December 16, 2025 • 9 mins
This video is an engaging interview with the artist Kehlani, conducted by DJ Pup Dawg, where she reflects on her hugely successful career, which she notes is constantly growing and has recently earned her two Grammy nominations. She discusses her personal evolution, explaining that the confidence she displays now comes from growing up in the industry—from age 19 to 30—and learning to overcome early-career shyness and anxiety. Her advice to her younger self is to prioritize mental health immediately by starting therapy, seeking psychiatry, and developing positive habits and routines. Regarding her music, Kehlani talks about her "old school" strategy of releasing several singles, like "Folded" and "Out the Window," as a natural lead-up to an album, and she admits that she is still learning to ignore online criticism in favor of the overwhelming love from fans. She also confirmed that two major collaborations are in the works: a dream collaboration with Usher and a feature with Brandy for her upcoming album, which is expected to be followed by a tour next year.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yeah, straight from Pakistan to La to Boston. Oh my gosh,
she's a vet now. I can't believe I'm saying you're
a vet now. Kailani was subed my friend, how are you?
Long time man? You do what I right?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I'm doing great?
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Yo. You've had such an amazing career. But this year
like it's been ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Right, Yeah? Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
I feel like every year is such a big year
for you, and you're like, but this year has just
been like it's been Kailani everywhere. Bro that congrats on everything.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
You can skap me this year? Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
How do you feel when people drop your name in songs?
And then you and you did the Jordan Aa Zunji record,
But there's so many songs with like talking about you.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
You know what I think? Sometimes people can't figure out
what to rhyme tsunami with. Sometimes they want to say tsunami,
sometimes they want to say to Sali sometimes and sometimes
my name just works in the rhyme. Like the Jordan
Ata Tunji song was the one that felt like it
was actually for me. They were just trying to, like,
you know, get a rhyme, and I watched it grow
(01:02):
for a while and then I contacted him. I was like, wow,
I just.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
I have to well, well because of that one right there,
you're folded. Obviously Grammy nominated. You got two Grammy noobs
this time, right, yes, congratulations on that. And then just
I mean just to glow up. Man. Everyone wants to
be with Kilania, and you got both sides trying to
be with you, right, Like there's some baddies that, like
the guys want to get with They're like, nah, we
(01:26):
walk Kilani. Well, good luck to them, collect to that man.
So how's how's everything been going? I mean, obviously when
you're on stage and when you're off the mic, I've
always seen you to you know, be be that person.
And then you know, in the beginning of your career
it was very you were very shy, and then you
came out about like it was a lot of anxiety
stuff like that. How did you overcome that?
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Now?
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Because now when I see you in front of the
outside of stage, you have so much confidence and you
just like talk to everybody. Now, how did you do
how did you make that flip?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I mean I just grew up just right. We like
to say, like in the beginning of my career, versus
you know where I am now. I was nineteen and
now I'm thirty. So nineteen is real, it's real different,
you know. It's you're just coming from being in high
school and then you have like a year of life
outside of high school, and then next thing you know,
you're you know, going to radio stations and doing interviews
(02:18):
and going on tours and singing in front of a
bunch of strangers and having strangers come up to you
in the street and say hi. Like it's a very
opposite you know, you just go from one extreme to
the next extreme. So I think it's just been years
in this has been years of pruning and years of
understanding myself and feeling good when I walk into rooms
and really loving myself and loving my journey. And I
(02:40):
think that that all shines through in my interactions for sure.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
So how do you tell the Kaylani from ten years
ago if you run into them in the elevator, who's
going through? That's what's a quick little advice you would
give them about what you went through?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
I would say, like, go start your mental health journey now.
I would say, go start you know, being serious about
your wellness right now, go to get the therapy, Go
to get the psychiatry, go to develop the positive habits,
and develop the routine, all those things that I do
to keep myself saying and well, now, I would say, girls,
start now when you're nineteen and it won't feel like
(03:15):
you're scrambling to do it all at the same time
when you're twenty nine.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
I love that. And you know, a lot of people
don't see the behind the scenes of getting dragged and
pulled around and you got to be here. You got
to be there, you know, and you don't eat for
very long periods of time. I'll have a night breakfast
that right, and you're still doing it. So thank you
for so much for doing all these promo runs. I
know your music speaks for yourself. You tell us so
(03:38):
much in your music, but I always appreciate you, you know,
taking the time and doing these things. Album are we are?
We coming out with an album soon? I mean, this
is a great lead up. You got folded that just
did some crazy numbers out the windows, doing some crazy numbers.
It's an old school way of dropping music. People don't
do that anymore.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Yeah, I think I really missed not just being like
I'm not just that being a theme in R and
B to just drop a lot of music. But that
was always my way of going about things, Like I
never really played by some type of like invisible algorithmic rule.
