Kelela

Kelela Mizanekristos ( am, ከለላ ሚዛነክርስቶስ; born June 3, 1983) is an American singer. She made her debut in the music industry with the release of her 2013 mixtape ''Cut 4 Me.'' In 2015, she released ''Hallucinogen'', an EP which deals with the beginning, middle, and end of a relationship in reverse chronological order. Her debut studio album, ''Take Me Apart'', was released in 2017 to critical acclaim.

Early life and education

A second-generation Ethiopian American and an only child, Mizanekristos was born in Washington, D.C. on June 6, 1983. Growing up in Gaithersburg, Maryland, she learned to play the violin in fourth grade and sang in her school's choir. In 2001, she graduated from Magruder High School. After transferring from Montgomery College to the American University, Mizanekristos began singing jazz standards at cafés. In 2008, she joined an indie band called Dizzy Spells and sang progressive metal after meeting Tosin Abasi, whom she later dated. In 2010, she moved to Los Angeles, where she currently lives, in addition to London.

Career

2012–2015: ''Cut 4 Me'' and ''Hallucinogen''

In November 2012, Mizanekristos began work on her debut mixtape with already two recorded songs. She later quit her job as a telemarketer to fully pursue her career as a musician. Having moved to Los Angeles, Mizanekristos connected with Teengirl Fantasy and contributed to the group's 2013 album ''Tracer'' on the song "EFX", which led her to meet Prince William from the label Fade to Mind. He introduced her to the sound of the record label and its sister imprint from London, Night Slugs. In May 2013, she appeared on Kingdom's "Bank Head", and five months later released her mixtape ''Cut 4 Me'' for free. Harriet Gisbone of ''The Guardian'' described the mixtape as "an experiment for the production team, the first time the production crew had used vocals on their club tracks." Her track "Go All Night" was included on ''Saint Heron,'' a multi-artist compilation album released by Solange Knowles. The mixtape was heavily influenced by grime music, a popular electronic genre based in the UK, and helped revive the subgenre known as Rhythm & Grime.

In December 2013, DJ Kitty Cash released her ''Love the Free'' mixtape, which featured her song, "The High". Mizanekristos later released the track herself on February 4, 2014, on her SoundCloud. She also featured on Bok Bok's song "Melba's Call", which was released on March 5. On March 3, 2015, Mizanekristos announced the release of her first EP, ''Hallucinogen'', alongside the release of the lead single "A Message" and its accompanying music video. The second single, "Rewind", was released on September 2. The EP covers the beginning, middle, and end of a relationship in reverse chronological order. It includes the previously shared "The High".

2016–2018: ''Take Me Apart''

In 2016, Mizanekristos was featured on "A Breath Away" from Clams Casino's '' 32 Levels'', "From the Ground" from Danny Brown's '' Atrocity Exhibition'', and "Scales" from Solange's ''A Seat at the Table''. In February 2017, she took part in Red Bull Sound Select's 3 Days in Miami. Later that year, she was featured on the track "Submission" alongside rapper Danny Brown and provided additional vocals on the track "Busted and Blue" from Gorillaz's album ''Humanz''.

On July 14, 2017, Mizanekristos announced her debut studio album, ''Take Me Apart''. It was made available for pre-order on August 1 alongside the release of the lead single, "LMK". Three more singles preceded the album, "Frontline", "Waitin" and "Blue Light", before it was released on October 6, 2017. The album received widespread acclaim from music critics and featured on various year-end lists. It was also included in the 2018 edition of the book ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.''

On June 13, 2018, Mizanekristos was featured on the Girl Unit remix of the song "WYWD", which served as the lead single from his upcoming album, ''Song Feel''. The two have previously worked together on ''Cut 4 Me''s "Floor Show" and ''Hallucinogen''s "Rewind".

On September 12, 2018, Mizanekristos announced '' Take Me a_Part, the Remixes'', a remix album consisting of remixes from her debut album, and shared a remix for "LMK" featuring Princess Nokia, Junglepussy, Cupcakke and Ms. Boogie. The album features contributions from Kaytranada, Rare Essence, Serpentwithfeet and more. On September 26, Mizanekristos shared Kaytranada's "Waitin" remix as the second single from the album. The album was released on October 5, 2018, making it a year since the release of ''Take Me Apart''.

2019–present: Hiatus and ''Raven''

On September 13, 2022, Mizanekristos released "Washed Away", her first single in five years alongside a music video. On November 15, 2022, Mizanekristos announced her second studio album ''Raven'' is scheduled to be released on February 10, 2023. "Happy Ending" and "On the Run" were also released as singles prior to the release of the album.

Personal life

Kelela openly identifies as queer.

Discography

Studio albums

Remix albums

Mixtapes

Extended plays

Singles

Guest appearances

References

External links

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1983 births
21st-century American singers
American women singer-songwriters
Ethiopian musicians
American women songwriters
American electronic musicians
American people of Ethiopian descent
American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters
LGBT people from Washington, D.C.
American LGBT singers
LGBT songwriters
LGBT African Americans
Living people
Warp (record label) artists
American women in electronic music
21st-century American women singers
LGBT people from Maryland
Queer women
African-American women musicians
21st-century African-American women singers
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women
Singer-songwriters from Washington, D.C.