Kehlani is in a reflective era—musically, personally, and vocally—and during a recent sit-down with BigBoyTV, the Grammy-nominated singer made it clear that one influence towers above the rest: Brandy.
While talking about R&B lineage and the artists who shaped her, Kehlani didn’t hesitate to put Brandy at the very top.
“We’ll never call her a peer. We’ll always call her a mother,” she said, noting that her reverence for Brandy goes beyond fandom.
For her, Brandy isn’t just an icon—she’s foundational. “In my Mount Rushmore of R&B… I think every R&B singer that you ask, if you’re talking about vocal goats, they’re going to say Brandy,” she added. There was no debate in her voice, and she made it clear none would be entertained: “I will never be explaining Brandy Norwood to anybody.”
Kehlani recently joined Brandy and Monica on stage during a performance of “The Boy Is Mine,” an experience she described as meaningful not because of the spotlight, but because it allowed her to publicly acknowledge Brandy.
“Even if they had only brought me out to give her her flowers and say what I got to say, that would have been just as good as being able to sing my song,” she shared.
That same sense of intention runs through her latest music. Kehlani spoke at length about “Folded,” which she described as hitting all of her favorite “ingredients”—conversational lyrics, sticky melody, and layered vocal production.
The hook came instantly. “The second the beat came in the room, I just kept singing, ‘come pick up your clothes’ over and over again,” she said. The track has since become her first Top 10 hit, something she says still surprises her: “It wasn’t even considered a single at first.”
She’s equally proud of “Out the Window,” which arrived quickly on the heels of “Folded.” Kehlani admitted she didn’t expect fans to worry about the songs overlapping: “Let me step on my own foot myself,” she joked.
As for her next album, Kehlani confirmed it’s arriving in early 2026, aligned with spring—her season of choice. “I usually come in spring. I’m a spring baby,” she said, adding that she pushed the release back because the music “needs the sun.”