Like me and David were just dropping song after song
after song, and it'd be like, yeah, d it's a
(04:15):
project because we're coming song song song songs. So we'll
clearly count down to the project and you know, take
it as it comes. You drop a single, you see
if the world likes said, you keep moving in that direction,
you keep growing, you keep picking the songs based on
the feedback from your audience. It's very like it's just
an integral part of how you know, we've always done
things with me. Yeah, the more music, there's gonna be
more singles, and then there'll be an album.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
There'll be an album. There it is mat Calina. You
you talked about, you know, listening to your fan base.
When I rock out at clubs, I need to help
with this. When I rock out at clubs, I feel
like you know, when I when I rock a thousand
people and I get all these great comments like yo, pop,
you killed it, you killed it. That one comment, bro,
you sucked. Why does that stick out? So much worse
and how do you how do you deal with that?
Did you get a lot of that or yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
I have a really bad habit honestly of focusing on
the criticism and the dislike more than the love when
it's usually overwhelming in the opposite way, Like usually there's
across the board with most people, it's usually more love
than there is hate. But I'm only just now grasping it.
I'm only just now coming to terms with some people
just their entire life has revolved around making think pieces
(05:20):
or you know, going viral for a hit tweet or
having a hit video. And sometimes they don't even mean
what they're saying. They're just saying it for the engagement
and more than anything about it being personal. I get
really frustrated that that's the state of the world, like
more than anything, I'm like, I hate that this is
what we're doing. Like also, people move the goalpost with
(05:40):
me a lot, so a lot of what I do
just I could breathe and there's a think piece honestly
at this point, so we're just you know taking it
think peace by thinking.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
And those people that do that, you go to their bio.
They're talking about stop bullying's spread love and you're like, yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Women empowerment business, I think is on how to you know,
be in a women involvement.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Sad that that's what crazy engagement and like, how do
you sleep at that? I don't know. That's another whole conversation.
But what's up.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
I'm right here with you.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Cayline's on right now. Folder congratulations on the couple of
Grammy nams out the window. And I know something's already
out right now that you a dream clab would be usher.
So is that gonna be in the works because I'm
sure he's been told. I'm sure he's a fan too.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
We're just getting the song right, Oh, you have it already,
we have, we have, we have a couple options, so
we're just kind of getting the song where, making sure
we love it. He's a perfectionist, Okay. I'm also really
admire this other side of him that I think the
public doesn't know, which is how much he really does
think about his music and what choices he wants to
make and what stories he wants to tell, and how
(06:45):
much he cares about, you know, making the right songs
in the right moments. And yeah, that's we're in the process,
and I'm getting to learn a lot.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Nice. That's what's up any female artists. That's the dream
clab that I can I can tell people about.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Yeah, I mean, Brandy just exposed us under my on
Instagram in my comments. She got on there and said,
you know, you take your time. I posted a bunch
of pictures of me surfing, and she commented and said,
you know what, you just you go ahead, you keep
surfing because it gives me time to rest my voice
so I can finish this masterpiece that we started, Randy
(07:19):
Smith the Beans. Brandy is hopefully gonna, you know, be
well enough to finish her feature on out there.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
It is man, I saw many me has been moving
around with you. She's beautiful, growing up growing up with you?
Are you? Is she liking all the cameras and the
flicks and everything.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
It's very half and half, you know, sometimes she's all
for it, but it's really when it's in her control,
and like when she wants to film and what she
wants to film and she wants to make a TikTok
and she wants to dance, it's like a bunch of
people in her face, like yeah, yeah, She'll be like no,
but it's very autonomous. She's very into her own this.
This happens the way I want. I love that about her.
(07:54):
So she has really strong boundaries.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
I saw jay Z his daughter was like not trying
to get in the car. This one viral. They're like, oh,
jay Z's daughter's not listening to him getting in the car.
I'm like, she's five and she's being that's not jay
Z to her, that's her dad. Like, Dad, I don't
want to get in the car.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
All the funny videos. If we're ready to run on stage, yeah,
on stage of Beyonce, I'm like, yeah, if I was five,
i'd do the same thing.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Right.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
That is not Beyonce.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
That is the mother exactly. Man, Killaani, Man, let's get
into this song out the Window. Since I got you on,
why don't you introduce it and we'll come back and
say by real quick.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
I'm Kailani and this is my song out the Window.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Kai Lannie right there, out the window. Another smash on
your hands. I love your records. There they pull on
the strings. There, you nicely touch everybody. I know you're
speaking from the heart, but there's a lot of people
that relate to your music and I know if you've
helped a lot of people with anxiety with getting out
in front of people. So I appreciate everything you've done
for even me. Man Like, I've seen how you've grown
and you've helped me grow too, So thank.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
You, thank you, I appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
I can't wait to see you though.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
I know we got a hug.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Yeah right, Well, give the team my love before and
anything you want to tell Boston, are you gonna be
out here sooner? What are we doing?
