Kelela

Kelela – Life, Music, and Inspiring Voices

Dive into the journey of Kelela — from her Ethiopian-American roots to pushing boundaries in alternative R&B. Explore her discography, creative philosophy, and memorable quotes that resonate with identity, art, and change.

Introduction

Who is Kelela? Born in 1983, Kelela Mizanekristos is an American singer and songwriter renowned for blending R&B, electronic, and experimental sounds into deeply emotional, futuristic music. Over her career, she has built a reputation for forging her own path in the music industry and expanding what Black queer artistry can look and feel like in contemporary pop.

Throughout her work, she engages with themes of vulnerability, identity, love, displacement, and social context, making her music as thought-provoking as it is sonically rich.

Early Life and Background

Roots & Family

Kelela was born June 4, 1983 (sometimes cited June 6) in Washington, D.C., to Ethiopian immigrant parents.

She spent much of her upbringing in Gaithersburg, Maryland, where early on she learned to play the violin (starting in 4th grade) and participated in school choir.

Education & Musical Beginnings

Kelela attended Magruder High School, graduating in 2001. Montgomery College, then transferred to the American University. It was during her college years that she began performing jazz standards in cafés—an early step into live music.

In 2008, she joined an indie band called Dizzy Spells and even experimented with singing progressive metal, a creative detour after meeting the guitarist Tosin Abasi. Los Angeles (also spending time in London), seeking deeper musical connections and growth.

Career & Musical Evolution

2012–2015: Cut 4 Me & Hallucinogen

In late 2012, Kelela began work on what would become her debut mixtape. She left her job as a telemarketer to focus on music.

In 2013, she released Cut 4 Me, embedding her vocals into club, grime, and electronic backdrops from producers affiliated with Fade to Mind and Night Slugs. Its experimental nature earned critical acclaim and positioned her as a new voice in alternative R&B.

In 2015, she dropped an EP titled Hallucinogen, which is structured to narrate a romantic relationship in reverse chronological order—from endings back to beginnings.

2016–2018: Take Me Apart & Remixes

In 2017, Kelela released her first full studio album, Take Me Apart. The record weaves between R&B, electronic, and deconstructed production, bolstered by her intimate and expressive vocal delivery.

Singles from the album include “LMK,” “Frontline,” “Waitin,” and “Blue Light.”

In 2018, she released Take Me A_Part, the Remixes, bringing together remixes from various producers like Kaytranada and Serpentwithfeet, extending the life and scope of the original album.

2019–Present: Hiatus & Raven

Following a multi-year hiatus, in 2022 Kelela released the lead single “Washed Away,” signaling her return. Raven.

Raven gathers together collaborators from the electronic and dance music world—such as LSDXOXO, BAMBII, and OCA—and explores themes of identity, futurism, escape, and social context.

In 2025, Kelela is set to release a live/unplugged album, In the Blue Light, recorded at New York’s Blue Note, featuring reinterpretations of her prior catalog plus a cover of Joni Mitchell.

Musical Style, Themes & Philosophy

Genre Fluidity & Production

Kelela’s music defies neat categorization. Though often labeled alternative R&B, her sound bridges club, grime, electronic, future soul, and experimental pop.

She works closely with producers and remixers, often treating her projects as collaborative sound explorations rather than solo singer-centric productions.

Identity, Vulnerability & Social Conscience

Kelela is openly queer, and she incorporates her positionality as a Black queer woman into her art, community, and public voice.

She has spoken critically about the music industry’s structures, especially how Black women are positioned and how genre boundaries are policed.

Reinvention & Rest

Her multi-year pause before Raven was not merely a gap but a time of reorientation—stepping back to reexamine her artistic direction, values, and relationship with the public sphere.

Famous Quotes & Voices

Here are a few quotes and paraphrases from Kelela that reveal her perspective:

• “I’m pushing back against the white misogynistic heterosexual establishment.”

• On Raven: she frames the album as a reclamation of Black dance music—“reclaiming dance music for Black artists.”

• Regarding her return: she acknowledged that a long break is risky in today’s music landscape, but remarked that her fans “never stopped waiting.”

• In reflections on Take Me Apart, she has discussed the tension of being singled out as an “innovative” R&B voice, asserting that innovation is a continuation of tradition rather than a departure.

These statements illustrate her awareness of structural inequalities, her desire to craft music on her own terms, and her commitment to integrity and push.

Lessons from Kelela’s Journey

1. Embrace creative risk
   Kelela’s willingness to blend genres, experiment with structure, and blur boundaries shows that growth often happens at the edges.

2. Honor voice & identity
   She makes space for her lived experience—queer, Black, Ethiopian American—as both subject and lens in her art.

3. Pause can be productive
   Her hiatus was not a retreat but a reset, allowing her art to evolve rather than stagnate.

4. Collaboration over ego
   Her deep partnership with producers, remixers, and collaborators confirms that authentic musical expression often arises from shared creative experiences.

5. Trust your audience
   Even after years away, her audience remained invested—suggesting that authenticity and relationship-building can outlast continuous output.

Conclusion

Kelela stands out as one of the most compelling and forward-thinking voices in modern R&B and electronic music, not just for her sound but for the integrity and depth she brings. Her evolution—from Cut 4 Me through Take Me Apart, and now Raven and In the Blue Light—is a narrative of reimagination, identity, and artistic sovereignty.