Kehlani On Comparisons To SZA, H.E.R., And Summer Walker: ‘‘We Have To Start Appreciating Multiple People At The Same Time’
Since Kehlani blew up in 2016 with her breakthrough EP, You Should Be Here, she has dealt with her fair share of criticism. She is now speaking out about being compared to others artists, which she says creates unnecessary pressure.
In her profile for Teen Vogue’s May 2020 issue, the Oakland native opened up about fans and social media.
“Fans put so much pressure on artists, sometimes more than the industry,” she said. “I’ve never been compared more in my life than last year and this year, and now it seems like every day I see a ‘SZA, Kehlani, H.E.R., or Summer Walker — one of them has to go.’”
Kehlani also touched on the recent deaths of her close friends, Mac Miller, Lexii Alijai, and Chynna Rogers, who all passed away from accidental drug overdoses between 2018 and 2020.
“Chynna, I had brought her out at my shows. She slept in my house all the time in Brooklyn and we would talk about how we can do this,” Kehlani said.
Kehlani added that she felt Mac, Lexii and Chynna’s fates might’ve turned out differently if they felt more appreciated while they were still here.
“We have to start appreciating multiple people at the same time,” she explained. “I’m sure if they felt a little bit more successful, a little bit more loved, things might have gone a little different. Life might have been in a better place.”
