Kehlani Artistfacts

April 24, 1995
She was born Kehlani Parrish in Oakland, California to drug-addict parents; her father died shortly after her birth and her mother was often in trouble with the police. Fortunately, Kehlani had a supportive aunt, who quit college to raise her.

"My mum was in and out of prison and I never knew my dad, but when I think about how much tougher other people had it, I don't have reason to complain," she recalled to The London Times. "Most people who grew up without parents are emotionally damaged, but I had an aunt who would say to me, 'I have to be your mother, your father and your aunt, so I will make you feel you have all three in one.'"
Kehlani's aunt is responsible for the late '90s to early 2000s influence in the singer's music. "She would play the same CDs, neo-soul, R&B, she would play the same five or six CDs until they couldn't play anymore or they broke," Kehlani recalled to The Boombox.
Kehlani has described her ethnicity as " black, white, Native, Spanish and a little bit of Filipino." Her grandfather was keen to ensure she was kept aware of her Native American roots. They made tomahawk crafts together when Kehlani was young.
Kehlani trained to be a dancer at Oakland School of the Arts, which was an inspirational experience. "In regular high school it's about who's the prettiest and who's dating the jock and so on," she said. "In our school the mean girls were about who could sing the best, who could dance the best. The weird kids sat in the hallways, drawing animé all day. The dancers be stretching all over the place and the musical theatre kids be singing on the tables in the lunch hall. I loved it."
After a knee injury put paid to the dancing, Kehlani began singing, getting her big break in 2011 as a member of PopLyfe, a teen group on America's Got Talent. The quartet landed in fourth place in the reality-television singing competition.
After the end of America's Got Talent, Kehlani left PopLyfe, as a result of advice from Piers Morgan. The judge told Kehlani, "You've got real talent, but I don't think you need the group."
Kehlani's tough backstory has impacted on her music. "It shaped everything," the Bay Area songstress told The Guardian. "I didn't have a silver spoon, I wasn't born in a mansion. Of course it fuelled me. I wanted everything I didn't have. That inspires me every day."
Tattoos include a triangle on her cheek, a CND symbol on her finger and the face of the singer Lauryn Hill on her arm.
She loves Chick-fil-A. "I get the same thing so often that my friends go without telling me and bring back exactly what I usually order," said Kehlani. "It's that double spicy chicken delux, the meal, with Polynesian sauce and a lemonade! I'm a healthy eater but I don't consider Chick-fil-A fast food."
Kehlani's mother was on the run from the police when she was born. Her mom was talked through the labor by her dad, who just happened to be on the phone from prison at that critical moment. "She had spontaneous birth syndrome and also I was hella premature because she was on drugs," the songstress recalled to The Guardian.

Kehlani was born with breathing difficulties and rushed to hospital while her mother was sent to prison.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

The Candy ManSammy Davis, Jr.

"The Candy Man" is the opening song in the 1971 movie Willie Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, but the version released as a single was by Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr. It was a #1 hit and became his signature song even though his audience was very adult.

Gives You HellThe All-American Rejects

The first US Top 10 hit with the word "hell" in the title was "Gives You Hell" by The All-American Rejects in 2008.

Live Like You Were DyingTim McGraw

Tim McGraw recorded "Live Like You Were Dying" just two weeks after his own father passed away.

AdornMiguel

Miguel wrote "Adorn" about his girlfriend, the model and artist Nazanin Mandi, when he was returning home from a long trip and was anxious to see her.