May 08, 2020

It is worth all the hype.

Allyson Klein
Contributor

With her unstoppable confidence, sex appeal, and vocals that demand your attention, Kehlani had no problem getting people excited about her new album, out now, It Was Good Until It Wasnt. The musician has been teasing us for weeks, starting in March with the release of her sensual single, "Toxic," the first track on the new EP.

Just when you thought her vocals could not get any better, she drops another pre-release single, "Everybody Business," the eighth track on It Was Good Until It Wasnt. The song exemplifies Kehlani's neo-classic vibe and opens strong with the lyrics, “I ain’t never been a half-assed lover.” It becomes obvious that people are often making assumptions about her love life but Kehlani chooses to face those rumors with tenacity. It was in late March when she came out with the first of her three DIY music videos "quarantine style." Kehlani moves exactly the way the beat sounds in her video to "Toxic," which she made in an hour having only red wine to thank on Twitter. 

Next was the video to “Everybody Business,” straight out of her Oakland, California backyard. This is also when Kehlani introduced some poppy illustrations to tie with the song. It is only the second DIY video, but you can see her confidence starting to explode. It is notable that an impressive artist like Kehlani is taking the minimalistic approach and making these videos happen even while the world stays indoors. Peep that same brick fence featured in the album cover.

The final song to be pre-released with a "quarantine style" video was "F&MU," the eleventh track on the album. The hot and heavy visual was directed by Kehlani herself under her director alias Hyphy Williams, and as well as "Everybody Business," "F&MU" is a Honey Shot Production. The reaction to this video on Twitter was nothing but positive, really hyping up fans for her release of the album.

And finally, as of May 8th at midnight, It Was Good Until It Wasnt is live on all platforms. We get the same attitude and confidence that we get from “Everybody Business," with many tracks revealing Kehlani's backlash towards trash talk. In between all of the BS, she is fighting for both herself and her relationship. Our girl is ready to settle down, giving herself into this intimacy and allowing her hesitations to come to the surface in her music. Kehlani is also incredibly confident and honest in these tracks, admitting her insecurities while belting out her worth. It's the kind of contradiction we can all relate to.

These tracks are R&B and neo-soul city, with features from Jhené Aiko, Masego, Lucky Daye, and James Blake, in addition to the last song "Lexii's Outro" by Lexii Alijai. Kehlani has a lot of momentum right now. Fans were anxiously awaiting the release while having fun reenacting the album cover art on Twitter before it was out, and the soul searching Kehlani did to produce this album will be worth it. Within an hour of the release, It Was Good Until It Wasnt was #1 on iTunes. The bar was high, and Kehlani delivered. Stream It Was Good Until It Wasnt below.


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