Singer-songwriter Kelela can make six years feel like an eternity. With last month’s release of her second LP, 

, Kelela has made her long-awaited return after a lengthy hiatus — and as a massive fan, it was well worth the wait. Atmospheric and immaculately produced, 

 arrived to substantial critical acclaim, not to mention a massive press run: A stint on the 

was bookended with glowing New York Times and Rolling Stone articles. 

The success is unprecedented, but extremely warranted. After 2013 mixtape 

 (2017), Kelela’s cerebral, unique mesh of electronic and R&B music has amassed a considerable 

. Pulling from a vast array of influences, including Janet Jackson, the Artful Dodger, and Massive Attack, Kelela speaks to a new generation of music lovers. As she embarks on her sold out tour, it’s all the more reason to examine her work.

, Kelela’s breakout 2013 mixtape, after hours spent combing the depths of Soundcloud and Bandcamp. At age 14 I was on the hunt for something, anything that piqued interest (and preferably something free for download).

, equal parts bracing and sweet, feels ahead of the curve even ten years on, gorgeous harmonies soaring over cutting synths and dystopian soundscapes. 

Funded by insurance money from a car accident

, the 13 track epic is money well spent, seamlessly blending R&B hooks with UK bass: “The vision is this 

 vocal over […] a grime track. [I wanted] the record to feel familiar and other-worldly at the same time,” Kelela noted in 

Even with Kelela’s later shift to more minimal, gauzier instrumentals, her honeyed vocals remain a throughline, rooted deep in R&B tradition. It’s what initially drew me to her — at times glacial and detached, others aching and desperate, her vocals echo the best of 90s divas. Kelela has even likened herself to “

.” It’s an apt, if humble, comparison. 

Thus, equally suited to both bedroom introspection and the club, Kelela’s work exists in a liminal, genre-fluid space. This malleability is purposeful, due in part to frequent collaborators and techno staples Asmara, Jam City, Arca, and Kaytranada. Every one of Kelela’s tracks is primed for a remix. 

“Arrangement is a very Black tradition,” Kelela shared earlier this year in a 

. “Black people can create from scratch, but then there’s also a deep-seated… tradition of repurposing and recreating new shit out of the tools that are available to us. Falling in love with an original album and then hearing it reinterpreted — it’s a very exhilarating experience.” 

She’s made plenty good on this promise. 

 her projects thus far has a remixed counterpart, with 

: “Before [‘Take Me a_Part, the Remixes’], I remember trying to explain what I’m trying to do. People were like: ‘really?’. Now it feels like a standard [in pop music]. Lady Gaga is doing a remix project! All the girls are doing a remix project. [With my remixes] I want to highlight the work of people who are making sick shit right now, and are marginalized.”

It’s a fascinating turn of events. Kelela’s sound, which draws from house, jungle, and techno, has primarily been shaped by the Black and brown community for decades, yet has only recently come into mainstream favor. See: Beyonce’s 

, the drum ‘n bass/UK garage stylings of TikTok sensation PinkPantheress. To Kelela’s point, pop stars far removed from these communities have started releasing slews of techno-tinged remixes, 

Though these developments are a testament to Kelela’s understated influence (Beyonce and Solange are purportedly 

), it also speaks to a greater trend of how the dance music scene has long failed marginalized artists. The 

 movement, of which Kelela is a proponent, seeks to remedy this issue, yet Kelela herself calls for more: Artist mentorship, legal help, touring assistance. 

In the past, Kelela has described herself as a 

 not only as an artist straddling the lines of R&B and electronica, but also as a second-generation Ethiopian growing up in the Maryland suburbs. “There was a layered reality from jump,” she said in a 

. “There was never a moment where I didn’t have to split my brain… I’ve always translated across worlds. It’s about reading space and people because you’re growing up in a society where it’s generally unsafe for you as a Black girl.” 

Many credit her ingenuity as a product of the immigrant experience, her genre-meshing only natural after a lifetime of code-switching. Personally? I find it reductive, and clearly so does Kelela — 

 marks a turning point for Kelela both musically and politically. She pointedly prioritizes working only with producers and musicians of color, embracing a stance of 

 The bridge she once was has long since burned.

