Written By: Lele
Kehlani has been making music since they were a teenager, with their first project, Cloud 9, releasing in 2014. Prior to this release, they were a contestant on season six of America’s Got Talent with their childhood band, PopLyfe. This show was pivotal to Kehlani’s career. The group made it to fourth place, and Kehlani was discovered by Nick Cannon.
Cannon, an actor, comedian, and rapper, was the show’s host at the time and saw potential in Kehlani. And after the show, he encouraged Kehlani to finish high school and pursue a career in music. He also helped them with industry connections and housing during their move from Oakland to Los Angeles, California.
Kehlani’s mixtape, You Should Be Here, released in 2015, marked the first major turning point in their career. The project was released independently and received a Grammy nomination, a Billboard 200 entry, and widespread audience praise. Following this success, Kehlani signed with Atlantic Records and released SweetSexySavage, which is when I personally discovered their music and have followed them ever since.
Kehlani has released a total of seven projects, with their most recent being the album Crash, released in 2024. In 2025, Kehlani shared a snippet on TikTok for a single titled “Folded.” This snippet blew up all over social media with users begging for her to release the single. When I first heard the snippet, I was hooked and excited to hear the rest. After its release, the single became my top-played song for June and July on Apple Music.
I think “Folded” connected so strongly with audiences because of its relatability and catchiness. Kehlani explained that the song was meant to express how breakups can be complicated and not always black and white. In the track, Kehlani portrays the feeling of still having the door open for a relationship to be mended before officially calling it quits.
“Folded” accumulated over 13 million streams in the U.S. during its first week of release and has since surpassed 270 million streams on Spotify alone. This marked one of many peak moments in Kehlani’s career, which they did not let go to waste. They went on to release an EP titled Folded (Homage Pack), paying homage to some of their favorite R&B legends through six “Folded” remixes. These remixes included inspirations such as Toni Braxton, Brandy, and Ne-Yo.
Listeners referred to “Folded” as the song of the summer and even the song of the year. While Kehlani has not teased many details about their plans for 2026, they have shared that another album is expected to release in the spring, which fans are very excited to hear. Kehlani has a way of expressing emotions and story telling that consumes their audience and helps them to feel every lyric.
If I had to describe Kehlani’s music in one word, it would be comfort. If you haven’t heard of Kehlani yet, 2026 is definitely the year to indulge in their many masterpieces.
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