The Kehlani World Tour starts this summer in North America and arrives in NYC at Barclays Center on August 21st with special guests Durand Bernarr, Isaia Huron, TheARTI$t, and WASEEL.
Kehlani was raised by their aunt in Oakland, California in the late 1990s who exposed them to R&B and neo-soul artists like Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, and Jill Scott, who they cite as some of their earliest musical influences. In 2009, they joined the pop-cover group, PopLyfe, performing throughout the Bay Area before participating in season six of America’s Got Talent and placing fourth overall. After their final performance, judge Piers Morgan told Kehlani, “you’ve got real talent, but I don’t think you need the group” – a comment that would predict the trajectory of their huge career. Leaving PopLyfe due to managerial disputes, they released their first song, “ANTISUMMERLUV,” on SoundCloud, catching the attention of America’s Got Talent host and music producer, Nick Cannon, who bought them studio time and an apartment in Los Angeles. The studio time resulted in their first mixtape, Cloud 19, in 2014, making Complex’s list of the “50 Best Albums of 2014” and Pitchfork’s “Overlooked Mixtapes 2014” list. 2015’s You Should Be Here debuted at number 5 on Billboard’s “Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums” chart and the following tour sold out every single North American date. They went on to be named by Complex as one of the “15 Artists to Watch Out for in 2015” and Rolling Stone included them on their list of “10 New Artists You Need to Know.”
Kehlani went on to release a string of impressive albums that match heartfelt revelations with futuristic musical and production flourishes, solidifying them as one of the most grounded and inspiring voices in modern R&B. Their latest album, Kehlani, released in April, is centered around joy and demonstrates the growth they’ve made over their decade-long solo career. In an interview with Apple Music, they reflected on their shift from drawing on trauma as artistic inspiration to drawing on joy, saying “to be able to come full circle–I’m 31 now, and I was 20–and you can hear it. You can hear it even in my tone of speaking voice, how I’ve grown up and I’ve matured and I’m confident now.” The album is full of features with some of their greatest inspirations and legends of the hip-hop and R&B genre including Lily Wayne, Brandy, Missy Elliot,Usher, T-Pain, Lil John, Cardi B, Big Sean, and Leon Thomas. The star single from the album, “Folded,” peaked at number six on Billboard Hot 100 and won both Best R&B Performance and Song at the 68th Grammys.
Don’t miss Kehlani perform hits from their self-titled album and more on the Kehlani World Tour at Barclays Center on August 21st. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com.
Date: August 21st
Location: Barclays Center
Address: 620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Show Time: 7 p.m.
Doors Open: 6 p.m.
Ticket Price: $95-$1,794
Ages: All ages
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