Kelela is cut 4 music

The current Queen of Interludes crafting tangible soundscapes through emotional depth, intention and difference.

Jun 09, 2024

Hey everyone, I am so excited for you to read this week’s Miss Museletter. You know how they ask you that question: If you were stranded on an island and could only choose music from three artists, which artist's music would you take with you? For me, one of them would be Kelela.

For the following weeks I will post my first “read aloud”, here is a little preview of this post’s version (should I do it with every post, past/future?):

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It’s some time early 2014 and I am having one of those nights where I very obsessively search for new music. I usually would use Soundcloud, tumblr or YouTube. At some point, I came across “Go All Night (Let It Burn)” by Kelela.

I was immediately intrigued – is this R&B? Because at the time, artists weren’t really singing, if you know what I mean. I clicked on her name and discovered the mixtape called “Cut 4 Me”. That’s when my love for her began. The reason I questioned whether it was R&B or not was because of the way it was mixed and its electronic sound. To me, “Cut 4 Me” sounded very particular, unusual and unique. Her runs resonated directly with me, as I grew up with R&B and Soul being my main genres. The mixtape also reminded me of something I had long forgotten: maxi CDs. Artists would release one CD per song, including one to three remixes of that song. I had to think of Usher’s “U Remind Me (Remix) feat. Blu Cantrell & Method Man” on one of the many maxi CD’s I own. I remember listening to it and recognising that it sounded somehow “off”, some of the vocals were new and a new instrument added a whole different vibe to the song. The original sounded way more linear, whereas the remix sounded a bit more “weirder” to my ears back then. Kelela’s songs remind me exactly of these R&B remixes. There is another song from 1998 by Janet Jackson feat. Busta Rhymes called “What’s It Gonna Be?!” that to me sounds like the blueprint for Kelela’s music. The overall production sounds very uncommon for its time and the background instrumental is very close to a staccato, almost dissonant, as well.

I was completely immersed in her music, listening to it constantly without ever getting tired of it. I followed her on Facebook and Instagram to stay updated on any Kelela news. In 2014, while planning a trip to visit my grandmother in Los Angeles with my mom, I happened to be online on Facebook doomscrolling, when I saw that Kelela was set to have her first solo concert at the Echo in Los Angeles. The timing coincided perfectly with our visit, so I wasted no time in buying a ticket to her show. I was so excited because there is nothing more amazing than to see an artist performing live.
Here is a short video I recorded back in 2014 from that show:

Over the years I would watch interviews, behind the scenes or any footage to see more of her; to hear more from her. The first Interview I saw with Kelela was on the Lily Mercer Show at Rinse FM London1. Lily Mercer also mentions that Kelela's songs sound like remixes, to which Kelela replies that this is exactly what she intended. She then went on to explain her approach to creating music:

“I was trying to make a record of tracks, that sounded like remixes except for, that’s how the original song goes. And when I say it sounds like a remix, I don’t mean like, that it sounds chopped up or screwed or that the vocals have necessarily been fucked with. It’s just that the quality and production, when you talk about a remix, you’re talking about somebody who just works with a file […]. So producers who are very good at remixing are often really good at reharmonising something. Taking a melody, uplifting it out of the chords that are existing underneath it and just like applying to different chord changes that work and recontextualise the song. I wanted to basically start at that point.”

This directly reminded me of the work Mariah Carey and David Morales did together. In the ‘90s up until the 2000s Mariah Carey also re-recorded 15 of her songs with David Morales to create new songs. One of my favourites is “Always Be My Baby (Always Club Mix)”:

If you know the original song, you'll recognize that the vocals are different overall. They were not simply taken from the original and adjusted to fit the house sound of the new track. Mariah Carey went to the studio with David Morales, where they recorded new vocals and rewrote the lyrics to match the overall pace and rhythm of the new arrangement. In an interview from 2000, Mariah Carey’s approach to creating these remixes is very similar to Kelela’s approach:

“The way I like to work with David is to really rewrite the whole melody and some of the lyrics to make it fit the melody because a lot of the times we’re doing something that’s slow tempo or medium tempo and then you go and do his track. It sounds kind of bad to try and fly it in, the chords are always different and that kind of irks me.”2

This not only reflects on Kelela releasing one body of work, but also on her tendency to almost immediately follow up with a new album featuring new mixes of the original tracks:

This approach to recreating a song is a common practice amongst artists. We have seen it on television with MTV Unplugged, for example, where artists were able to showcase their musical and vocal skills, everything stripped down to only the instruments; no playback. Additionally, at live concerts, especially R&B shows, artists often completely transform original songs into something new. Jill Scott is an excellent example of this:

