Kehlani is in a reflective era, musically, personally, and vocally; and during a recent sit-down with BigBoyTV, she made it clear that one influence stands above all: Brandy. While discussing R&B lineage and the artists who shaped her, Kehlani placed Brandy firmly at the top.
“We’ll never call her a peer. We’ll always call her a mother,” she said, explaining that her admiration goes far beyond fandom. For Kehlani, Brandy is 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. She emphasized that she would never justify Brandy’s status to anyone: “I will never be explaining Brandy Norwood to anybody.”
Recently, Kehlani joined Brandy and Monica on stage during a performance of “The Boy Is Mine,” an experience she valued not for the spotlight, but for the chance to publicly honor 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 is present in her current music. Kehlani spoke about her song “Folded,” which she said includes all her favorite elements; conversational lyrics, a memorable melody, and layered vocal production. The hook came quickly. “The second the beat came in the room, I just kept singing, ‘come pick up your clothes’ over and over again,” she recalled. The track has since become her first Top 10 hit, something she admits surprised her: “It wasn’t even considered a single at first.”
She expressed similar pride in “Out the Window,” released soon after. Kehlani didn’t expect fans to worry about the songs overlapping, joking, “Let me step on my own foot myself.”
Looking ahead, Kehlani confirmed her next album will arrive in early 2026, aligned with spring, her preferred season. “I usually come in spring. I’m a spring baby,” she said, adding that she delayed the release because the music “needs the sun.”
