Following "Footsteps"

At the tail end of my One Direction phase, Zayn released his first solo album, Mind of Mine. The album featured one artist – Kehlani. I fell in love with her then, but it was when she released “Gangsta” from Suicide Squad: The Album that I was hooked. It was sexy and cool and acted as a love song from Harley Quinn to the Joker.

“Gangsta” struck a chord with the rest of the world, too. It played over and over again on every “Today’s Top Hits” type music outlet.

Today, I hate “Gangsta.” Maybe I hate it because I heard it over and over again, or maybe because it is an average song that claims an above average artist. Either way, I do have “Gangsta” to thank for my first look at Kehlani.

If “Gangsta” was my first date with Kehlani, then SweetSexySavage was the first “I love you.”

Since she released SweetSexySavage, I have followed Kehlani, patiently waiting for new music. I have followed her on social media, too. I followed her after she allegedly cheated on Kyrie Irving with PartyNextDoor, after her suicide attempt. I followed her after she announced her pregnancy, after she became the energy that she is today.

I followed her when she announced her new album, While We Wait. The first single off of the album was “Nights Like This” featuring Ty Dolla $ign and was released on January 10. The song opens with guitar and flute – made popular in hip-hop after “Mask Off” by Future. Then, Kehlani comes in with lyrics full of heart break. The chorus picks up, with the help of a trap beat, when Kehlani sings “On some nights like this, shawty, I can’t help but think of us.” Ty Dolla $ign matches Kehlani with a verse just as full of longing as the rest of the song. Soon after, Kehlani closes the song with “Just gon’ tell me more lies, girl / Just gon’ get my hopes high, girl.”

“Nights Like This” was released with a music video, where Kehlani and Ty Dolla $ign work together to save an alien, who later becomes Kehlani’s love interest. Similar to a Black Mirror episode, the music video ends with a twist.

Just two days later, on January 12, Kehlani announced her new album and released “Butterfly.” It starts with what sounds like the word “butterfly” if it were said under water. “Know we’re scared of us, what this might become,” Kehlani sings over this, her voice soulful and honest about the fear of commitment. She later breaks off into a speaking verse, reminiscent of a poetry slam.

Later, on March 6, a music video for “Butterfly” was released that featured a very pregnant Kehlani transforming from something straight out of a nightmare into a butterfly.

On February 19, three days before the album was to be released, “Nunya” featuring Dom Kennedy was released. “Nunya” was more fun than both “Nights Like This” and “Butterfly,” and remains one of my favorites. When Kehlani sings “Don't worry 'bout who it is now / Don't worry 'bout if he got kids now / If he's richer than you, slicker than you/ His net worth bigger than you / And his dick game thicker than you,” fans get a break from her deep sea of emotion. “Nunya” manages to keep it real and lighten the mood at the same time.

A music video was released the next day featuring Kehlani, still pregnant, dressed in all white and in the snow. With the use of effects and Kehlani’s brown lip liner, it could almost pass as a Missy Elliot music video.

A little over a month after While We Wait was announced, it was released on February 22. The album begins with “Footsteps” featuring Musiq Soulchild, and the sound of water. Already, the peaceful, tree hugger vibe is established. Like in “Butterfly,” Kehlani sings like an angel. This time, Kehlani uses her voice to tell the story of how she left a lover. “And when I walked away / I left footsteps in the mud so you could follow me.”

Following “Footsteps” is “Too Deep,” the angriest song on the album. “But this shit’s getting too deep,” Kehlani sings of a relationship that is more serious than she intended.

The nod to Missy Elliot in the “Nunya” music video was just the tip of the iceberg – the album is full of references to 90s hip-hop and R&B. “Morning Glory” is the strongest, and my favorite, example of this. It’s not often that an artist can take a sound and do it justice, but Kehlani proves that she is an anomaly when she borrows Left Eye’s signature flow. “Don't need acrylics on the clack to hit the nail on the head / Don't need my inches down my back to throw it back in the bed,” Kehlani raps in a way that only Left Eye could do better.

As a fan, waiting for new music and hoping for an artist to live up to expectations often leads to disappointment. While We Wait is different than SweetSexySavage in more ways than one. However, it’s not disappointment I feel – it’s awe. I am in awe of Kehlani and her growth not only as a person, but as an artist.

I follow her on social media and now, as the first song on While We Wait would suggest, I follow her footsteps.

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