Early life and education
A second-generation Ethiopian American and an only child, Mizanekristos was born in Washington, D.C., on June 4, 1983.[6] Growing up in Gaithersburg, Maryland, she learned to play the violin in fourth grade and sang in her school's choir.[7] In 2001, she graduated from Magruder High School.[7][8] After transferring from Montgomery College to the American University, Mizanekristos began singing jazz standards at cafés.[7] In 2008, she joined an indie band called Dizzy Spells and sang progressive metal after meeting Tosin Abasi, whom she later dated. In 2010, she moved to Los Angeles,[7] where she currently lives, in addition to London.
Career
2012–2015: Cut 4 Me and Hallucinogen
In November 2012, Mizanekristos began work on her debut mixtape with already two recorded songs. She later quit her job as a telemarketer to fully pursue her career as a musician.[10] Having moved to Los Angeles, Mizanekristos connected with Teengirl Fantasy and contributed to the group's 2013 album Tracer on the song "EFX", which led her to meet Prince William from the label Fade to Mind.[6] He introduced her to the sound of the record label and its sister imprint from London, Night Slugs. In May 2013, she appeared on Kingdom's "Bank Head", and five months later released her mixtape Cut 4 Me for free.[11] Harriet Gisbone of The Guardian described the mixtape as "an experiment for the production team, the first time the production crew had used vocals on their club tracks."[1] Her track "Go All Night" was included on Saint Heron, a multi-artist compilation album released by Solange Knowles. The mixtape was heavily influenced by grime music, a popular electronic genre based in the UK, and helped revive the subgenre known as Rhythm & Grime.
In December 2013, DJ Kitty Cash released her Love the Free mixtape, which featured her song, "The High". Mizanekristos later released the track herself on February 4, 2014, on her SoundCloud.[14] She also featured on Bok Bok's song "Melba's Call", which was released on March 5.[15] On March 3, 2015, Mizanekristos announced the release of her first EP, Hallucinogen, alongside the release of the lead single "A Message" and its accompanying music video.[16] The second single, "Rewind", was released on September 2. The EP covers the beginning, middle, and end of a relationship in reverse chronological order.[17] It includes the previously shared "The High".
2016–2018: Take Me Apart
Kelela in 2014
In 2016, Mizanekristos was featured on "A Breath Away" from Clams Casino's 32 Levels, "From the Ground" from Danny Brown's Atrocity Exhibition, and "Scales" from Solange's A Seat at the Table. In February 2017, she took part in Red Bull Sound Select's 3 Days in Miami.[18] Later that year, she was featured on the track "Submission" alongside rapper Danny Brown and provided additional vocals on the track "Busted and Blue" from Gorillaz's album Humanz.
On July 14, 2017, Mizanekristos announced her debut studio album, Take Me Apart.[19] It was made available for pre-order on August 1 alongside the release of the lead single, "LMK".[20] Three more singles preceded the album, "Frontline",[21] "Waitin"[22] and "Blue Light",[23] before it was released on October 6, 2017.[24] The album received widespread acclaim from music critics and featured on various year-end lists.[25][26] It was also included in the 2018 edition of the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The music critic Craig Jenkins noted heavy electronic instrumentation on the album with, "deconstructed dubstep wubs in “Blue Light” and used the Roland synth that gave “Jupiter” its name—an instrument famous for its blaring leads—to play sultry chiptune instead."
On June 13, 2018, Mizanekristos was featured on the Girl Unit remix of the song "WYWD", which served as the lead single from his upcoming album, Song Feel. The two have previously worked together on Cut 4 Me's "Floor Show" and Hallucinogen's "Rewind".
On September 12, 2018, Mizanekristos announced Take Me a_Part, the Remixes, a remix album consisting of remixes from her debut album, and shared a remix for "LMK" featuring Princess Nokia, Junglepussy, Cupcakke and Ms. Boogie. The album features contributions from Kaytranada, Rare Essence, Serpentwithfeet and more.[29] On September 26, Mizanekristos shared Kaytranada's "Waitin" remix as the second single from the album.[30] The album was released on October 5, 2018, making it a year since the release of Take Me Apart.
2019–present: Hiatus and Raven
On September 13, 2022, Mizanekristos released "Washed Away", her first single in five years along with a music video. On November 15, 2022, Mizanekristos announced her second studio album Raven would be released in early 2023. "Happy Ending", "On the Run", "Contact", and “Enough for Love” were also released as singles prior to the release of the album.
On February 10, 2023, Raven was released. She performed her song “Enough for Love” during a performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon the same day.
Raven includes collaborators such as Asmara from Fade to Mind's NGUZUNGUZU, Philadelphia-based DJ and producer LSDXOXO, German ambient duo OCA, and Toronto DJ BAMBII. The album showcases Black futurist art and electronic music sharing inspiration with Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, and Sun Ra to Janelle Monáe, Solange, Beyoncé, Drexciya and Aaliyah.
A Message
Kelela Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can see right through you
When you look at me
You're somewhere else
And all we know is all we've got
Stillness in your fades
Heart wont stop
No, you're the one
If I was your ex-
Girlfriend
Call you on the telephone
Ask you when you're coming home
If I was your ex-
Girlfriend
Tell you what was on my mind
We could leave it all behind
I won't shed a tear
Cause waterworks are easy
Left some things behind
Don't need your help
And all I know is all I've got
Is it hard to face
All we lost?
And I never satisified you, no
No, you're the one
So I'm, So I'm gonna let your body go for sure
I needed an answer
Sending you a message
I should have know better
You never satisfied your love
You don't even see me
Are you even breathing?
