the Morning", was chosen by Billboard as one of the "Emerging Picks of the Week" on November 7, 2014. In early 2015, Kehlani opened for G-Eazy on the second leg of his "From the Bay to the Universe" tour.