R&B force Kehlani has always spoken from the heart. After 15 years of hustle and now a two-time Grammy winner, she’s done justifying herself in public. Her new album speaks for itself. So stop asking questions and listen – she’s about to have you “Folded”.

Kehlani is a winner, baby. The South Berkeley-born singer and I are speaking four days before she goes on to win her first two Grammy Awards – Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song – both for her hit song “Folded”. Today, though, Kehlani is at home in Los Angeles for our Zoom, looking cosy as she lies on her olive sofa, decked out with earth-toned cushions. Her skin is glowing, her brows are snatched, and her long black hair is effortlessly tousled. Her aura is zen, but she’s equally a hoot – she makes me chuckle more than a few times during our chat.

She’s just returned from her first trip to Mumbai, where she performed at Lollapalooza India. Kehlani shut it down on that stage: mic on, choreography nasty, crowd word-perfect. A beautiful reminder of music’s power to unite us globally.

Once you hear those opening strings, you know it’s time to go pick up your clothes. “Folded” has all the ingredients of a classic R&B record: evocative, layered storytelling of a relationship in distress, runs for days that only a powerful vocalist could pull off, and a chorus that dares the listener to even attempt those notes.

Kehlani herself couldn’t have predicted the magnitude of the record. “Honestly, it feels like [the film] Inception,” she says of the response. “There were songs I feel like I really put my foot into – “Folded” for sure – but there was nothing about the creative process that made me logicise, ‘Oh, this is the song that’s going to do it for everyone.’ I’ve gone in with so much intention before, thinking, this is it, and it wasn’t. So for this to have been such an easy process – I made a song with my friends and thought, ‘Maybe I’ll tease it, maybe I’ll put it out’ – and now it’s doing its thing, felt indicative of something bigger happening in my life right now. It’s changing everything in a positive way. When I think about the success of the song, I see it as part of something larger in my personal legend.”

Inspiring TikTok challenges that invite “medium singers” to the table, and embraced by R&B fans longing for a return to the genre’s roots, “Folded” became Kehlani’s first Billboard Hot 100 Top 10, peaking at number six, and her first-ever US R&B/Hip-Hop number one. The past year for the 30-year-old singer has felt kismet; the seeds she’s been planting are now in full bloom.

Her fifth studio album – and ninth project overall – is slated for release at the end of March. In the meantime, she’s intentionally focusing on her wellness, getting rest in rare pockets of time between final touches, incoming features, and the mastering process.

It was in 2011 that Kehlani, then a junior in high school, appeared on America’s Got Talent with her cover band PopLyfe. The band recruited her when she was 14, during a period when she was shifting her focus from dance to singing after a knee injury. At the Seattle auditions, a 16-year-old, baby-faced Kehlani – crimson cut tucked beneath a white beanie, flannel shirt on – wowed the judges with her crystal-clear tone as she sang Travis McCoy featuring Bruno Mars’ “Billionaire”.

Judge Piers Morgan suggested that Kehlani was the star and didn’t need the band, but she swiftly pushed back, explaining they had chosen to perform acoustically on purpose – just a taste – and assuring him that once they went electric, he would change his mind. A true Taurus, loyal to the end, Kehlani said, “I don’t go without my brothers.” The band made it to the semi-finals, ultimately placing fourth, and even performed “Higher Ground” with Stevie Wonder. When I tell her it’s been 15 years since her time on the show, she looks visibly spooked by how quickly time has flown.

The period after America’s Got Talent wasn’t smooth sailing. The band broke up due to unfortunate business circumstances, and there was a period of sofa-surfing – but the fire in Kehlani’s spirit only grew bolder. At 19, she released her debut mixtape “Cloud 19”, and the industry began to wake up to her star power.

Kehlani’s second mixtape, 2015’s “You Should Be Here” – her first commercial mixtape and first project under Atlantic Records – was widely lauded, earning her a Best Urban Contemporary Album nomination at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards in 2016. Early on, she set the tone: vulnerability and honesty were her superpowers. On the mixtape’s intro, she tells us, “I’ve seen things and felt more pain than some will in their entire lives, all before the age of even being able to buy a fucking drink at a bar.” With ease, she could move from singing about a partner who is physically present but emotionally hollow on the title track, to the smooth Chance the Rapper–assisted single “The Way”, which later achieved Platinum status.

