Listen to Kehlani’s “ALTAR”: Re-Upped

Welcome to Re-Upped, Audiomack’s new editorial series dedicated to spotlighting the best and hottest new songs across genres and across the globe. For a playlist of all Re-Upped selections, click here. Enjoy the vibes.

Kehlani — “ALTAR”

The musical evolution of Kehlani has been one of ascendance. First enticing R&B and pop lovers alike with their bubbly 2014 debut, Cloud 19, and again with last year’s impressive It Was Good Until It Wasn’t album, the Oakland native has steadily crafted a lane of colorful soul music that can only be painted as sweet, sexy, and savage—all pun intended.

Succeeding a string of 2021 collaborations, Kehlani offers fans a piece of their soul with “ALTAR,” the first single from their forthcoming album, Blue Water Road. “ALTAR” traverses ambiguous elements of loss and the intuitive sentiment that those gone are never truly far away. Atop Pop Wansel’s airy synths and striking hi-hats, Kehlani’s illuminating vocal takes center stage for its deserving main character moment.

“Understanding grief and death has been a journey,” Kehlani tells Audiomack World. “I’ve gained a lot of angels in my life but the last year has shown me that even after people have passed on, if I choose to, I can have an even closer relationship. I thank my angels, my guides, all those who walk with me for allowing me to see them, feel them, hear them in full.”