kelela
It has been speculated that Beyoncé's dubby,
disembodied new album was inspired by, among
other things, American-Ethiopian newcomer
Kelela. Raised in suburban Maryland and based
in Los Angeles, she announced her arrival late
last year with a self-released mix tape, Cut 4 Me.
Sometimes slippery, often strident, the collection
sounded like R&B from the far future (the parallels
with another wizard of wooze, Frank Ocean,
are clear). As writer and arranger, Kelela is selfevidently
a talent – but it's her voice, smokey and
smoldering, that truly bewitches. In interviews
she has revealed that Cut 4 Me is a break-up record,
albeit one that rejects pro forma simpering and
self-pity. "I… avoided a few templates and asked
myself, ‘How can I talk about heartache without
sounding like a damsel or a victim?’ I want other
girls to sing the song and be like, ‘That’s exactly
it.’ I don’t want you to feel defeated, like, ‘Oh boy,
why do you do this to me?’ We have too many of
those songs."
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