Mzansi loves R&B. No Sunday braai or home jol is complete without some old-school rhythm & blues crooning away in the background. For the country’s melanated majority, R&B’s themes of resilience and emotional struggle were immediately relatable, and its stars became symbols of Black excellence that felt aspirational. Also, we love a queen that can sing. Give Mzansi a voice and most of the heavy lifting is done.
While R&B might not currently sit at the same heights of popularity as Amapiano or Afrobeats, it still forms an essential part of South Africa’s musical identity, with a fiercely loyal fanbase. It’s unsurprising then that South Africa has been quick to welcome rising R&B queen Kehlani into the, uhm, fold. She headlined Rocking The Daisies in 2022, nogal – way ahead of her mainstream success.
The US singer-songwriter became a household name after her single “Folded” exploded worldwide last year, providing the sort of stratospheric, breakthrough crossover that creates a superstar. Though she may feel like a fresh name for casual listeners, R&B stalwarts will know she’s been around for a minute. Her recently released self-titled album KEHLANI is actually her fifth LP, and it shows. The album is executed with the kind of vision and artistic clarity that only really comes with experience.
The songs here feel received rather than laboured over, as if Kehlani finally found the key to unlocking the full extent of her songwriting prowess. More than anything, she sounds genuinely happy. Where previous releases often sat in emotional chaos or stylistic experimentation, KEHLANI feels grounded. There’s a noticeable ease to it. She’s less concerned with heartbreak itself than with the anticipation of what might come after it.
Kehlani never oversings or overexplains, allowing small details and understated writing to carry the weight. Tracks like “Still,” “Cruise Control,” and the quietly excellent “Oooh” understand that sensuality works best when it leaves room for suggestion. Even “Folded,” still the undeniable centrepiece months after release, succeeds because of how understated it is.
There’s an optimism buzzing across KEHLANI that carries into its bouncy late-90s and early-2000s R&B textures. These warm synths, soft shuffle beats, and layered harmonies will feel instantly familiar to local listeners raised on a steady diet of classic R&B, without collapsing entirely into nostalgia bait.
The album’s biggest weakness is also its most obvious: there are simply too many guests. The back half occasionally loses focus under the weight of features that add scale without adding much substance. Still, even when KEHLANI stumbles, it rarely collapses. The album feels like an artist settling comfortably into herself, sharpening the qualities that have always made her compelling.