It is difficult to feign journalistic neutrality when Kelela has so thoroughly scored my life; the flurried essay writing sessions in high school and college, the unyielding isolation of lockdown, the requisite going out mix. I sneak her onto countless playlists, force-feeding friends cuts from 

Aside from Kelela’s clear technical skill as a producer and vocalist, what gets to me the most is her fierce commitment to vulnerability. It’s why she’s so deeply embedded in my life — I’ve yet to find someone who so beautifully articulates the complexities of relationships, who so uniquely vocalizes the blistering, sweet ache of love won and lost. Songs “Bluff” and “Cherry Coffee” chronicle relationships in deep decay, “Contact” evokes a party buried under a thick haze. Her music conjures up distinct imagery: Crumpled bed sheets, the thrum of bass in a club, a long drive home. 

“[With] the larger context of the world [my music] is living in: [it is] radical for me to be so vulnerable and tender in a world that feels so unsafe,” Kelela detailed in the aforementioned Vice interview. 

“Where can I go?” Kelela wonders on “Altadena,” 

s glimmering closer. Though I don’t have the answer, I know that wherever she goes, I will follow. 

{"type":"doc","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"text":"","type":"text"}]}]}

Fatima Rahman

Kelela speaks to a new generation of music lovers. As she embarks on her sold out tour, it’s all the more reason to examine her work.


Best of Kelela - By Fatima Rahman

ALICE CHICHE/AFP via Getty Images

Kelela changed my life

MIKE, 454, and Niontay shared the stage at Underground Music Cafe in Minneapolis on Thursday, March 16. Watch all three performers in Carbon Sound Correspondent Liam Armstrong’s video above.

Read Carbon Sound Correspondent Joely Kelzer’s 

 and tune in to Carbon Sound 24/7 to hear songs like 

Liam Armstrong

Watch Carbon Sound Correspondent Liam Armstrong’s video of the underground rap trio here.


MIKE and 454 at Underground Music Cafe 15

Awa Mally

MIKE, 454, and Niontay LIVE in Minneapolis | 3.16.23

Video: MIKE, 454, and Niontay LIVE in Minneapolis | 3.16.23

Nikhil Kumaran

Take a look at Nikhil Kumaran’s photos of MAVI and Fly Anakin’s Tuesday night show at 7th St Entry.


Photos: MAVI laughs so hard it hurts at 7th St Entry

Young Nudy gave a fresh serving of “Gumbo” during his first show in Minneapolis on Thursday, March 16.


Derrick Gichaba

Photos: Young Nudy Feeds the Fans at Varsity Theater

Hanging in the crowd between sets, MIKE and 454 brought an easy, energetic night to Underground Music Cafe.


Review: MIKE and 454 make friends in Minneapolis

The singer-songwriter delivered a show to remember to a packed crowd on Tuesday night in Minneapolis.


Review: Ari Lennox's Last Ride in Minneapolis

Zoe Challenger

Check out Zoe Challenger’s photos of night 2 of Carbon Sound’s March residency at 7th St Entry.


Photos: Night 2 of An Evening with Carbon Sound

Carbon Sound hosted the first night of our March residency at 7th St Entry under the full moon on Tuesday, March 7.

Spread across two weeks, each night featured three great Twin Cities artists that are shaping the future of Black musical expression. 

March 7th featured Huhroon, sahn, and DJ Narcos, who couldn't make it due to an emergency and was replaced with Carbon Sound Content Director Julian Green DJing as ech0astral. March 14th will feature SYM1, Craishon, and Yasmeenah. 

Find more information on First Avenue’s website.

Watch Carbon Sound Correspondent Liam Armstrong’s recap of Carbon Sound’s first-ever concert.


An Evening with Carbon Sound - Night 1 (sahn, Huhroon)

Video: An Evening with Carbon Sound - Night 1

Each week, we add new music, older tracks, which are known as “Gold adds”, and tracks that might not fit our general format, but still deserve a place in rotation because they serve our mission of showing the depth, breadth, and influence of Black musical expression - These are known as “Variety adds.”

. If you make music and want it considered for rotation, 

 If you want to give feedback directly, reach out to me at jgreen@mpr.org.

Tune in to hear our host Sanni B. live on The Message from 10 AM to 1 PM Monday through Thursday!

Keep all these tracks in one place with the 

 Spotify playlist. This playlist is updated weekly with all the new adds. When that playlist is cycled with new tracks, the tracks live forever on the 

 playlist. That playlist contains all of the music that we've added since the week of July 11 in chronological order of when it was added. All of the tracks available on Spotify, at least.

