Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
First time I met Kehlani was through Jahaan Sweet - a really dope producer; then we linked up in Toronto, and the vibe was just lit. She's a really warm human being.
I remember going to audition in Toronto for a girl group. I was 15 or 16. I went in with my guitar. I had the wickedest nerves, man! I was decent, but not good enough.
I feel like my objective in music is to take a hammer and nail and chip away a piece of my heart and give it to someone, so I feel, with merch, it's a tangible parallel of that.
In life, unfortunately, I've had multiple experiences where people that I thought I could depend on have switched up, or I've caught them in lies, and their true colours have shown.
Some people's parents listened to the Beatles... but my family is Alquimia, Celia Cruz, and Carlos Vives - this old, rich Colombian music. I loved hearing that while I was growing up.
In a book, you can create a world in your imagination that's as intricate as you want. Even something like 'Angels & Demons.' I was reading it, thinking, 'This is incredible! This is so scary!'
I want to be remembered for doing something bigger than myself and making a positive impact on the world. I want to make my life worth something and to die a legend and to make my family proud.
I've been debating with people over what an album actually means in 2018. Certain artists who have paid their dues and proven themselves have almost the privilege to put out a full length album.
I'm proud of the fact that I can just focus on the bullseye and go. Thank God, I don't have to worry about distractions or veering off course because my focus is very defined. I'm proud of that.
To be honest with you, the fact that people vibe with my music is just a really positive byproduct of something that is just a reflex to me. The fact that people even care to listen means a lot to me.
Canada has this really cool way - specifically Toronto - of encouraging you to wave both flags: if you've been born there, like, wave your flag and then wave your parent's flag, too, and be proud of it.
I was very small when I started making music. I think the first song might have been when I was, like, in grade one, maybe? It was really ironic, cause it was a kid talking about taking time with growing up.
My mom says that she caught me one day in front of the TV watching opera. I was trying to sing back the opera. She saw that I really liked music, and so she put me in piano lessons when I was about three years old.
I don't know how other people have a topic or have a goal when making a song, like, 'Let's write about this, or let's write about that.' It's kind of difficult for me. Personally, I like vibing out and freestyling.
My thought process is I have been lied to so much by people who I thought I could trust that it motivates me to want to be as honest as possible, to project that energy, because that is how I want people to treat me.
The EP is called 'Kiddo' because this has been an uphill battle for me. As a female in the industry, as a female of colour, some people will demean me. So it's like, 'OK, you wanna call me kiddo? I'll show you kiddo.'
There are things I still criticize myself heavy for. There are days I have to pick myself back up, but that, to me, is success; it's getting to both sides: physical and the spiritual, mental. Just peace. Peace of mind.
When I went to school, I didn't know a lick of English, but it was okay because there were so many immigrants in the area, a lot of the kids didn't speak a lick of English, either. It was normal to have a wicked accent.
I think of legacy: I want plaques on the wall. I want a farm for my dad. I want an orphanage, preferably two, named after my mother. I want to positively and tangibly help the lives of millions of people and die a legend.
Honestly, the angrier I am, the looser my tongue is... when I get angry, it's just a motor mouth, and it just goes off, which is great, but it doesn't really work unless I'm very, very passionate about what I'm talking about.
I ended up moving to Miami and bartending, but the party atmosphere is a black hole down there. People party all the time, and if you're working in the industry, you're sleeping all day and at the club all night, day after day.
The power's in the people, more so because we have platforms that we can control, like Instagram, Twitter, Soundcloud, where we can deliver straight. If you're building a fanbase, it's in your hands; it's not monopoly. You can do it.
If you're serious about your music, there's this thing called The Remix Project in Toronto, and it's an art incubator, and it's basically like free school. If you don't got money for studio, you don't have the networks, they help you.
When you come from an immigrant home, you're in a whole different world until you leave your house. In my teenage years, I had to learn to switch cultures the second I left my house and, when I came back, to go back to my fundamentals.
If you consume something that's poisonous, you don't consciously think of vomiting; your body just does it. It's a reflex. When I'm happy, I don't instantly feel the need to get rid of that feeling. But when I'm sad, I think maybe that's what happens.
I'd get out at school at 3:00 P.M., show up to dance practice at 6:30 P.M., practice for three hours till 9:00 P.M., get home at midnight, and try to do whatever homework I could before getting back up for 7:00 A.M. But I did it because I liked dancing, and I loved the music.
I thought, 'Maybe if I become a cheerleader, I can meet managers or agents. Maybe I can sing the national anthem at a game, and someone in the industry will hear me.' I saw everything as an opportunity to further my music. I was literally the cheerleader who had a mixtape in between her pom-poms at events.
To be blunt, I feel like lyricism in Spanish is of a different quality than English. You can get really poetic in Spanish, but I feel like if you do that in English, you risk sounding cheesy. In Spanish, it's never that. It's always this deep, passionate, beautiful imagery; it's painted different, a different color.
I remember being in the States a few years ago, and when I said I was from Toronto, it doesn't really make a difference. Now you say you're from Toronto, and people want to talk to you a little longer. Drake's putting on and bringing a lot of eyes to the city, but I feel like the seed and the flowers have always been here.
I think about legacy, of course. I don't want to make my life nothing. I want to know that I died and made a massive difference. I want to know that my life purpose was bigger than myself, and I want to pay forward because the amount of people that have helped me... the list of people that have contributed to where I am now is insane.