Kehlani has been waiting for this moment for a long, long time. After relaxing the crowd with the smooth R&B of “Nights Like This” from their 2019 mixtape While We Waitthe Oakland-born singer — backed by a live band and three singers — told the public radio audience huddled around her about the journey to this special moment.
“Hey everyone. Thanks for coming and tuning in to my Tiny Desk. It's been a long time coming. I sure know I'm late, so thanks for making sure I've gotten this far in my process,” they said before chill out on the jazzy slow jam 2016 “Distraction” from her debut. SweetSexySavage.
Next up was the sexy soul burner “Can I,” the fourth single from Kehlani's 2020 sophomore album It was good until it wasn't, in which he sings, “This st's so good, should be illegal/ I need the second round, I need it all the time/ Hit the backboard like a free throw/ You next level, you a cheat code.” Taking a break to chat with the assembled NPR staffers, Kehlani stumbled over their words, admitting they were “naturally shy” and a little nervous — which is why it took so long to get on the desk — as they made a political statement.
“I want to take a second to say: Free Palestine. Free Congo. Free Sudan. Free Yemen. Free Hawaii. Free Guam,” said the singer, who announced in June that she had raised more than $555,000 in aid for the Palestinian people and citizens of war-torn Sudan and Congo by selling shirts from her single “Next 2 U.” “Beyond a ceasefire we need an end to the occupation. It's deeper than that. I need everyone who is here right now, who is watching, to step up, to use their voice.”
The set closed with the upbeat “After Hours” from Kehlani's latest album, CONFLICT.
Watch Kehlani's Tiny Desk concert below.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/kehlani-npr-tiny-desk-concert-1235743858/
