Album of the week: Kehlani - ‘Kehlani’

Kehlani returns with an album that feels like a quiet flex — the kind you only make when you know exactly who you are, what you can do, and who’s now lining up to stand beside you. For years she’s been the artist who preferred to carry the full weight of a project alone, but this time she’s opened the door to a range of heavyweight guest features - including Clipse, Missy, Usher, Lil Wayne, Big Sean and Leon Thomas. Whether that’s a deliberate display of her pulling power, or simply a reflection of how many artists are now eager to get a piece of her aura pie is up for debate. Either way, it works and doesn’t feel forced.

The headline collaboration for me is the one fans have been manifesting for years: I Need You with her musical hero, Brandy. It lands with the confidence of a moment that was always meant to happen — rich, warm, and as strong as anything else on the album. It’s definitely a personal fave alongside the quality sensual soul of Oooh.

Kehlani has been putting in the work for a minute (this in fact his her fifth studio release) but her career‑shifting moment came in 2025 between albums with Folded, a song that cemented her artistic identity and widened her audience. You can feel the aftershocks of that track all over this project — a steadier hand, a clearer sense of self, and a willingness to stretch without losing the emotional core that made her compelling in the first place.

I still put It Was Good Until It Wasn’t at the top of my Kehlani albums list and this LP doesn’t shift my senses like that release, but it’s still an impressive yardstick for how far she’s come — and how many people now want to come with her.

- DJ Mr Drew