Kehlani Puts ASL Center Stage at LIV and the Crowd Went Wild
Kehlani’s recent LIV performance in Las Vegas is the talk of the town.
And of course her viral hit, “Folded” is at the center of the hype. The superstar pulled ASL interpreter, Langundo Sandoval, from the crowd after he caught her attention with his rhythmic signing.
Kehlani then brought Sandoval on stage to teach her the sign for the word folded. When she handed Sandoval the mic, he said, “I know you have multiple meanings to your music, so it’s not just folding clothes, but it’s like folding in.”
“I love that and that’s on what? Accessibility!” Kehlani said to the crowd. Sandoval then began performing with Kehlani and she said to him, “I love you! This my guy! Future reference to my team: I need him!”
Sandoval gave an ASL performance that felt less like translation and more like translating emotions. He posted about the experience on his Instagram and shared in the caption, “When access met art… everything shifted.”
What the clip captures is twofold. First, it shows how thoughtful artists like Kehlani can expand who a live show is for. She could have let Sandoval stay in the crowd, but instead she gave access centerstage. Second, it highlights how accessible design — in this case, live ASL translation that centers meaning and context — makes a concert emotionally rich for everyone.
Sandoval closed his post with a note of thanks to Kehlani and everyone who made the epic moment possible for him. The clip is so tender and wonderful, and Sandoval summed it up best in his caption:
The music hit.
And suddenly, it wasn’t just sound, it was spirit.
It was the Deaf and hearing worlds moving in sync.
It was language turned into light.
That’s what happens when representation becomes rhythm.
When art becomes access.
