Here’s a new definition to add to your vocabulary: mindie. That’s what Kehlani Parrish’s label describe her artistry as. Kehlani is a major artist with indie roots who launched her career in 2014 with her debut mixtape “Cloud 19,” and in 2015, releasing her second mixtape “You Should Be Here,” which Billboard called the “year’s first great R&B album.” Most recently, she released the album “SWEETSEXYSAVAGE,” staying true to her millions of loyal fans while also progressing as an artist.
Kehlani has worked with artists like Chance the Rapper and BJ the Chicago Kid and her song “Gangsta” was on the soundtrack for the movie “Suicide Squad.” Her success has been inevitable from the very beginning of her career. However, she worked hard to make her presence in the music industry known.
Kehlani comes from humble beginnings. She grew up in north Oakland with her aunt, since she had a difficult relationship with her mother, who was an addict, while her father died when she was “one or two,” she tells Naomi Zeichner in an interview for The Fader.
Her singing career officially began when she attended Oakland’s School for the Arts, a decision she made after she suffered an injury that prevented her from pursuing a career in dance. At age 14, Kehlani was recruited as a vocalist for PopLyfe, a local cover band, who finished in fourth place on “America’s Got Talent.”
Kehlani continued her passion for singing, so she left Oakland for Los Angeles and enrolled at Hollywood High, but was placed in a group home days later with no money and no legal guardian. She tells The Fader that these times were a “mix of pride and shame” for her.
“I went through people’s houses. I ran through cars — all types of shit that I feel like made me grow up so fast,” she says. “I’ve been banned from Walgreens. I’ve been banned from Walmart for stealing fucking clothes and food. Lucky’s caught me with a box of Wheat Thins and some bread. I was like, ‘Can’t you tell I’m stealing because I’m hungry?’”
However, after Nick Cannon, the host of “America’s Got Talent” got back in touch with Kehlani, her music career sprang back up — just not in the way she imagined or wanted. She expressed her disdain for being a part of a music group, rapping lyrics she did not write or believe in. After returning back home feeling beat, Cannon called her up again and set up meetings with producers, and later, she met Jahaan Sweet in New York, the producer that played a key role in “Cloud 19” and “SWEETSEXYSAVAGE.”
Kehlani has had a long history with music and her hard work does not go unnoticed. The 21-year-old’s career has only just begun, and people are watching.
