Kehlani has had a relentless hold on R&B lovers for the past year since she released her sophomore album, It Was Good Until It Wasn’t. Fans have NOT stopped streaming it since the day it dropped. A TikTok dance challenge to the album’s 5th track, “Water“, trended a few weeks after the album’s release. Today, a TikTok dance is a stamp of approval from fans around the world. The global celebration of this brilliant body of work continued with a virtual concert. The Grammy Nominated artist announced she would be performing the entire album on a live streamed show called, “It Was Live Until It Wasn’t”. The show streamed on May 10th and 11th for different time zones to ensure availability of fans in the US, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the UK and Africa.
HAPPY 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY! came out against the odds and showed out. thankful for all the love!!! 🤞🏼✨
— Kehlani (@Kehlani) May 8, 2021
IT WAS GOOD UNTIL IT WASNT forever pic.twitter.com/oTcjLWVsYr
Simple & Sleek
From beginning to end, the entire performance felt like silk sheets moving through the air. Set design went with a simple and sleek vibe to complement the chill musical elements the album is composed of. They went with a classy white color scheme– the outfits, background, the instruments and even the mic stand were white. The visually appealing set paired with the camera angles, smooth choreography, vevelty vocals, and the stunning live band was definitely giving what it was supposed to have gave!
ok, stage presence. https://t.co/dTgxbnlEAJ
— Maura Chanz (@maurachanz) May 11, 2021
Womxn Empowerment
To show appreciation for female entertainers, Kehlani shared the stage with an all female band and female dancers. Her four dancers are named Sade, Yani, Alaini and Kassidy. And the brilliant musicians responsible for the music are, her Noodz (DJ), Lexii (guitarist), Nakya (drummer), Bonnie (keyboardist).
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Kehlani Returns To Dancing
Kehlani posted clips of her dance rehearsals on Instagram just weeks before the performance and fans went CRZY! Her comments were flooded with fire emojis and heart eyes from thrilled fans ready for this legendary performance. In an interview with Nylon, Kehlani discussed how she felt about stepping back into the dance scene after being absent for a few years. “It was just time. I missed it. My body missed it. The music sounded like it was right. It took a long time to get my body strength back up to dance in the first place, especially like dance and sing.” Undoubtedly, fans were overjoyed to see the sensational results of all of her hard work, dedication and preparation for the show.
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Surprise Special Guests
Lucky Daye joined Kehlani for a stunning performance of “Can You Blame Me”. Daye came out looking sharp in an all black fit to complement Kehlani’s all white ensemble. Later on, Masego and his saxophone slid through for a smooth, jazzy performance of “Hate The Club“. I was so surprised when R&B’s newest prodigy, Destin Conrad, strolled on stage with an incredible performance of the second half of “Open (Passionate)”. This is actually my favorite song from the album, so I was so excited when I heard his warm, rich vocals flowing from my laptop speakers. This was Destin’s first time performing live and he absolutely did his thing. You would think it was second nature the way he sang his heart out when he performed his song, “In The Air”.
Thanks for having me @Kehlani 💚 pic.twitter.com/nVpdiOmTP1
— Lucky Daye (@iamluckydaye) May 11, 2021
Kehlani Throwbacks On The Setlist
In addition to all the songs on It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, they gave us a bit of an extra treat. A nostalgic throwback interlude of songs from past projects included “Honey”, “Nights Like This”, “Gangsta”, “CRZY”, “All Me” and a bouncy mashup of “Distraction” & “The Way“. My favorite was definitely the mesmerising rock rendition of “Gangsta”. The electric guitar, percussion and purple & red lighting gave strong purple demon emoji vibes! 😈
Her Flowers Are Well Deserved
So much excitement was stirring up on Twitter after the show. Fans and artists shared their favorite moments from the show and warned people that Kehlani is not to be messed with. The 26-year old has untouchable talent, from her dance moves to her phenomenal vocals. Whatever else Kehlani has up her sleeve for us in 2021, I will be ready for it!
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