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.
Enough
Kelela Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why you sitting by yourself?
Taken me out
So I still remember
When the high doesn't fall apart (apart, apart)
And you're sorry, I see it in your eyes
So it's not enough (enough, enough)
Hold her hand
You've had enough (enough, enough)
I've had enough right now
Hold her hand (will you not ruin my heart?)
Can't you see, love?
That I'm standing by myself
I'm so tired, but I can't ignore
But it's not enough (enough, enough)
It's not enough right now
It's not enough right now
You've had enough (enough, enough)
I've had enough right now
Hold her hand (her hand)
Boy, you always managed to change my mind
Boy, you always managed to change my mind
Hoping that it wasn't just a waste of time
Hoping that it wasn't just a waste of time
Said you wouldn't speak 'fore you leave me behind
Said you'd leave that behind
Probably you've had the same damn thing at the same damn time
But it's not enough (enough, enough)
It's not enough
It's not enough right now
It's not enough right now
You've had enough (enough, enough)
I've had enough right now
Hold her hand (will you not ruin my heart?)
Will you not ruin my heart?
Will you not ruin my heart?
In the song Enough by Kelela, the lyrics tell a story of a woman who is tired of her partner's behavior and is questioning their love for her. The line "Hit me up, why you sitting by yourself?" portrays this feeling of neglect, as she wonders why she is not a priority to her partner. However, she reminisces about the past, "Taken me out, so I still remember when the high doesn't fall apart," indicating that there were good times in the relationship. She can also see the regret in her partner's eyes, "And you're sorry, I see it in your eyes," but it's not enough to make her stay. The line "Can't you see, love? That I'm standing by myself" highlights the loneliness she feels in the relationship.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "It's not enough," emphasizing that the actions or words of her partner are not enough to keep her in the relationship. She urges her partner not to ruin her heart, "Hold her hand, will you not ruin my heart?" suggesting that she may have been hurt in the past. The second verse portrays a sense of desperation, as she hopes that her partner's promises are not just a waste of time, "Hoping that it wasn't just a waste of time. Said you wouldn't speak 'fore you leave me behind. Said you'd leave that behind. Probably you've had the same damn thing at the same damn time." However, her doubts persist, and she needs more than just words to stay in the relationship. The song concludes with the repeated lines, "Will you not ruin my heart?" emphasizing that she needs more from her partner to make the relationship work.
Line by Line Meaning
Hit me up
Why haven't you reached out to me?
Why you sitting by yourself?
Are you purposely avoiding me?
Taken me out
You took me out and we had a good time
So I still remember
I remember that night to this day
When the high doesn't fall apart (apart, apart)
When the good feeling doesn't fade away
And you're sorry, I see it in your eyes
I know you're apologetic from looking at your eyes
So it's not enough (enough, enough)
What we have isn't satisfying
It's not enough right now
I'm not okay with where things are at
Hold her hand
You're with someone else now
You've had enough (enough, enough)
I can tell you're not happy either
I've had enough right now
I've reached my limit with this situation
Can't you see, love?
Don't you see how I feel?
That I'm standing by myself
I'm alone and feeling defeated
I'm so tired, but I can't ignore
I'm exhausted from putting up a facade of being okay
Boy, you always managed to change my mind
You always had a way of making me see things differently
Hoping that it wasn't just a waste of time
I hope our relationship wasn't meaningless
Said you wouldn't speak 'fore you leave me behind
You promised closure before leaving me
Said you'd leave that behind
You said you would leave this situation behind
Probably you've had the same damn thing at the same damn time
You've likely been in a similar situation yourself
Will you not ruin my heart?
Please don't hurt me again
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dominic Mocky Salole, Kelela Mizanekristos, Ariel Zvi Rechtshaid, Alejandro Ghersi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@50ztej
This beautiful woman is spoiling us this year.
@TheMeriot1
Yes I feel quite loved
@shelovesbooks8421
Hopefully a tour this year 🙏
@p1shb0tt1n
Couldn't agree more
@michaelwatson765
The ending is a teaser from another egg head beauty
@lonieboi1
@@shelovesbooks8421 starts next month followed by festival dates
@Mikeysessionz92
The world doesn’t appreciate this woman’s artistry enough. I’m glad I do. I don’t think people realize how intentionally conscious she is with her work. We are truly getting spoiled this year. Enough for love is one of my favorites and this video is like perfecto to bring it to life. Thank you once again, Kelela.
@DJJNOW
Perfectly wrote.
@Kahlis8
You are the ChatGPT of emotional intelligence this is exactly how I feel 🙏🏾✨
@TDOB94
Couldn't have said it better myself. Sure, a lot of artists put time and care in to their work .... but there something unique and different about Kelela. This whole album has been a feast, visually, sonically and spiritually.
Thankful there are others who appreciate her hard work the same way.