Kelela

Kelela

Kelela performing in April 2014
Background information
Birth name Kelela Mizanekristos
Born (1983-06-06) 6 June 1983
Washington, D.C., United States
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Instruments Vocals
Years active 2010–present
Labels Fade to Mind, Night Slugs, Cherry Coffee / Warp
Associated acts

Kelela Mizanekristos (English pronunciation: /kə'lɛlə/, born 6 June 1983), known as Kelela, is an American singer and songwriter. Her 2013 debut mixtape, Cut 4 Me, earned praise from music critics and contemporaries such as Solange Knowles and Björk, and was listed in various publication's year-end lists. Seeking to make the mixtape sound like a remix album,[3] Kelela added her own vocals over instrumental tracks by DJs from Fade to Mind and Night Slugs. In October 2015, she released an EP, Hallucinogen, and is continuing work on a full-length album.[4] [5]

Life and career

A first-generation Ethiopian American, Kelela was born in Washington, D.C., grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland and graduated from Magruder High School in 2001.[6] She has been based in Los Angeles since 2010.[1] After transferring from Montgomery College to American University, Kelela began singing jazz standards at cafés.[7] In 2008, she joined an indie band called Dizzy Spells and tried to sing progressive metal after meeting Tosin Abasi, whom she later dated.[7]

Having moved to Los Angeles, Kelela connected with Teengirl Fantasy and contributed to the group's 2013 album Tracer on the song "EFX", which led her to meet Prince William from the label Fade to Mind.[3] He introduced her to the sound of the record label and its sister imprint from London, Night Slugs, which Spin has described as "one of the most distinctive sounds in U.K. dance music, a mutable hybrid of grime, house, electro, R&B, techno, hip hop, and dubstep."[8] In May 2013, she appeared on Kingdom's "Bank Head", and five months later released her mixtape Cut 4 Me for free.[9] Harriet Gisbone of The Guardian has described the album as "an experiment for the production team, the first time the production crew had used vocals on their club tracks."[1] Her track Go All Night was included on Saint Heron, a compilation album released by Solange Knowles. In March 2014, Kelela was featured in Bok Bok's song "Melba's Call" for his new EP.[10]

On March 3, 2015, Kelela announced the forthcoming release of her Hallucinogen EP with a video for the project lead track "A Message", produced by Arca.[11] The lead track, Rewind, was released in September 2015 with the rest of Hallucinogen being released in October.[12] Hallucinogen covers the beginning, middle, and end of a relationship in reverse chronological order.[13]

Discography

Albums

List of albums, with selected details and chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US UK
Cut 4 Me (Deluxe Edition)
  • Released: April 6, 2015
  • Label: Fade to Mind
  • Format: 3x12", 2xCD, Digital
 — —

EPs

List of extended plays, with selected details and chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US UK
Hallucinogen
  • Released: October 9, 2015
  • Label: Warp / Cherry Coffee Music
— —

Mixtapes

List of mixtapes, with selected details
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US UK
Cut 4 Me
  • Released: October 1, 2013
  • Label: Fade to Mind
  • Format: Digital Download
 — —

Promotional singles

List of singles as lead artist
Title Year Album Label
"Go All Night" 2013 Saint Heron Saint Records
"OICU"

(with P. Morris & Le1f)

2014 Non-album single —
"The High" 2014 Hallucinogen EP Warp / Cherry Coffee Music
"Rewind" 2015 Hallucinogen EP Warp / Cherry Coffee Music
"A Message"
List of singles as featured artist
Title Year Album Label
"EFX"

Teengirl Fantasy ft. Kelela

 2012 Tracer True Panther Sounds / R&S Records
"Bank Head"

Kingdom ft. Kelela

 2013 Vertical XL Fade to Mind
"Melba's Call"

Bok Bok ft. Kelela

 2014 Your Charizmatic Self Night Slugs
"With You"

Kindness ft. Kelela

 2014 Otherness Female Energy / Mom + Pop Music
"World Restart"

Kindness ft. Kelela & Ade

 2014 Otherness Female Energy / Mom + Pop Music
"Geneva"

Kindness (Backing Vocal Kelela )

 2014 Otherness Female Energy / Mom + Pop Music
"For The Young"

Kindness (Lead Vocal Kelela )

 2014 Otherness Female Energy / Mom + Pop Music
"Autumn (Lude I)"

Boots ft. Kelela

2014 WinterSpringSummerFall —
"Want It"

Kelela x Tink x DJ Dahi

 2014 — —
"Dangerzone"

Future Brown ft. Kelela & Ian Isiah

 2015 Future Brown Warp
"Soulful Beat", "Weather Any Storm", "Living In The Snow"

Mocky (Backing Vocal Kelela)

 2015 Key Change Heavy Sheet Music
"Airy"

Obey City ft. Kelela

 2015 Merlot Sounds LuckyMe
"A Breath Away"

Clams Casino ft. Kelela

 2016 32 Levels Columbia Records
"Scales"

Solange ft. Kelela

 2016 A Seat at the Table Saint Records, Columbia Records

References

  1. 1 2 3 Gibsone, Harriet (12 December 2013). "The best albums of 2013: No 7 – Cut 4 Me by Kelela". Music Blog. The Guardian. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  2. ↑ http://www.abeano.com/bok-bok-kelela-grime-vocals/
  3. 1 2 Kellman, Andy. "Kelela: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  4. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (2015-11-25). "Kelela Continues the Swagger of '90s R&B on 'Hallucinogen'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  5. ↑ Ester, Dean. "D.C.-bred R&B singer Kelela returns home to U Street Music Hall".
  6. ↑ http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/kelela-an-randb-star-to-be/2014/04/14/f4681b6a-bb4a-11e3-96ae-f2c36d2b1245_story.html
  7. 1 2 Richards, Chris (14 April 2014). "Kelela: An R&B star-to-be". Style. The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  8. ↑ Sherburne, Philip (February 13, 2013). "Night Slugs' Bok Bok on Grime, Texture, and Moving Beyond 'Bass Music'". Spin. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  9. ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Cut 4 Me - Kelela". Allmusic. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  10. ↑ Frank, Alex (5 March 2014). "Video: Bok Bok feat. Kelela, "Melba's Call"". The FADER. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  11. ↑ Camp, Zoe (3 March 2015). "Kelela Announces Hallucinogen EP, Shares Arca Collab "A Message"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  12. ↑ Twitter, Kiana Fitzgerald. "Songs We Love: Kelela, 'Rewind'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  13. ↑ "Album Of The Week: Kelela Hallucinogen". Stereogum. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
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