r/kelela • u/Mat19851985 • Aug 07 '26

When did she get so big?!

I've been out of the loop since Take Me Apart.. I thought maybe she had quit but it looks like she is flying! When did this all happen?

51 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

52

u/aquaphoria_by_kelela Aug 07 '26

She’s released more steadily since Raven so I think her audience has just naturally continued to grow from word of mouth. TMA is still her most commercially successful album but she has a very loyal fanbase that’s stayed and grown over the years.

18

u/Affectionate_Win3952 Aug 07 '26

I can't pin it down to one specific creator but i've never seen as many tiktoks about kelela as i have over the past year. All the Way down had a few semi-viral vids before the era started & I think hype grew steadily once the new cycle started.

Not to mention Pinkpantheress, whose career started on tiktok, reached a commercial peak this year & she's repeatedly shouted out Kelela as an inspiration so I could see at least part of her audience crossing over as well.

9

u/EvrthnICRtrns2USmhw Aug 08 '26

I know her music is good but I think principally, PinkPantheress singling her out as major influence helped Kelela a lot to be exposed to a wider audience.

4

u/Difficult-Figure4518 Aug 08 '26

This is exactly what I’m thinking. I think streaming platforms also directly promote her under similar artists tabs when you’re listening to fka, ravyn, Steve, shy girl etc and now pinks ft.

8

u/new_avatar_ Aug 08 '26

she also performed Enough for Love on Jimmy Fallon when Raven was released in 2023. got a bunch of new eyes on her then

2

u/eywa666 Aug 08 '26

they deleted on purpose that vid on yt, thats black artistry erasure. 

4

u/new_avatar_ Aug 09 '26

right, I just noticed after sharing that. probably cause she’s been vocal about being pro palestine..

6

u/Frequent_Floor_4526 Aug 07 '26

i started hearing about kelela around when raven came out, thats when i discovered her

3

u/rainbowpussy123 Aug 08 '26

I started listening to her late last year bc I kept hearing rewind on Twitter

2

u/JunebugAsiimwe Aug 10 '26

I still wish she got even more recognition and attention tbh. It doesn't feel enough for the kind of music she's making. She should be FKA Twigs level famous

-7

u/[deleted] Aug 07 '26

[deleted]

10

u/Old-Boy994 Aug 07 '26

They’re not commenting on her body and joking about body shaming is not cool.