Kehlani (born April 24, 1995, in Oakland, California) is an American singer and songwriter who overcame a difficult childhood—being adopted by their aunt after their parents struggled with addiction, and later experiencing homelessness as a teenager. Their career began on America's Got Talent in 2011 as the lead vocalist of PopLyfe, but they found critical acclaim as a solo artist with the mixtapes Cloud 19 (2014) and You Should Be Here (2015), the latter earning a Grammy nomination. Signing with Atlantic Records, they released a string of successful albums, including SweetSexySavage (2017) which peaked at #3, and It Was Good Until It Wasn't (2020) which reached #2 on the Billboard 200. Their 2025 single "Folded" from the album Kehlani (2026) became their biggest hit, peaking at #6 on the Hot 100 and winning two Grammys (Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song) at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. Originally a ballet dancer, a knee injury in junior high pivoted them toward singing, drawing inspiration from R&B icons like Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu.