{"id":2106960,"date":"2026-08-22T18:25:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T15:25:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2106960"},"modified":"2026-08-22T18:25:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T15:25:37","slug":"kehlani-delivers-superstar-set-at-brooklyn-stop-of-triumphant-world-tour-5-best-moments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2106960","title":{"rendered":"Kehlani Delivers Superstar Set at Brooklyn Stop of Triumphant World Tour: 5 Best Moments"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/P1186HWS-e1787421290467.jpg?w=1024&#8243;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"\n\t\t\t\ta-content lrv-a-floated-parent lrv-a-glue-parent a-font-body-m\n\t\t\t\tu-font-size-19 u-max-width-690 lrv-u-margin-lr-auto pmc_list pmc-paywall\n\t\t\t\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tWhether you first encountered Kehlani through her era-defining <em>Cloud 19 <\/em>mixtape or her 2025 career-crowning smash hit \u201cFolded\u201d \u2014 which earned her two Grammys (her first after five previous nods) and became her highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 hit (No. 6) \u2014 the Oakland-bred R&amp;B powerhouse was glad that you bought a ticket to her ongoing, 44-date world tour.<\/p>\n<div class=\"injected-related-story \/\/ lrv-u-display-inline-block lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-margin-t-2 u-margin-t-26@mobile-max u-margin-b-0.875@mobile-max u-margin-b-150@tablet u-border-t-12 lrv-u-padding-t-025 u-padding-b-1.313 lrv-u-padding-b-125@mobile-max lrv-u-border-color-black injected-single-story lrv-u-border-b-1\">\n<div class>\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  lrv-a-unstyle-link lrv-u-whitespace-nowrap u-font-weight-700 lrv-u-display-inline-block u-line-height-18px a-font-accent u-letter-spacing-0225 u-font-size-16 lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-article-badge-underline a-article-esp u-display-inline-flex lrv-u-margin-b-1@mobile-max u-margin-b-075\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"injected-related-story-wrapper lrv-u-flex lrv-u-justify-content-space-between lrv-u-padding-tb-050@desktop a-children-border-vertical a-children-border--grey a-children-border-width-050\">\n<div class=\"o-card \">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  lrv-u-margin-b-075 lrv-u-margin-b-00@mobile-max u-width-130px@mobile-max\">\n<div class=\"a-crop-6x4 a-crop-3x2@mobile-max\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cover-kehlani-billboard-2026-bb9-micaiah-carter-1-1800.jpg?crop=0px%2C65px%2C1800px%2C1116px&amp;resize=237%2C147\" alt=\"Kehlani photographed July 27, 2026 at Topanga Creative Acres in Topanga, Calif.\" height width><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card__content \">\n<div class=\"c_title \">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  a-font-basic-fancy u-font-size-15 u-font-size-15.5@mobile-max u-line-height-22px u-padding-r-0.188@desktop u-word-spacing-0013 u-line-height-22.5px@mobile-max a-truncate-ellipsis-4line@mobile-max a-truncate-ellipsis-3line\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tKehlani Gets Candid With Longtime Pal Leon Thomas About R&amp;B, \u2018Changing the World\u2019 &amp; Her \u2018Sinus Surgery From\u00a0Hell\u2019\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tMounted in support of her eponymous fifth studio album \u2014 which reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and reached No. 1 on Top R&amp;B\/Hip-Hop Albums \u2014 the Kehlani World Tour will visit arenas and amphitheaters in major cities across North America, Europe and Australia through the end of the year. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tBut at Friday night\u2019s (Aug. 21) sold-out Barclays Center show in Brooklyn, New York, the cover star of\u00a0<em>Billboard<\/em>\u2018s 2026 R&amp;B\/Hip-Hop Power Players issue narrowed the scope of her storytelling to the emotional ebb and flow of a night out and the morning after, still finding space to honor the current wave of momentum mainstream R&amp;B is enjoying and bridge that power with the iconography of eras past.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tBefore she entered the stage like a \u201900s R&amp;B fantasy to the tune of \u201cAnotha Luva,\u201d Kehlani ceded the stage to her dazzling support acts: Grammy winner Durand Bernarr, DJ Waseel, ascendant R&amp;B singer-songwriter TheARTI$T and Oscar-nominated songwriter DIXSON. Waseel served as master of ceremonies for the entire night, soundtracking interludes with Kehlani deep cuts like \u201cYou Know Wassup,\u201d feeding the day-one fans and keeping the energy high. TheARTI$T brought her signature ethereal sound to Barclays Center, playing cuts like \u201cSober\u201d and \u201cLove Is\u201d and maintaining the thread of queer R&amp;B that ran through the show. DIXSON played a few of his own cuts (\u201cCherry Sorbet\u201d), as well as mashups of songs he helped write (like Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s \u201cMorning Dew\u201d), before reappearing later in the show to assist on background vocals during Kehlani\u2019s showstopping rendition of \u201cStill.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tBernarr, who played cuts from last year\u2019s <em>BLOOM<\/em> (\u201cGenerous\u201d) and this year\u2019s <em>BERNARR.<\/em> (\u201cAm I Okay?\u201d), fully leaned into his rockstar proclivities, packing in gravity-defying riffs, an intensely physical stage presence (he was literally busting out kip-ups) and rollicking musical arrangements. The Cleveland vocalist was the final support act to hit the stage before Kehlani kicked off her nearly two-hour set \u2014 and he certainly knew a thing or two about properly preparing the space.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tIn her tracing of the pre-game, the night out, the comedown during the walk home, and the at-times questionable decisions that come in the wee hours of the morning, Kehlani performed nearly every track from her new LP, making sure to incorporate older catalog cuts. From 2017\u2019s <em>SweetSexySavage<\/em> (\u201cPiece of Mind\u201d) and 2019\u2019s <em>While We Wait<\/em> (\u201cFootsteps\u201d) to 2022\u2019s <em>Blue Water Road<\/em> (\u201cEverything\u201d), nearly every era of Kehlani\u2019s discography got some shine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tNot only did the setlist smartly weave the quasi-concept album feel of Kehlani with the narrative threads of her larger catalog, but it also allowed the htimaker and her music director to incorporate nods to \u201900s R&amp;B classics like Aaliyah\u2019s \u201cRock the Boat\u201d and Ne-Yo\u2019s \u201cSo Sick.\u201d That commitment to grounding the success of \u201cFolded,\u201d its parent album and accompanying tour, to R&amp;B\u2019s rich history extended to the choreography, helmed in part by Dominique Battiste and Darius \u201cDario\u201d Boatner, who packed in homages to both Michael and Janet Jackson. Oh, and a surprise Cardi B appearance was simply the cherry on top.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tFrom heart-melting vocals to an indescribably warm presence, Kehlani gifted Brooklyn a night of soul, gratitude and, most importantly, safety. A decade-plus in the making, the Barclays Center stop of the Kehlani World Tour was the ultimate proof of concept for unabashedly queer, vocal-forward contemporary R&amp;B headlining and selling out arenas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tHere are the five best moments from the Kehlani World Tour in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n<div id=\"pmc-gallery-vertical\">\n<div class=\"c-gallery-vertical-loader u-gallery-app-shell-loader\">\n<ul class=\"pmc-fallback-list-items lrv-a-unstyle-list lrv-u-margin-t-2\">\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Mashups Drive Home R&amp;B\u2019s Legacy<\/h2>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tWith features like T-Pain, Brandy and Usher \u2014 not to mention the plethora of late \u201990s and \u201900s R&amp;B stars who appear on her \u201cFolded\u201d remix pack \u2014 Kehlani\u2019s latest musical era has been all about paying tribute to the eras of R&amp;B that helped birth an artist like her. So, it\u2019s no surprise that she took this latest tour as an opportunity to trace those musical throughlines in front of a live audience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tHer Masego-assisted \u201cHate the Club\u201d got a breath of new life via Brandy\u2019s \u201cFull Moon\u201d; \u201cFootsteps\u201d traded Musiq Soulchild for Omarion and \u201cIce Box,\u201d and \u201cSerial Lover\u201d got a kick of tempo by way of Ne-Yo\u2019s eternal \u201cSo Sick.\u201d If it wasn\u2019t already clear, the Kehlani World Tour is truly for the R&amp;B lovers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Kehlani Keeps Dance at the Forefront<\/h2>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tWhile sharp, erratic, dance-to-the-lyrics-and-not-the-beat choreography has come to dominate the intersection between pop music and dance, Kehlani spent her world tour honoring a few older styles that today\u2019s stars could do well to look to. Dance has long been paramount to her brand and stage show, but on this latest tour, Kehlani\u2019s homages felt especially grounded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tShe mixed her own \u201cBack and Forth\u201d with the fluidity of Fatima Robinson\u2019s \u201cRock the Boat\u201d moves, bridged decades of dancefloor euphoria between \u201cAfter Hours\u201d and Michael Jackson\u2019s \u201cWanna Be Startin\u2019 Somethin\u2019,\u201d and highlighted the tasteful allure of more sensual movement by blending \u201cDistraction\u201d with Janet Jackson\u2019s classic \u201cI Get Lonely.\u201d And that\u2019s not to mention the majorette tribute that led into \u201cPocket!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>\u201cUnlearn\u201d Praise &amp; Worship Session<\/h2>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tGospel will always be a key component of R&amp;B\u2019s DNA \u2014 and Kehlani taking the time to openly praise God and give thanks for her decade-plus of success proved as much. Before she closed the show and sent the 13,000-strong crowd into the night with \u201cFolded,\u201d Kehlani delivered arguably her best vocal performance of the night with \u201cUnlearn,\u201d which <em>Billboard<\/em> named the best song on <em>Kehlani<\/em> upon the album\u2019s full release.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tFor Friday night\u2019s show \u2014 and apparently, every night\u2019s show \u2014 Kehlani invited Bernarr, DIXSON and TheARTI$T onstage to join her in a moment of gratitude and praise and worship as they traded riffs and runs across \u201cUnlearn.