The last section of the concert in particular, Jill Scott performs a completely new arrangement of “He Loves Me”. It begins with a gentle and smooth piano accompaniment, following an operatic ad-lib3 showcasing her incredible vocals alongside her background singers. Around the 01:01:10 mark, the song transitions into a faster-paced rendition, incorporating new instruments, and vocal arrangements. I simply love artists like Jill Scott, because she gives me a sense of her being present and connected to her work. Jill Scott is not only an amazing vocalist, but she truly understands herself as a creative. Also the way she engages with the audience and emotes the lyrics is absolutely incredible. There are so many artists that function solely as singers and that’s okay. I happen to have the need to connect with artists through them not only expressing their skills, talents and productivity, but also their intuition, joy and creativity. This connection brings me excitement, as it signifies that the music I am listening to is intentional and directly reflects the artist's vision.

In an article from the Washington Post, Kelela said something else that obviously struck with me as I love this line of thinking:

“I don’t want to scratch so that you don’t itch anymore.”

On my first post called “Introducing Miss Museletter: The aesthetics of living life as a muse” I was writing about how we can learn from the figure of the muse; how creativity is such a vital force for us to care for. Towards the end I wrote, that the recreative mental state of a muse is aware of a simultaneous interplay. A muse would never allow her creation to be consumed in a way that would not make us want to revisit it. The muse prepares it for us in ways she deems appropriate, leaving open space between her and us. Kelela resides exactly in this space. If she gives us something that is already digested and for us to consume, we would miss the chewing. In a way, creating for her is an infinite process. She completes a song with the idea of it being endless. Subsequently, she utilizes a finished piece to further cultivate new material. Creativity is inherently volatile; its rhythm is unpredictable, beyond our control or coercion. Our role is to comprehend and feel where and how our creativity progresses. The character of creativity varies for each individual, requiring us to commune with it to understand it better. Kelela has found a way to engage with creativity, to sit with it, to sometimes endure it, and to ultimately let it go. This moment epitomizes how we can centralize creativity in our lives.

On the Washington Post article she also talks about how she always knew she had this strong urge to express herself through creating music, like an inevitable feeling. She would move from one group of friends to another, and later in life, from one opportunity to the next, but she never really found a place where she could nurture it. Her desire never stopped:

“I was in this really dark place of not being able to express myself, but all that resistance informed how I approach the music I’m making now.”

When she moved to Los Angeles in 2010, she met the producers of her then future project “Cut4Me”. Both labels Fade to Mind and Night Slugs played a significant role for Kelela to finally arrive at a place, where she could channel all of her long-awaited and muted inner dialogues into creating her own music. Since then she has released five albums and has featured for other artists like Kindness, Solange Knowles, Gorillaz and so many more.

On September 13th, 2023, she released her single “Washed Away” as a preview of her then upcoming album “Raven.” This single exemplifies how she not only creates music but also understands the resonance of it.

Not only is this song a culmination of her artistic perspective, but it also exudes strong interlude vibes — my personal favourite musical format. An interlude is a brief and often instrumental segment within a larger piece of music, artwork or performance. It serves as a transitional passage, providing a pause or a bridge between different sections. Interludes can vary in length and style, offering an opportunity to explore and to emote emotional depth without the constraints of a full song structure. Interludes enhance storytelling, set the tone or provide a context for the ways for what they have been set up to.

For example, in classic soul albums, interludes often feature instrumental sections that highlight the rich, organic sounds of the genre—lush strings, smooth horns, and intricate rhythms. These moments allow listeners to absorb the emotional weight of the preceding track and prepare for the next one. In R&B, interludes might incorporate modern production techniques, blending electronic elements with traditional instrumentation to create a specific soundscape that support the album's overall narrative.

Genres like Soul and R&B are deeply rooted in emotional expression and narrative, often revolving around love, heartbreak and personal growth. Interludes in Soul and R&B albums intensify these themes, creating a cohesive and immersive listening experience. They might include spoken word segments (like Beyoncé Interlude by Beyoncé), instrumental solos (like Suite II Overture by Janelle Monaé), vocal harmonies (like Thank You Lord by Faith Evans), transitions out of one theme into another (like Nothing by Jill Scott) or a shortened intonation of the albums soundscape (like Intro (World keeps turnin’) by Erika Badu). The interesting thing about an interlude is that it can work on its own but is stronger when listened in its intended placement. For example I love the transition from Hold Me Down to Come Over Interlude into Ooh Ahh by Danity Kane in their self titled album. You first have “Hold me down”, assertive and aggressive, then “Come over Interlude” with a soft attentiveness bringing you down to go over to “Ooh Ahh”, which elevates you from this intense into a joyful sexual soundscape.

