Kehlani’s ‘SweetSexySavage’ Album: Highly Anticipated Major Label Debut Is A Nod To 90s R&B

It’s been quite a year for Kehlani, who made headlines after a shocking suicide attempt and accusations that she was the other woman in India Love’s sex tape. With songs like “Piece Of Mind,” Kehlani’s new album is definitely a bright spot in what has been a pretty dark time for the young singer. Despite her struggles and the current political climate, Kehlani is preparing for a huge 60-city tour, which she recently talked about in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

“I woke up and thought, ‘Oh, seven days until my album’ and then I got the CNN notification saying Trump had been officially sworn in and it sunk in,” Kehlani told the Los Angeles Times. “I’m a young black, Spanish, Native American, queer [woman] … all things that have been attacked.”

Donald Trump’s inauguration hasn’t stopped Kehlani’s SweetSexySavage from already pulling in some impressive reviews.This is the singer’s first major studio release on Atlantic Records and fans have been waiting for several months to see the entire album that Kehlani put together. It’s impossible to listen to the album and not be swept back to

It’s impossible to listen to the album and not be swept back to the nostalgia of 90s R&B. She even admitted that there was a lot of inspiration from TLC’s CrazySexyCool album and that must have rubbed off when she was picking the title.

Kehlani’s SweetSexySavage is a modern update of the classic R&B sound. Her release “Keep On” is a warning to those who may want to date her that it may all end in heartbreak and “Do U Dirty” takes it a step further to talk about a commitment-free fling.

SweetSexySavage is the album that is supposed to not only end that part of Kehlani’s life that was making headlines for her emotional and personal struggles. The singer famously tried to commit suicide early last year after reports that her then-boyfriend Kyrie Irving was cheating on her with other women.

When news of Kehlani’s suicide attempt made headlines, the response online was pretty awful. As details of her failed relationship and emotional struggles came out, Kehlani found herself being attacked online by those who didn’t even know much about the singer. The pressure of that kind of social media attention was crushing and Kehlani talks about how going viral affected her.

“It was much bigger than me dealing with heartbreak or dark thoughts on my own,” Kehlani said. “I was a person that genuinely only wanted to be known for my music … the entire world is coming at you and it’s viral.”

“When you Googled my name that’s all you saw for months. I was terrified to go outside. I was having panic attacks in restaurants because I thought the waiters were looking at me about it. The PTSD that I was dealing with — that I just got over, thank God — was insane.”

Kehlani has since admitted to battling anxiety and depression. She even talks about her struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and what she did to overcome some of the things of her past that continued to haunt her. She says that she wants to really enjoy singing and songwriting. That it’s the stage that makes her feel better.

“I didn’t want to be sad every time I go onstage,” Kehlani explained. “And I didn’t want to sink back into depression or relive these things over and over again. I wanted to make myself happy and when I get on stage everything is so happy. I’m having the time of my life, and that’s what this album is about.”

SweetSexySavage is Kehlani’s new start after such a rough 2016. She said in the interview that she wants to be happy. Considering how her new release has been received by fans and critics, Kehlani should be very happy.

[Featured Image by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images]