Kelela
Kelela is a grime artist from United States formed in 1983. 31 releases are catalogued on Riffiter.
Grime · United States · Best grime albums
- 4.1 /5
- 26 ratings
- 31
- Releases
- 2013–2026
- Active years
- 1983
- Formed
Discography
8Rank them 1 vs 1 →Two covers at a time. Pick the one you rate higher, we build the order.Every record on one board, your ratings already placed. S to D, then save it as a list.
Most popular
new avatar
2026 · 12 tracks
Popular tracks
Latest reviews
what listeners are writing about Kelela
Singles & EPs
23
Credits
1Records Kelela worked on for other artists — the roles are as credited on each release.
Appears on
6Releases by other artists featuring Kelela.
Featured tracks
6
A Breath Away (feat. Kelela)Clams Casino · A Breath Away (feat. Kelela)
Collaborators
7
Upcoming shows
New Avatar Live
Past shows
Berlin, Germany
Setlist & details →Cologne, Germany
Setlist & details →
Community
More about Kelela
Latest news
all news →Kelela at a glance
- Born in
- Washington, D.C.
- From
- United States
- Active since
- 2011
- Labels
- Warp
- Educated at
- American University, Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School
Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Children listed are those with their own public record, so the list may be incomplete.
About
A second-generation Ethiopian American, Kelela was born in Washington, D.C., grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland and graduated from Magruder High School in 2001. She has been based in Los Angeles since 2010. After transferring from Montgomery College to American University, Kelela began singing jazz standards at cafés. In 2008, she joined an indie band called Dizzy Spells and tried to sing progressive metal after meeting Tosin Abasi, whom she later dated. Having moved to Los Angeles, Kelela connected with Teengirl Fantasy and contributed to the group's 2013 album Tracer on the song "EFX", which led her to meet Prince William from the label Fade to Mind. He introduced her to the sound of the record label and its sister imprint from London, Night Slugs, which Spin has described as "one of the most distinctive sounds in U.K. dance music, a mutable hybrid of grime, house, electro, R&B, techno, hip hop, and dubstep." In May 2013, she appeared on Kingdom's "Bank Head", and five months later released her mixtape Cut 4 Me for free.
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Harriet Gisbone of The Guardian described the album as "an experiment for the production team, the first time the production crew had used vocals on their club tracks." Her track "Go All Night" was included on Saint Heron, a multi-artist compilation album released by Solange Knowles. In February 4, 2014, Kelela released "The High". In March 2014, Kelela was featured in Bok Bok's song "Melba's Call". Kelela announced the forthcoming release of her Hallucinogen EP on March 3, 2015, along with the release of the music video of its lead single "A Message", produced by Arca. The second single, "Rewind" was released in September 2. Hallucinogen was released in October 9. The EP covers the beginning, middle, and end of a relationship in reverse chronological order. In February 2017, Kelela took part in Red Bull Sound Select's 3 Days Miami among artists GoldLink, Angel Olsen, Brika, and many others. Kelela, along with rapper Danny Brown, appeared on the track "Submission" from virtual band Gorillaz' album Humanz. She also provided uncredited guest vocals on the track "Busted and Blue" from the same album. On July 14, 2017, Kelela announced her debut studio album, Take Me Apart. On August 1, the album was made available for pre-order along with the release of its lead single, "LMK". The album was released on October 6, 2017.
Kelela in brief
- How many Kelela releases are on Riffiter?
- 31 releases are catalogued, spanning 2013 to 2026.
- When was Kelela formed?
- Kelela formed in 1983, in United States.
- What genre is Kelela?
- Kelela is catalogued under Grime.
- What is the most recent Kelela release on Riffiter?
- outta time, released in 2026.
