Oakland R&B singer Kehlani Parrish, better known as just Kehlani (they/them), first found fame on America’s Got Talent in 2011. Their group Poplyfe reached the final, losing to Landau Murphy.

Kehlani left Poplyfe after the show, but their solo career stalled for contractual reasons. They finally released their debut solo project, Cloud 19, in 2014. A breezy, poppy mixtape, Cloud 19 flew largely under the radar, although Complex described it as “outstanding.”

2015 was Kehlani’s break-out year. Their sophomore mixtape, You Should Be Here, featured Chance The Rapper and BJ The Chicago Kid. It earned them their national attention and even a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary, although it ultimately lost out to Beauty Behind the Madness by The Weeknd.

Shortly after receiving their Grammy nomination, Kehlani began work on their third solo project, and debut studio album. SweetSexySavage was released on the 27th of January 2017.

To hold fans up for their next album, as well as the birth of their child, they released third mixtape While We Wait on February 22nd, 2019.

On May 8, 2020, they released their sophomore album It Was Good Until It Wasn’t.