Speaker 2 (09:04):
You know what, Boston, I always have a great time.
I always love the show. I always love your guy's energy.
I just can't wait to come back. There will be
a tour next year and I will see you.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
That there it is, kayl I need nothing but love.
Thank you so much for taking the time and jumping
on here with you. Boy.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Thank you
Yeah, straight from Pakistan to La to Boston. Oh my gosh,
she's a vet now. I can't believe I'm saying you're
a vet now. Kailani was subed my friend, how are you?
Long time man? You do what I right?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I'm doing great?
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Yo. You've had such an amazing career. But this year
like it's been ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Right, Yeah? Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
I feel like every year is such a big year
for you, and you're like, but this year has just
been like it's been Kailani everywhere. Bro that congrats on everything.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
You can skap me this year? Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
How do you feel when people drop your name in songs?
And then you and you did the Jordan Aa Zunji record,
But there's so many songs with like talking about you.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
You know what I think? Sometimes people can't figure out
what to rhyme tsunami with. Sometimes they want to say tsunami,
sometimes they want to say to Sali sometimes and sometimes
my name just works in the rhyme. Like the Jordan
Ata Tunji song was the one that felt like it
was actually for me. They were just trying to, like,
you know, get a rhyme, and I watched it grow
(01:02):
for a while and then I contacted him. I was like, wow,
I just.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
I have to well, well because of that one right there,
you're folded. Obviously Grammy nominated. You got two Grammy noobs
this time, right, yes, congratulations on that. And then just
I mean just to glow up. Man. Everyone wants to
be with Kilania, and you got both sides trying to
be with you, right, Like there's some baddies that, like
the guys want to get with They're like, nah, we
(01:26):
walk Kilani. Well, good luck to them, collect to that man.
So how's how's everything been going? I mean, obviously when
you're on stage and when you're off the mic, I've
always seen you to you know, be be that person.
And then you know, in the beginning of your career
it was very you were very shy, and then you
came out about like it was a lot of anxiety
stuff like that. How did you overcome that?
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Now?
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Because now when I see you in front of the
outside of stage, you have so much confidence and you
just like talk to everybody. Now, how did you do
how did you make that flip?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I mean I just grew up just right. We like
to say, like in the beginning of my career, versus
you know where I am now. I was nineteen and
now I'm thirty. So nineteen is real, it's real different,
you know. It's you're just coming from being in high
school and then you have like a year of life
outside of high school, and then next thing you know,
you're you know, going to radio stations and doing interviews
(02:18):
and going on tours and singing in front of a
bunch of strangers and having strangers come up to you
in the street and say hi. Like it's a very
opposite you know, you just go from one extreme to
the next extreme. So I think it's just been years
in this has been years of pruning and years of
understanding myself and feeling good when I walk into rooms
and really loving myself and loving my journey. And I
(02:40):
think that that all shines through in my interactions for sure.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
So how do you tell the Kaylani from ten years
ago if you run into them in the elevator, who's
going through? That's what's a quick little advice you would
give them about what you went through?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
I would say, like, go start your mental health journey now.
I would say, go start you know, being serious about
your wellness right now, go to get the therapy, Go
to get the psychiatry, go to develop the positive habits,
and develop the routine, all those things that I do
to keep myself saying and well, now, I would say, girls,
start now when you're nineteen and it won't feel like
(03:15):
you're scrambling to do it all at the same time
when you're twenty nine.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
I love that. And you know, a lot of people
don't see the behind the scenes of getting dragged and
pulled around and you got to be here. You got
to be there, you know, and you don't eat for
very long periods of time. I'll have a night breakfast
that right, and you're still doing it. So thank you
for so much for doing all these promo runs. I
know your music speaks for yourself. You tell us so
(03:38):
much in your music, but I always appreciate you, you know,
taking the time and doing these things. Album are we are?
We coming out with an album soon? I mean, this
is a great lead up. You got folded that just
did some crazy numbers out the windows, doing some crazy numbers.
It's an old school way of dropping music. People don't
do that anymore.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Yeah, I think I really missed not just being like
I'm not just that being a theme in R and
B to just drop a lot of music. But that
was always my way of going about things, Like I
never really played by some type of like invisible algorithmic rule.
Like me and David were just dropping song after song
after song, and it'd be like, yeah, d it's a
(04:15):
project because we're coming song song song songs. So we'll
clearly count down to the project and you know, take
it as it comes. You drop a single, you see
if the world likes said, you keep moving in that direction,
you keep growing, you keep picking the songs based on
the feedback from your audience. It's very like it's just
an integral part of how you know, we've always done
things with me. Yeah, the more music, there's gonna be
more singles, and then there'll be an album.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
There'll be an album. There it is mat Calina. You
you talked about, you know, listening to your fan base.