Interludes aren’t that technical either. Especially in R&B or Soul, interludes developed their own lane in how they resonate with listeners. Listening to “Do It Again” or “Something Else” by Kelela I always feel like these songs are fleeting. They sound like a short story to me and at the same time, as if they are to be continued; uncommon in their narration style. “Washed Away” is another beautiful example, which sounds more common in its setup. It is undeniably epic, with wavy synths in the beginning and then her voice introduces herself, first through scatting and then a soft and airy belt. In Document Journal, Shaadi Devereux has a conversation with Kelela about tenderness and one moment in particular about “Washed Away” stood out to me:

“I remember ‘Washed Away.’ When I first started it, I was like, ‘This is the beginning of the record and it’s saving me.’ It almost felt like I got lifted out of a terrible situation. I’m far away from the danger, but I’m also isolated. I’m safe, but I’m isolated. That sort of duality… I felt like if it does this to me, it’ll do this to the girls. And the girls was like, ‘Bitch, it did do that.’ ”

I don’t know if it’s the synths, the overall texture of the soundscape, her vocal color, her airy tone, or the lyrics, but I remember feeling this “lift” when listening to it for the first time, too. She is inviting us to delve into a novel beginning. I recall feeling excitement because she had been absent for so long, and after nearly a 5-year hiatus, she returns with such immense vigor. This duality between safety and isolation Kelela mentions speaks to my own experience for the last 4 years. When friends ask me, how I am, I tend to reply that I am safe (thinking: who is good these days? You must be out of touch). That’s why I love her music so much. She does not shy away from inconsistency, simultaneity and divergence. It’s quite the opposite, she sees that as a complex condition of life. She is inviting us to reflect on the cyclical nature of contradictions and the impermanence of experiences. In its felt brevity, "Washed Away" is almost a sigh that encourages an emotional release so we are able to progress to the next chapter.

Interludes are a powerful tool in Soul and R&B music, enriching the overall experience by providing depth and continuity. They allow artists to accentuate and concentrate on one specific theme. Interludes add an additional layer to create a cohesive body of work.

Finally, three months ago she performed at NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert. Kelela chose to change the hard drums and effects for a harp and piano.4 Also the songs she has chosen for the setlist have been modified and rearranged. As Bobby Carter on NPR has already put it : “Enough and Take Me Apart are almost unrecognizable”5. I won’t say more, you just have to watch and listen for yourself – it’s absolutely breathtaking.

“I know deep down I’m a star, but it takes a lot of work to try to muster the courage in the culture of prodigiousness that I feel we’re in. In other art forms you don’t make your title shit until you’re 40, 50 years old. In music – especially with women, and women of colour – it’s so scrutinous. And the window is so small.”6

In many interviews and conversations, Kelela also emphasizes that she has struggled to find spaces where she could freely express herself as a Black Woman. I will not delve into this aspect here, as she has addressed it in her own words (you can read it here on Resident Advisor). One important point I would like to add, however (which is on par with my full rant about objective art), that we cannot separate Kelela’s experience from the way she is creating. Her journey and experiences have shaped her to listen, to speak, to love, and to fear in ways that is deeply rooted in being Black in America. The references I have primarily used are of Black Women. They are not only creators of Rhythm & Blues and Soul, but they keep on significantly impacting these genres very distinctively by creating soundscapes, that flow from a very specific cultural heritage and experience (Ruth Brown, Della Reese, Minnie Riperton, Mavis Staples, Anita Baker, Chante Moore, Whitney Houston, and obviously so many more). It is not coincidental that they share similar approaches to their work. In an Interview with Nosheen Iqbal on the Guardian, Kelela briefly touches upon that topic7:

“See? There are no black women geniuses that are being named in canons. I could name a bunch but it’s not part of common knowledge. It’s not how the world is taught to think about black women.[…]So when I think about being bossy or a control freak or extra, or whatever way it’s framed, I’m like … I’m opting out of that question as a black woman.”

Being able to speak about these aspects of one's inner emotional framework is not easy, especially when translating it into music and particularly when in the public eye. It entails a great deal of introspection, concession, resilience, repetition, and faith to reach the place where she currently stands. I am glad she has reached a point where she is willing to share her work with us. I LOVE HER SO MUCH! If you ever have the opportunity to see her live, do not hesitate to go and experience it.

I want to end this text with a video I recorded of her concert at Huxleys Neue Welt in Berlin, 11.04.2023 last year. It’s a topic I can relate to, and I believe a lot of you out there as well.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you can take away something from this. I myself have been inspired by Black Women of any walk of life numerous times!
I cannot thank you enough for gracing this world with so much creativity, joy and vigor.

Kelela is cut 4 music

The current Queen of Interludes crafting tangible soundscapes through emotional depth, intention and difference.

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