Few artists have been as vulnerable, visually experimental, and emotionally fluent as Kehlani. From SoundCloud sleeper tracks to Grammy nominations and global tours, she’s never taken the traditional route—and that’s what makes her rise so refreshing. With her BET Awards 2025 nomination for Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, Kehlani isn’t just in the conversation—she’s defining a new version of what R&B can be when it’s honest, queer, and fearless.

Since their breakout 2015 mixtape You Should Be Here, Kehlani has been delivering emotionally sharp storytelling over dreamy production. That mixtape gave us vulnerable confessionals like “The Way” and “Down For You” that marked her as a soft-spoken powerhouse in the making.

Then came SweetSexySavage, It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, and Blue Water Road—each one a new journal entry in her ongoing self-discovery. While the early albums leaned on bright hooks and throwback influences, the later work brought rawness, bisexual anthems, and spiritual clarity to the forefront.

From “Toxic” to “Altar” to “After Hours” (nominated for Video of the Year in 2025), Kehlani’s music feels like a diary passed through the mic.

Kehlani doesn’t just exist in R&B—she queers it. She sings about women. About fluid love. About navigating heartbreak without apology. She’s not marketing queerness as a trend—she’s living it in her lyrics, her visuals, and her everyday energy.

Songs like “Hate the Club” and “Can I” hit hard for anyone who’s been soft and bold at the same time. “Melt” was a pure, unfiltered queer love song. And her presence gives representation to fans who rarely see themselves reflected in the mainstream.

Kehlani’s vocals aren’t showy—they’re honest. She doesn’t belt to prove something. She sings like she’s talking to someone she loves—or someone she used to. There’s a warmth in her tone, a vulnerability in her falsetto, and a quiet control that’s undeniable.

Whether she’s harmonizing over guitar-led ballads or floating on synth-heavy beats, Kehlani sounds like herself. Not chasing a trend. Not mimicking anyone else. That’s why she connects.

Let’s talk visuals. Kehlani has always treated music videos as full art pieces. From the magical realism of “Nights Like This” to the dreamscape of “Altar” to the gritty, kinetic energy of “After Hours,” she directs and stars in her own aesthetic universe.

She plays with light and darkness. With gender roles. With intimacy and space. And it’s never for shock—it’s all deeply intentional. She makes music you can feel and videos you can live inside.

Kehlani is open about therapy. About heartbreak. About motherhood. About the messiness of healing. And that openness has helped shape R&B’s current wave of confessional, emotionally intelligent music.

They make being in-process look graceful. Not perfect. Not performative. Just real. And in a world of curated feeds, Kehlani’s chaos and calm feels like relief.

Kehlani didn’t take over R&B by doing what was expected. They did it by building a sound, a story, and a space for those of us still figuring it out. Their BET Awards 2025 nomination for Best Female R&B/Pop Artist is more than deserved—it’s about time.

Don’t miss Kehlani—and the full spectrum of R&B greatness—at the BET Awards 2025, airing live Monday, June 9 at 8PM ET/PT on BET.