Kelela

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

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

“In Maryland, I didn't grow up around poor white people. Where I grew up, the white people were middle class or upper-middle class. It's interesting how screwed up it is in reality, because most people who receive assistance from the government are white, but not in my head or in my experience.”

“I've talked about that with friends, about what genre makes sense to choose for each record and the strategy around that... Sometimes it's more about the moment of time, and other times it's more about the sound of the song. Sometimes it's about what's going on in larger life, in politics.”

“Sometimes I learn by someone giving me warnings and giving me advice about what to do next. And other times, a lot of times, I have to put my hand into the fire.”

“I'm definitely seeking to challenge tropes.”

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

“My first reaction to being pigeonholed or pushed into certain confines is to be like, 'No, I'm the opposite,' you know? Like, don't put me in a stereotypical black-girl category, because I'm not like that; I'm doing this thing over here.”

“There's definitely a push and a pull to 'legitimize' electronic music live by playing the same way that a band would play.”

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

“I try to make it a sonic experience so that when you put your earbuds in or when you're in your room, it sounds like an enveloping feeling. I think that is the most important thing, that wherever you are, it is wrapping you up and making you feel safe and comfortable.”

“The goal is to blow the audience's mind.”

“The assumption is simply that I hit on all the things I've hit on so far by accident, that my talent is just this raw thing that pours out of me, and then white people feel like they have to come in and contain it, refine it, and bring it to the place where it can been released.”

“When I called 'Cut 4 Me' a mixtape, I was thinking about a few elements: One is used instrumentals. The project is more centered around introducing you to an artist; it's not meant to be seminal. It's 'Hi,' 'Hello,' a thing that you first hear.”

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

“At the end of the day, I would like to have the farthest reach in terms of being able to communicate to as many people as possible. So it's not that I enjoy being obscure; it's that I sonically don't want to be situated here or there.”

“I don't write lyrics. I hear the track and sing in gibberish over it, then I try and fit words into the phrasing and melody that I already have set. Everything is left to chance.”

“As it pertains to my black womanhood, there's just a lot of ground to cover. There's a lot of stuff to say.”

“I like to try out different methods to get to good songs.”

“Fog and one blue light is all I need in life at the club. Just a dark room and loud music. I'm into that.”