Kelela

Self-care is a requirement.

— Kelela

I'm definitely seeking to challenge tropes.

— Kelela

'Seat at the Table' has expressed real adversity, struggle, and also triumph and joy.

— Kelela

I've always had this commitment to not being in one thing.

— Kelela

I think my worst enemy was myself. It's like I've been in my own way more than anybody else has been.

— Kelela

My queer black women peers are the ones who make me not feel crazy. The way we act is so instinctive.

— Kelela

Growing up, Missy Elliot and Janet Jackson were definitely major references.

— Kelela

I'm quite scrutinous when it comes to who I put myself in the room with.

— Kelela

I am your homegirl, at the end of the day, but I also feel very... outside. So if you're finding solace in…

— Kelela

It's such a challenging time, and in my small way, I will make it so that other younger women, and maybe older…

— Kelela

Sometimes I learn by someone giving me warnings and giving me advice about what to do next. And other times, a lot…

— Kelela

I'm pushing back against the white, misogynistic, heterosexual establishment in the music industry. Like, literally, in all its forms.

— Kelela

We are - as artists, we are racialized through genre and called black - without being called black - through genre.

— Kelela

Before I collaborate, it's important that I have a conversation about what I care about before we make anything, so that it's…

— Kelela

There are no black women geniuses that are being named in canons. I could name a bunch, but it's not part of…

— Kelela

Even on my most angry song, I'm also still saying, 'Thank you for helping me to learn.' I've always wanted to give…

— Kelela

A lot of white men in the music industry are promoting and participating in black culture in a way that is pretty…

— Kelela

My first reaction to being pigeonholed or pushed into certain confines is to be like, 'No, I'm the opposite,' you know? Like,…

— Kelela

'Take Me Apart' doesn't feel cohesive in a singular way but in a varied way. You can fixate on individual songs, and…

— Kelela

I've grown up feeling very American but being constantly bothered by people - there's internalized racism and feeling weird about being second-generation.

— Kelela

For those of us who make music together, I think it's important to realize that generosity on both sides is actually going…

— Kelela

When it comes to melodies, production, and sound in pop music, people try to be formulaic and solely concerned with what's resonant…

— Kelela

I want to empower.

— Kelela

I know deep down I'm a star.

— Kelela

It means so much to be able to share myself with the world.

— Kelela

I want to soundtrack people's layered feelings.

— Kelela

I'm coming from the zone of Faith Evans, but with weird production.

— Kelela

I have something stupid, like, 12 credits, to graduate.

— Kelela

The goal is to blow the audience's mind.

— Kelela

I think I'm taking risks and putting myself out there.

— Kelela

I would love to do an album of standards!

— Kelela

My music sounds like one synergised thing, one message.

— Kelela

Sounding like I have agency in a song is important to me. I want to feel empowered by the music.

— Kelela

The most rewarding thing for someone like me is for someone else to find solace through my music.

— Kelela

I guess the bottom line is I don't make music that is consumed en masse.

— Kelela

When I was little, my parents would have these gatherings, and it was a common thing for me and my cousins to…

— Kelela

I spent a lot of time in college. I was just being academic and discovering myself through reason and analysis.

— Kelela

As much as we like to pretend we're just getting on stage and whatever, it's like, no, I practiced in front of…

— Kelela

Popular music was this abstraction - an abstraction that I was relating to immensely but was ultimately far away.

— Kelela

Growing up in an Ethiopian household allowed me to feel like I had an audience before I had an audience.

— Kelela