Kelela exploded onto the electro R&B scene with her proper 2017 debut, Take Me Apart. Her music is nothing short of intergalactic pop, forged in dance music styles with Kelela as the fierce central figure that you can’t turn away from. Her follow-up, Raven, is officially on deck for 2023 and all of the early dispatches from Kelela so far have been heavenly.
Out on February 10th, 2023 on Warp Records, Raven already has three singles out. The sultry album opener “Washed Away,” the drum and bass pop banger “Happy Ending,” and the afrobeat-inflected “On The Run.” The “Happy Ending” video celebrates NYC’s underground ballroom dance floor culture.
Kelela has said that the album is an expression of her self-renewal and shared a reflective statement about it.
“I started this process from the feeling of isolation and alienation I’ve always had as a black femme in dance music, despite its black origins,” Kelela said. “Raven is my first breath taken in the dark, an affirmation of black femme perspective in the midst of systemic erasure and the sound of our vulnerability turned to power.”
This definitely promises to be one of 2023’s early favorites. Check out the album artwork and tracklist for Raven below.
1. “Washed Away”
2. “Happy Ending”
3. “Let It Go”
4. “On The Run”
5. “Missed Call”
6. “Closure”
7. “Contact”
8. “Fooley”
9. “Holier”
10. “Raven”
11. “Bruises”
12. “Sorbet”
13. “Divorce”
14. “Enough For Love”
15. “Far Away”
Raven is out 2/10/2023 via Warp. Pre-order it here.