Kehlani (album)
2026 studio album by Kehlani
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Kehlani is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Kehlani. It was released through Atlantic Records on April 24, 2026, in tandem with Kehlani's 31st birthday. The album features guest appearances from Lil Wayne, Clipse, Brandy Norwood, Missy Elliott, Usher, Lil Jon, T-Pain, Cardi B, Big Sean, and Leon Thomas.[3][4] The album serves as the follow-up to their[a] previous projects, Crash (2024) and While We Wait 2 (2024), and is supported by three singles: "Folded", "Out the Window" and "Back and Forth".
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| Kehlani | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 24, 2026 | |||
| Genre | R&B[1][2] | |||
| Length | 59:39 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer |
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| Kehlani chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Kehlani | ||||
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Background and composition
After the publication of their fourth studio album Crash (2024), Kehlani confirmed a follow-up record project. In June 11, 2025 they published the solo single "Folded", for which they won their first two Grammy Awards for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song.[5] At the award ceremony the singer announced they were working in a recording studio for new material and closing their fifith record project.[6][7] Kehlani also revealed that during the two years spent recording and producing the project, they went through a difficult personal period, including being diagnosed with and treated for mental health issues.[8][9]
Singles and promotion
The lead single of the album, "Folded", was released on June 11, 2025.[10] The second single, "Out the Window", was released on November 7, 2025.[11] On March 17, 2026, Kehlani announced the album, along with its cover art and release date.[12][13] The third single, "Back and Forth", featuring Missy Elliott, was released on April 10, 2026. The fourth single, "Shoulda Never", was serviced to Italian radio on April 24.[14]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 79/100[15] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Beats per Minute | 7.6/10[16] |
| Clash | 7/10[1] |
| NME |   [2] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10[17] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Kehlani received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 from five critic scores.[15]
Kyle Denis of Billboard wrote that the tracks "painstakingly mine '90s and '00s R&B for both inspiration and guidance, while still feeling totally singular" and although the reviewer noticed there are too many features, "Kehlani deftly uses her collaborations to flaunt her expert grasp on different R&B song archetypes", concluding the review by stating that "Kehlani stands as more of an examination of its creator’s relationship to R&B than a reflection of where the multihyphenate currently is in her personal life".[18] In a positive review, Steven J. Horowitz of Variety also explained that the singer "subsuming herself in the aesthetic and conventions of her influences while adapting them into one of her most powerful mission statements to date", finding Kehlani "at the peak of her artistic powers".[19]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" |
| 0:31 | |
| 2. | "Anotha Luva" (featuring Lil Wayne) |
|
| 4:01 |
| 3. | "No Such Thing" (featuring Clipse) |
| 3:40 | |
| 4. | "Folded" |
|
| 3:57 |
| 5. | "I Need You" (featuring Brandy) |
|
| 4:03 |
| 6. | "Oooh" |
|
| 4:08 |
| 7. | "Back and Forth" (featuring Missy Elliott) |
|
| 3:34 |
| 8. | "Shoulda Never" (featuring Usher) |
| 3:06 | |
| 9. | "You Got It" |
| 4:37 | |
| 10. | "Out the Window" |
|
| 4:16 |
| 11. | "Still" |
| 3:33 | |
| 12. | "Call Me Back" (featuring T-Pain and Lil Jon) |
|
| 3:19 |
| 13. | "Pocket" (featuring Cardi B) |
|
| 3:52 |
| 14. | "Lights On" (featuring Big Sean) |
|
| 2:59 |
| 15. | "Sweet Nuthins" (featuring Leon Thomas) |
|
| 2:42 |
| 16. | "Cruise Control" |
|
| 3:04 |
| 17. | "Unlearn" |
|
| 4:17 |
| Total length: | 59:39 | |||
Notes
Personnel
Credits are adapted from Tidal.[20]
Musicians
- Kehlani – vocals
- Johnny May – strings (tracks 2, 4, 8, 13, 14, 17)
- Khris Riddick-Tynes – keyboards (2, 5, 7, 8, 13–17), background vocals (2, 7, 8, 13–15, 17), drum programming (2), drums (5, 7, 8, 13–17), synthesizer (7, 8, 15–17), guitar (7), instruments (10), bass (14)
- Alex Goldblatt – bass (2, 8), guitar (11, 13, 15), programming (13); drums, keyboards, synthesizer (15)
- Tom Levesque – horn (2, 8, 13)
- Rich Harrison – background vocals, drum programming (2)
- Ashton Norful – keyboards (2)
- Lil Wayne – vocals (2)
- Clipse – vocals (3)
- Deanna Stewart – background vocals (5, 7, 8, 13, 14, 17)
- Antonio Dixon – bass, keyboards, synthesizer (5, 17); instruments (10), drums (17)
- Jimmy Jam – bass, synthesizer (5)
- Brandy – vocals (5)
- Erick Walls – guitar (6)
- Jeremy Reeves – drums, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer (7)
- Jonathan Yip – drums, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer (7)
- Ray Romulus – drums, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer (7)
- Missy Elliot – vocals (7)
- Dixson – background vocals (8, 13, 15, 17); drums, string arrangement (11)
- Usher – vocals (8)
- Jayme Silverstein – bass, drums, guitar, keyboards (9)
- Oak – drums, keyboards (9)
- Camper – drums, keyboards (11)
- Roy Cotton – string arrangement (11)
- T-Pain – vocals (12)
- Lil Jon – vocals (12)
- Cardi B – vocals (13)
- Allen Ritter – background vocals (14)
- Big Sean – background vocals (14)
- Leon Thomas – vocals (15)
- Daniel Church – background vocals (16)
Technical
- Jenna Felsenthal – engineering
- Ronald "RD" Dominic – engineering (7)
- Neal Pogue – mixing (all tracks), vocal mixing (7)
- Brad Puette – immersive mixing
- Zachary Acosta – mixing assistance
- Harvey Mason Jr. – vocal mixing (7)
- Mike Bozzi – mastering
- Manny Galvez – vocal engineering (2)
- Rob Ulsh – vocal engineering (3)
- Dixson – vocal engineering (5, 8, 11, 13, 14, 17)
- Todd Bergman – vocal engineering (5)
- Ben "Bengineer" Chang – vocal engineering (8)
- Evan LaRay – vocal engineering (13)
- Milan Becker – vocal engineering (14)
Charts
| Chart (2026) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[21] | 18 |
| Australian Hip Hop/R&B Albums (ARIA)[22] | 1 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[23] | 32 |
| Japanese Download Albums (Billboard Japan)[24] | 55 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[25] | 10 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[26] | 59 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[27] | 28 |
| UK R&B Albums (OCC)[28] | 2 |