Since gaining major praise for her 2013 mix tape, Cut 4 Me, Kelela has been on the rise, finding her place as a performer. Currently on a headlining tour in support of the EP Hallucinogen, her show at SF's The Independent on Monday night was sold-out!
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| Kelela @ The Independent 12/14/2015 Photo by Marc Fong |
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| Kelela @ The Independent 12/14/2015 Photo by Marc Fong |
The hip, young crowd was un-phased by the long change-over following the unique, globe-trotting, dance-pop opener Lafawndah. No equipment was moved on or off stage and it remained dark for the better part of an hour, yet there were no chants trying to entice Kelea to start: she was making her fans (painstakingly) wait and they blindly obliged. A seemingly bold move for a growing artist, however; when she finally, un-apologetically appeared on the dark stage, eclipsed by bright white light ans showered by whirling applause, I realized I was witnessing a diva in the making.
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| Kelela @ The Independent 12/14/2015 Photo by Marc Fong |
Churning out songs from her career launching mixtape and her recent EP, the sassy singer/songwriter hit and held some serious, Mariah worthy high-notes early on. If she didn't have your full attention by then, there's no way there was anyone who wasn't locked in after she dropped those!
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| Kelela @ The Independent 12/14/2015 Photo by Marc Fong |
The audience poured out even more adoration when she asked who had been with her since the release of her mixtape before expressing how grateful she was to be back since her first show here with Solange about 3 years ago. The amount of loud cheers was a clear indication that Kelela has loyal fans here in SF, a fact she was visibly happy about.
Her soulful singing style characterizes her experimental R&B sound while her minimalistic performance is carried by her fierce demeanor and even fiercer delivery of empowering lyrics.
Spurts of popping, locking, robotic movements struck an FKA Twigs resemblance while she radiated an approachable, Beyonce air.
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| Kelela @ The Independent 12/14/2015 Photo by Marc Fong |
Playing off of that approachable attitude, Kelela hopped off the stage mid-song at one point and leisurely navigated through the crowd as she sang. She looked comfortable and welcomed one on one attention from cooing fans swaying around her. Bright back lighting and rays of indigo and violet spot lights through out the night beautifully accentuated the ambiance of the somber, broken hearted love songs: easily transforming the show into an intimate evening.
It's obvious Kelela knows what she's working with. As she soars to success with her sweet, powerful pipes she keeps what could be a show effecting ego in check by remaining welcoming.
A debut LP from this songbird is suppose to drop sometime in 2016 so we will be hearing more from Miss Kelela soon!
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