Kehlani spent her twenties grinding, releasing four albums and three mixtapes that cemented her as one of R&B’s most promising young talents, distinguishing herself with resounding swag and emotional intelligence. From the jump, her songwriting stood out because she goes there – equally vocal about love when it’s blissful and tender, and when trust erodes and turns toxic, leaving nothing but disappointment, rancour, and a migraine. It’s not all heartbreak, though. The singer-songwriter also has a knack for writing bops that are s-e-x-y, from the declarative “What A Girl Wants” to the entendre-laced “8”.

Discernment, she notes, is the greatest lesson she learned during this decade. “Discernment, all around: people, places, things, opportunities. Discerning what it feels like when you’re being healthy, discerning what it feels like when you’re not, not letting anything cloud your relationship with God. Discerning my own behaviour – whatever is solely in my control – and making that my responsibility. I think I learn everything as a crash course, and it’s on display for the world, so I’m always learning this double lesson: the super personal one, and the lesson that comes with the intense magnifying glass of my career and so-called celebrity. So I’m always getting the double ass-whoop. I’m used to it at this point,” she guffaws.

This insight has become crucial in this era of Kehlani’s career, where opportunity is opening up like never before. Throughout her journey, she has been steadfast in showing love to her inspirations – whether that’s rallying people to ensure Jazmine Sullivan’s legacy is properly discussed, or taking a moment to remind the world of neo-soul singer India.Arie’s often-overlooked impact.

2025, however, was filled with full-circle moments, as Kehlani found herself working with the pioneers who shaped her artistry. Mariah Carey’s “Hero” was the first song she ever learned to sing, so when an invite came from the Songbird Supreme herself to feature on “Sugar Sweet” – alongside dancehall star Shenseea – for Carey’s sixteenth studio album Here For It All, Kehlani was understandably shook.

Kehlani’s eyes twinkle when asked about Mariah. “My queen,” she exclaims sweetly. “I think the main thing I learned from her is how much care she still puts into everything. Down to the colours matching a certain way, to how the fan had to hit the hair just right – everything was so on point. [Watching her film content] reminded me that she’s such a seasoned, thorough professional. She’s been doing this for ages, and that’s the standard I hold myself to. Seeing that in real life was an honour. I really had to gush and tell her she’s my favourite.”

There is something magnetic about “Folded” and the way it brings people in. The song opened a portal for some of Kehlani’s GOATs to return the love on the “Folded Homage Package” EP, released last October, featuring remixes from R&B titans Toni Braxton, Brandy, JoJo, Mario, Ne-Yo, and Tank.

“It was really natural,” Kehlani tells me of the EP’s inception. “I woke up one day and Mario was like, ‘I love this song, and I’m gonna drop a remix.’ I was like, what?! When I think of my age group’s R&B world, we didn’t just have the grace of the ‘90s – we also had that teen, young-adult R&B era. We had Mario, Omarion, and JoJo. These were our teen Avengers. That generation showed me I could do it young.”

From Mario came a call from Brandy’s team. She wanted not only to remix the song, but to perform it on tour. A pinch-me moment for Kehlani. From there, everything began to fall into place. “I’d just done some sessions with Ne-Yo, and it was really important for me to include him,” she shares. “He’s such a key player in R&B history, both as an artist and a writer. JoJo, of course – that’s my dawg. She showed me that there are new generations coming. It was the first time I felt truly embraced by people I look up to, so that was really cool.”

Which brings us to Kehlani’s upcoming era. If her 2024 album Crash tapped into a ‘What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’ spirit – sparing no limits in genre exploration – then this new project is the classic R&B record that’s long lived within her.

For the full interview, pre-order Wonderland’s Spring 26 Issue now.

Photography by Sophia Wilson
Styling by Michy Foster
Words by Trey.
Hair by Tai Simon
Make-up by Troye Antonio
Nails by Johana Castillo at Opus Beauty
Producer Krystal Collier
Lighting Tech Zach Arquilevich
Fashion Assistant Diana Valdavinos
Videography by Robert Marrero
Videography Assistant Cole Magrini