I should have known better
So I'm gonna let your body go for sure
In Kelela's song "A Message," she sings about a relationship that has ended and the emotions that come with it. The opening lines "You're so clear to me, I can see right through you" indicate the clarity that she now has in the aftermath of their relationship. She's able to see who this person truly is and the way that they were emotionally distant during their time together. The lines "And all we know is all we've got, stillness in your fades, heart won't stop" refers to the fact that even though their relationship wasn't perfect, they still shared an important connection, and now that it's over, it's left her heartbroken. The chorus reflects the desperation she feels to reach out to her ex, imagining a scenario where, as an ex-girlfriend, she could call him and plead with him to come back.
As the song progresses, Kelela comes to the realization that the only option for her is to move on. She sings "I won't shed a tear, cause waterworks are easy, left some things behind, don't need your help." This line encapsulates the feelings of independence that have arisen post-relationship. Her resolve strengthens, as she acknowledges that "all I know is all I've got, is it hard to face all we've lost?" The outro of the song is an affirmation that the relationship is over and that she's going to move on: "So I'm gonna let your body go for sure / I needed an answer, sending you a message / I should have known better, you never satisfied your love / You don't even see me, are you even breathing?"
Line by Line Meaning
You're so clear to me
I can see exactly who you are
I can see right through you
I can see your true intentions and feelings
When you look at me
When you give me your attention
You're somewhere else
Your mind is elsewhere
And all we know is all we've got
Our understanding of each other is our only resource
Stillness in your fades
The calmness in your energy disappears
Heart wont stop
Your heart is racing
And I never satisfied you, no
I was never able to make you happy
No, you're the one
You are the one who could never be satisfied
If I was your ex- Girlfriend
If I was your former romantic partner
Call you on the telephone
Contacting you through the phone
Ask you when you're coming home
Inquiring about when you will return
Tell you what was on my mind
Expressing what I am thinking and feeling
We could leave it all behind
Starting over and forgetting the past
I won't shed a tear
I won't cry
Cause waterworks are easy
Because crying is easy
Left some things behind
I left some items or memories behind
Don't need your help
I do not require your assistance
Is it hard to face
Is it difficult to confront
All we lost?
The things we have lost in our relationship
So I'm, So I'm gonna let your body go for sure
So I'm going to let you go without a doubt
I needed an answer
I required clarification
Sending you a message
Contacting you through communication
I should have know better
I should have had better judgment
You never satisfied your love
You were never content with your love life
You don't even see me
You do not acknowledge me
Are you even breathing?
Are you even alive or present?
So I'm gonna let your body go for sure
So I'm going to let you go without a doubt
Contributed by Hannah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
MoNesha McDaniel
You're so clear to me
I can see right through you
When you look at me
You're somewhere else
And all we know is all we've got
Stillness in you fades
Heart won't stop
[Pre-Chorus]
And I never satisfied you, no
No, you're the one
[Chorus]
If I was your ex-
Girlfriend
Call you on the telephone
Ask you when you coming home
If I was your ex-
Girlfriend
Tell you what was on my mind
We could leave it all behind
[Verse 2]
I won't shed a tear
Cause waterworks are easy
Left some things behind
Don't need your help
And all I know is all I've got
Is it hard to face
All we lost?
[Pre-Chorus]
So I'm gonna let your body go for sure
[Bridge]
I needed an answer
Sending you a message
I should have known better
You never satisfied your love
You don't even see me
Are you even breathing?
I should have known better
So I'm gonna let your body go for sure
[Chorus]
Leroy Lopez
[Verse 1]
You're so clear to me
I can see right through you
When you look at me
You're somewhere else
And all we know is all we've got
Stillness in your veins
Heart won't stop
[Pre-Chorus]
And I...
Never satisfied you/are not..
Not the one, the one
[Chorus]
If I was your ex-
Girlfriend
Call you on the telephone
Ask you when you coming home
If I was your ex-
Girlfriend
Tell you what was on my mind
We could leave it all behind
[Verse 2]
I won't shed a tear
Cause waterworks are easy
Left some things behind
Don't need your help
And all I know is all I've got
Is it hard to face all we lost?
[Pre-Chorus]
[And I...
Never satisfied you/are not...
Not the one, the one
So I'm...
So I'm gonna let your body go for sure
Go for sure
[Bridge]
I needed an answer
Sending you a message
I should have known better
You never satisfied your love
You don't even see me
Are you even breathing?
I should have known better
So I'm gonna let your body go for sure
[Chorus]
If I was your ex-
Girlfriend
Ask you when you coming home (girlfriend)
If I was your ex-
Girlfriend
Call you on the telephone
Ask you when you coming home (girlfriend)
If I was your ex-
Girlfriend
Girlfriend
arcXIII
Both her and Arca are genius. Collab made in heaven.
Ashtrologic Sounds
This is an exact representation of how it feels to be stifled by someone who is impossible to satisfy due to their emotional attachment to their past.
Unshadeable
Giirrrrrrrrrrrrl you took the words right out of my mouth
Dissonance
Exaaaccttlllyy
seeyanuhh s.
Wow. Real.
Grey Love
Damn straight
john noble
Please tell the Matrix Casting call: Demo is that Chinese A-List
KhaoticMan
i feel like not enough artist utilize animation for their visuals, so i really appreciate kelela for incorporating it into hers. we need more animated music videos, the possibilities are endless with it
Louis Kahn
This collaboration between Arca and Kelela is absolutely amazing!
kerobonita
I can't believe kelela created anime