Kehlani’s ‘Tiny Desk Concert’ Was Obviously Worth the Wait

It was a long time coming, but worth the wait. Even Kehlani knew that as they finally appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series, quipping against a background of lush choral harmonies: “I definitely know I’m overdue for doing this, so thank you for making sure I was able to get here this far along in my process. I’m just grateful, and I hope you enjoy the rest of it.”

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There was, of course, plenty to enjoy in the five song set. Kehlani opened with “Nights Like This,” the lead single from their 2019 mixtape, While We Wait , then dusted off a pair of early classics: “Distractions,” from their debut album, SweetSexySavage , and “The Way,” off their 2015 mixtape, You Should Be Here .

Kehlani closed out their set with the double shot of “Can I,” off 2020’s It Was Good Until It Wasn’t , and “After Hours,” off their latest album, Crash . In between the two songs, Kehlani took a moment to speak up for those facing violence and oppression around the world, especially in Palestine, saying, “Free Palestine. Free Congo. Free Sudan. Free Yemen. Free Hawaii. Free Guam. Beyond a ceasefire we need an end to the occupation. It’s deeper than this. I need everybody that’s here right now, everybody that’s watching, to step up to use their voices … Any difference that you can make is appreciated.”

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Kehlani dropped Crash last month, marking their fourth studio album and first since 2022’s Blue Water Road . The musician will embark on a lengthy North American tour in support of the album this fall, with the run starting Sept. 4 in Minneapolis and wrapping Nov. 2 in San Francisco.

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