When I rock out at clubs, I need to help
with this. When I rock out at clubs, I feel
like you know, when I when I rock a thousand
people and I get all these great comments like yo, pop,
you killed it, you killed it. That one comment, bro,
you sucked. Why does that stick out? So much worse
and how do you how do you deal with that?
Did you get a lot of that or yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
I have a really bad habit honestly of focusing on
the criticism and the dislike more than the love when
it's usually overwhelming in the opposite way, Like usually there's
across the board with most people, it's usually more love
than there is hate. But I'm only just now grasping it.
I'm only just now coming to terms with some people
just their entire life has revolved around making think pieces
(05:20):
or you know, going viral for a hit tweet or
having a hit video. And sometimes they don't even mean
what they're saying. They're just saying it for the engagement
and more than anything about it being personal. I get
really frustrated that that's the state of the world, like
more than anything, I'm like, I hate that this is
what we're doing. Like also, people move the goalpost with
(05:40):
me a lot, so a lot of what I do
just I could breathe and there's a think piece honestly
at this point, so we're just you know taking it
think peace by thinking.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
And those people that do that, you go to their bio.
They're talking about stop bullying's spread love and you're like, yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Women empowerment business, I think is on how to you know,
be in a women involvement.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Sad that that's what crazy engagement and like, how do
you sleep at that? I don't know. That's another whole conversation.
But what's up.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
I'm right here with you.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Cayline's on right now. Folder congratulations on the couple of
Grammy nams out the window. And I know something's already
out right now that you a dream clab would be usher.
So is that gonna be in the works because I'm
sure he's been told. I'm sure he's a fan too.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
We're just getting the song right, Oh, you have it already,
we have, we have, we have a couple options, so
we're just kind of getting the song where, making sure
we love it. He's a perfectionist, Okay. I'm also really
admire this other side of him that I think the
public doesn't know, which is how much he really does
think about his music and what choices he wants to
make and what stories he wants to tell, and how
(06:45):
much he cares about, you know, making the right songs
in the right moments. And yeah, that's we're in the process,
and I'm getting to learn a lot.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Nice. That's what's up any female artists. That's the dream
clab that I can I can tell people about.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Yeah, I mean, Brandy just exposed us under my on
Instagram in my comments. She got on there and said,
you know, you take your time. I posted a bunch
of pictures of me surfing, and she commented and said,
you know what, you just you go ahead, you keep
surfing because it gives me time to rest my voice
so I can finish this masterpiece that we started, Randy
(07:19):
Smith the Beans. Brandy is hopefully gonna, you know, be
well enough to finish her feature on out there.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
It is man, I saw many me has been moving
around with you. She's beautiful, growing up growing up with you?
Are you? Is she liking all the cameras and the
flicks and everything.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
It's very half and half, you know, sometimes she's all
for it, but it's really when it's in her control,
and like when she wants to film and what she
wants to film and she wants to make a TikTok
and she wants to dance, it's like a bunch of
people in her face, like yeah, yeah, She'll be like no,
but it's very autonomous. She's very into her own this.
This happens the way I want. I love that about her.
(07:54):
So she has really strong boundaries.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
I saw jay Z his daughter was like not trying
to get in the car. This one viral. They're like, oh,
jay Z's daughter's not listening to him getting in the car.
I'm like, she's five and she's being that's not jay
Z to her, that's her dad. Like, Dad, I don't
want to get in the car.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
All the funny videos. If we're ready to run on stage, yeah,
on stage of Beyonce, I'm like, yeah, if I was five,
i'd do the same thing.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Right.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
That is not Beyonce.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
That is the mother exactly. Man, Killaani, Man, let's get
into this song out the Window. Since I got you on,
why don't you introduce it and we'll come back and
say by real quick.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
I'm Kailani and this is my song out the Window.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Kai Lannie right there, out the window. Another smash on
your hands. I love your records. There they pull on
the strings. There, you nicely touch everybody. I know you're
speaking from the heart, but there's a lot of people
that relate to your music and I know if you've
helped a lot of people with anxiety with getting out
in front of people. So I appreciate everything you've done
for even me. Man Like, I've seen how you've grown
and you've helped me grow too, So thank.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
You, thank you, I appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
I can't wait to see you though.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
I know we got a hug.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Yeah right, Well, give the team my love before and
anything you want to tell Boston, are you gonna be
out here sooner? What are we doing?
Speaker 2 (09:04):
You know what, Boston, I always have a great time.
I always love the show. I always love your guy's energy.
I just can't wait to come back. There will be
a tour next year and I will see you.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
That there it is, kayl I need nothing but love.
Thank you so much for taking the time and jumping
on here with you. Boy.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Thank you
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