Bay Area singer Kehlani was forced to fast-track a move and distance herself from social media after a fan online found and shared her address, potentially putting her and her daughter in danger. The star revealed the leak in a now-deleted tweet from Sunday, saying she needed “major space from my supporters” as a result of the violation of her privacy. Although her statement began with an “lol,” recent events have shown that these sorts of incidents are no laughing matter.
“Lol wow I have to fast track my move cuz a stan account has found and shared my address,” she wrote Sunday afternoon, explaining why she won’t be as accessible in the future. “Don’t know how. Super not cool. Taking a major space from my supporters. Don’t ask why I will no longer be so responsive or will be MIA from interaction. I love y’all but it’s a wrap.” While the “Can I” singer is normally quite involved on Twitter, using the app to interact with fans and explain her musical moves, it looks like she’s going to be reeling in on future interactions.
OMGGGG?!?! Wtf is wrong with y’all like why Kehlani
pic.twitter.com/jdx0D8VVkX
— Kyng Ky (@kyngxky) September 20, 2020
While the benefits and drawbacks of “stan culture” have been debated endlessly, 2020 has shown plenty of real-world examples of the dark side of celebrity worship. Pop Smoke was killed after his address leaked online early this year, while Eminem, the man who coined the term Stan in the first place, was victim of a break-in by a fan the star wound up confronting as his security slept. It was later revealed that the real-life Stan was a repeat offender who had been stalking the rapper for some time.
Those incidents and this one highlight some of the dangers of being famous in an always-connected world. While fans may feel closer than ever to the stars they admire, the blurring of the lines between private and public life have been shown to have the potential for dire consequences — ones that Kehlani’s new move can hopefully help her avoid.
Kehlani is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.