\u201d It\u2019s not often that the main act brings their openers out and champions them (\u201cPlease hashtag and @ them and buy their music, y\u2019all,\u201d she gushed), but Kehlani was adamant that her rising tide lifts all the boats that float in her waters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Cardi B Pops Out for \u201cRing\u201d and \u201cAH HA\u201d<\/h2>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tOver the past few years, Kehlani and Cardi B have proven themselves to be a dynamic duo \u2014 but they didn\u2019t perform their new collaboration, \u201cPocket,\u201d Fridat night. Instead, Bardi and Lani chose to throw it all the way back to 2018 for \u201cRing,\u201d their fan-favorite duet from the Bronx rapper\u2019s <em>Invasion of Privacy <\/em>debut album. The minute Cardi strutted out in her slick bun and yellow-printed pencil skirt suit set, the crowd got so loud you could barely hear her spit out her first few bars. As if that surprise wasn\u2019t special enough, Cardi also treated the crowd to an abridged rendition of her new \u201cAH HA\u201d single, which recently became her 30th career top 10 hit on Hot Rap Songs (No. 3).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>The Setlist<\/h2>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tBetween her five studio albums, four mixtapes and dozens of singles, putting together a setlist for the Kehlani World Tour had to have been a difficult endeavor. And the Tsunami Mob \u2014 her fanbase\u2019s name \u2014 is a passionate crew! Somehow, Kehlani pulled it off, performing all sixteen full-length tracks from her new self-titled album, and at least one song from each of her four other studio albums. Even though just one of her mixtapes got the spotlight \u2014 \u201cNights Like This\u201d and \u201cFootsteps\u201d from 2019\u2019s <em>While We Wait<\/em> were highlights \u2014 two others got their singalong moments via Waseel\u2019s DJ set interludes. \u201cWhen He\u2019s Not There\u201d from 2024\u2019s <em>While We Wait 2<\/em> lit up the crowd, while \u201cThe Way\u201d from 2015\u2019s breakout <em>You Should Be Here<\/em> proved the furthest throwback moment. <em>Cloud 19<\/em> warriors may have lost this battle, but they have company in those most fond of deep cut standalone singles like \u201cHoney.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"container \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cAnotha Luva\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cShoulda Never\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cNo Such Thing\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cYou Got It\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cBack and Forth\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cLights On\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cSerial Lover\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cSweet Nuthins\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cPiece of Mind\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cOpen (Passionate)\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cCall Me Back\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cPocket\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cHate the Club\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cAfter Hours\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cOooh\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cToxic\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cCan You Blame Me\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cStill\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cI Need You\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cFootsteps\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cOut the Window\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cRing\u201d (with Cardi B)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cAH HA\u201d (with Cardi B)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cNights Like This\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cDistraction\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cEverything\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cCruise Control\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cUnlearn\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cFolded\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/lists\/kehlani-brooklyn-concert-best-moments-cardi-b\/&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/P1186HWS-e1787421290467.jpg?w=1024&#8243;] Whether you first encountered Kehlani through her era-defining Cloud 19 mixtape or her 2025 career-crowning smash hit \u201cFolded\u201d \u2014 which earned her two Grammys (her first after five previous nods) and became her highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 hit (No. 6) \u2014 the Oakland-bred R&amp;B powerhouse was glad that you bought a ticket [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-2106960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2106960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2106960"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2106960\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2106960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2106960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2106960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}