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.
All The Way Down
Kelela Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down at night
But you say
The only way to sum it up
Is falling roller-coaster rush
I'm doing things that I don't do
So comfortable when I'm with you
I love it and I don't know why
You shot it and you got it
And I don't wanna fight it
So hold me while were taking this ride
You, when it's good I'm questioning
You, then I stop to take it in
Is my head in the way?
Cause my heart can't explain
Where we going now?
Build it up, we tear down
Cared before but baby
Now I don't give a fuck
All the way down
On a one way to you
I'm on my way down
No matter what your going through
I'm staying over at yours tonight
I'm calling late let's exercise
There's something buried in your eyes
Draws me in and I can't hide
I'm clocking in today I'm on one
I came in hard I hope you don't run
I tell him all about it but even I would doubt it
They never seen the things that you do
You, when it's good I'm questioning
You, then I stop to take it in
Is my head in the way?
Cause my heart can't explain
Where we going now?
Build it up, we tear down
Cared before but baby
Now I don't give a fuck
All the way down
On a one way to you
All the way down
No matter what your going through
Take it in, Take it in
All I wanna do is
Stay with it, stay with it
And I know that you won't
Play with it, play with it
Are you ready? Hold on
Take it in, Take it in
All I wanna do it
Stay with it, stay with it
And I know that you won't
Play with it, hold on
When it's good I'm questioning
You, then I start to take it in
Is my head in the way?
Cause my heart can't explain
Where we going now?
Build it up, we tear down
Cared before but baby
Now I don't give a fuck
All the way down Baby what you wanna do?
Kelela's song "All The Way Down" describes the feeling of falling in love deeply and uncontrollably. It starts with a description of a nighttime drive and the rush of emotions that come with it, with the lyrics "The only way to sum it up is a falling roller-coaster rush." She continues to talk about doing things she wouldn't normally do, but feeling comfortable doing them with the person she loves. Even though it's surprising, she admits to loving the feeling and not wanting to resist it. The chorus repeats the idea of going all the way down a one-way road to be with the person she loves, no matter what they're going through.
There's a sense of uncertainty in the relationship, with the lyrics "Is my head in the way? Cause my heart can't explain, where we going now? Build it up, we tear down." This indicates that even though they're having an intense and passionate relationship, they are aware that it may not be sustainable in the long run. However, they choose to ignore that and enjoy the moment while it lasts.
Overall, "All The Way Down" is a song about giving into the feelings of passion and love, even if it's not necessarily logical or stable. It's about taking risks and enjoying them, even if they don't end up leading anywhere.
Line by Line Meaning
When you're riding
When you're driving
Down at night
It's nighttime
But you say
But you tell me
The only way to sum it up
The only way to describe it
Is falling roller-coaster rush
Is like a thrilling roller-coaster ride
I'm doing things that I don't do
I'm doing things that are out of character for me
So comfortable when I'm with you
I feel very relaxed around you
Kinda took me by surprise
It was unexpected
I love it and I don't know why
I love it but I can't explain why
You shot it and you got it
You took a chance and it worked out
And I don't wanna fight it
I don't want to resist it
So hold me while were taking this ride
So stay with me while we're experiencing this
You, when it's good I'm questioning
When things are good, I start to doubt
You, then I stop to take it in
And then I pause to appreciate it
Is my head in the way?
Am I overthinking?
Cause my heart can't explain
Because my feelings can't be put into words
Where we going now?
Where is this taking us?
Build it up, we tear down
We create something and then destroy it
Cared before but baby
I used to care, but now
Now I don't give a fuck
Now I don't care anymore
All the way down
I'm diving in headfirst
On a one way to you
On a path leading directly to you
I'm on my way down
I'm going all the way
No matter what your going through
Regardless of what you're dealing with
I'm staying over at yours tonight
I'm spending the night at your place
I'm calling late let's exercise
I'm calling you late to come over and hook up
There's something buried in your eyes
There's something hidden in your gaze
Draws me in and I can't hide
It attracts me and I can't resist
I'm clocking in today I'm on one
I'm starting my day energized and ready to go
I came in hard I hope you don't run
I made a big move and I hope you're not scared off
I tell him all about it but even I would doubt it
I try to explain it to someone else but even I am skeptical
They never seen the things that you do
They've never encountered anyone like you
Take it in, Take it in
Appreciate it
All I wanna do is
All I want to do is
Stay with it, stay with it
Stick with it
And I know that you won't
And I know that you will not
Play with it, play with it
Take it lightly
Are you ready?
Are you prepared?
Hold on
Wait a moment
All the way down Baby what you wanna do?
I'm committed, what do you want to do?
Writer(s): Ariel Rechtshaid, Tinashe, Tinashe Kachingwe, Dj Dahi, Dacoury Natche, Kelela Mizanekristos, Jeremiah Raisen, Talay Riley, Jess Glynne
Contributed by Jake N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jonathankirk9836
PLEASE tell me there are people still bopping to this I’ve been obsessed for years and every time I listen, it’s like the first time I’ve ever heard it. Beautiful.
@mryenn5817
Totally!
@rarekennnyp
Still come back to this years later 😇
@estevanss5
Still in love with this song. It fits perfectly to my current love situation.
@1milyondolar
Same
@carashauf3980
2022 love
@themusicprincess
Björk's divine music taste brought me here and im so grateful because this song is absolutely exquisite from the very first listen 😍
@Filotus
Yes, Björk introduced me to her world of music. So beautiful.
@erin1285
I love this to pieces. I think she would sound great featured on a song with The Internet. Her and Syds voices would be magic together.
@cosmicreturn26
+kat i agreed