In 2013, Kehlani Ashley Parrish was houseless. It’d been a year since she’d left her post as the lead singer of the girl group Poplyfe, citing managerial and contractual issues. Four years later, the 22-year-old is a Grammy-nominated R&B singer with an ongoing slew of collabs and singles soundtracking mega-movies like Suicide Squad (“Gangsta”) and The Fate of the Furious (“Good Life”).
The first time I saw the Oakland-raised artist was at Bumbershoot 2015, and I’ll never forget it. When she took the stage with those sultry dance moves alongside her adorable DJ Noodles, the crowd went batshit. It was plain to see that Kehlani had already built herself a cult following of sneaker-loving, tattoo-sporting, badass young women who knew the words to every uplifting, confident song. I was shook by how beautifully she sang live—her voice was strong and chillingly soulful. (She’d be a perfect choice to voice Nala in that live-action Lion King movie, in case Beyoncé says no.)