Julian Green built and manages the music library for Carbon Sound and oversees content creation.  


Julian Green

All of the tracks added to rotation on Carbon Sound the weeks of March 13, 2023.


Image for New on Carbon Sound Spotify playlist

Natalia Toledo

New on Carbon Sound

Old on Carbon Sound

New Music on Carbon Sound - Week March 13, 2023

On Tuesday, March 14th, local artists SYM1, CRAISHON and Yasmeenah will take the 7th St Entry stage at An Evening With Carbon Sound: Night 2

. I was able to talk to the artists about performing and what they’re excited to bring to the stage next week. Hope to see you there!

 “I’m Yasmeenah, a DJ with roots in Somalia by way of the Twin Cities”

 “I’m SYM1, a Minneapolis based pop artist, producer, and vocalist where dance music, alternative genres, and hyperpop aesthetics meet.”

 “Wassup, my name is Craishon I'm an R&B artist. Born and raised in Northside Minneapolis!”

 “Answering this question is hard because I have so many favorite performers but who I’m immediately thinking of right now is Doechii…She’s fresh!”

 “If I only get to pick one performer then it’s Hatsune Miku!”

 “Beyoncé and Usher. The way they both can command the audience while hitting all their counts and still sing. It's still mind blowing and plus the music itself is top tier.”

Which song are you most excited to perform? 

 “I’m not really sure what I’m going to play for this gig yet so I can’t answer that right now!”

 “I’m most excited to play my latest single, ‘Perfect and Pretend.’ It’s an absolute Eurodance bop.”

 “I'm mostly excited to perform every song on the setlist. This is my first solo set, so I'm grateful to be performing some of my own material. Usually I'm performing with the group I’m part of. Shoutout to Basement Gang, with Junethakid, Saiku, Righteous Emcee and Quasi Uno!”

What is your favorite venue to perform at? 

 “My favorite venue to perform at right now is the Red Sea! Shoutout to the West Bank!”

 “My favorite venue to perform at is the large stage at the Underground music cafe!” 

 “I haven't been to many places yet, but I'm so happy my first show is at 7th St Entry. Like, that's crazy, but I'm so grateful. This is just the beginning!”

What is the last concert you went to? How was it? 

 “The last concert I went to was Flo Milli at the Amsterdam and it was soooo good! She’s one of the most exciting rappers out right now and her music is so fun!”

“The last show I went to was Rina Sawayama. It was iconic and fulfilling as I’d been waiting to see her since before the pandemic.”

“Y'all gone drag me, but the last time I been to a concert was like 2015. It was Ariana Grande . I was in high school and it was my first concert by myself, so I had a great time! But see y'all at Renaissance this summer!”

If you could have anything or anyone at your show what or who would it be?

 “If I could have anything/anyone at this show, it would be a supportive and warm energy from the crowd. Folks being present from the beginning to the end.”

“If I could have anything at a performance it would be a rising + rotating stage!”

“Marvin Gaye, because he's one of my favorite vocalists of all time. When he sang, you felt every lyric, every emotion, and not to mention the musicality. I would love to have a show and the set is a tropical garden. A waterfall, flowers...all that. It'd be super interactive as well. That's my theater background coming out, but that would be so dope.”

See these artists LIVE on Tuesday, March 14th at Carbon Sound’s 7th St Entry residency!

Joely Kelzer

Learn more about CRAISHON, SYM1, and Yasmeenah, who will all perform at night 2 of Carbon Sound’s March Residency a 7th St Entry on Tuesday, March 14.


Stories

Kelela changed my life

Video: MIKE, 454, and Niontay LIVE in Minneapolis | 3.16.23

Photos: MAVI laughs so hard it hurts at 7th St Entry

Get the Carbon Sound app

Photos: Young Nudy Feeds the Fans at Varsity Theater

Review: MIKE and 454 make friends in Minneapolis

Review: Ari Lennox's Last Ride in Minneapolis

Photos: Night 2 of An Evening with Carbon Sound

Connect with Carbon Sound

Video: An Evening with Carbon Sound - Night 1

New Music on Carbon Sound - Week March 13, 2023

Get To Know Carbon Sound’s Residency Artists!

See more stories →