Kehlani, And R&B's Women Of Color, Struggle To Be Heard In Pop Market
They're expanding the genre's vocabulary, but commercial success often eludes them in an industry sold on prototypes
Kehlani Parrish's music isn't meant to be a secret.
The singer, who was raised in Oakland and currently lives in Los Angeles, makes a winning sweet-and-sour blend of contemporary R&B. She can strike a confident yet self-aware pose. On her single "CRZY," she boasts, "If I gotta be a b---- I'ma be a bad one," then adds, "I kill 'em, I kill 'em, I kill 'em with compassion." Her music hearkens to the honeyed melodies typical of '90s stars like SWV and TLC, homage-paying references to past hits like New Edition's "If It Isn't Love" and Akon's "Don't Matter," and the ecstatic flights of melisma that suggest unfettered joy. Kehlani is a capable and surprisingly strong singer, too, though she often sticks to a strident middle
