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.
Rewind
Kelela Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thought you were impossible 'til now
You're with me wherever I wake up
I'll take my chances, I know that I'm falling
I'm best when I'm next to you
'Cause I'm heating up, are you reading my mind?
I know that I'm stalling, don't leave me behind
I'm giving you eyes, but you misread the signs
And I can't rewind, baby
I'll search everywhere for you, and I can't rewind
Baby, don't blink when I'm watching you, and I can't rewind
Watch you from afar, I just can't stop (I can't stop staring)
Had the words but then they slipped my mind (now I can't remember)
Every time we lock eyes, our lights fade out
I'm getting stage fright, when you walk up to me
Boy, you're over the line
'Cause I'm heating up, are you reading my mind? (My mind)
I know that I'm stalling (I'm stalling), don't leave me behind (don't you leave me)
I'm still on the run, you don't know where I hide (you know where I hide)
I'm giving you eyes, but you misread the signs
And I can't rewind, baby
I'll search anywhere for you (I'll search anywhere for you)
And I can't rewind, baby (I can't rewind)
Don't blink when I'm watching you and I can't rewind
This ain't a mystery, I'm tryin' to keep my cool
You standing next to me, I'm about to break the rules
Turn my head to the right, now I'm looking for you
For the rest of the night
And I can't rewind
For the rest of the night
I can't rewind
Rewind
Baby
I'll search everywhere for you (searching for you)
And I can't rewind, baby (can't rewind, can't rewind)
Don't blink when I'm watching you, and I can't rewind
For the rest of the night
And I can't rewind (and I can't rewind)
For the rest of the night
I can't rewind (oh, I can't rewind)
For the rest of the night (oh, yeah, yeah)
And I can't rewind
Oh, no, no, baby
The rest of the night (oh, yeah, yeah)
I can't rewind
The rest of the night
And I can't rewind (oh, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Can't rewind
I can't rewind
Don't blink when I'm watching you
The lyrics of Kelela's song Rewind tells the story of a woman who is infatuated with a man and can't stop thinking about him. She believes that he is the one for her and is trying to get his attention but finds it difficult to express her feelings. She feels like she is losing her chance with him and has to hold onto every moment they have together because she can't "rewind" time. The song talks about the anxiety and uncertainty that comes with falling for someone and not knowing where the relationship is heading. The chorus reinforces the idea that there is no going back, and the singer is determined to find the man she is meant to be with.
Kelela's vocal performance in "Rewind" is emotive and powerful, and the production complements the lyrics by perfectly blending R&B and electronic elements. The song is intense and builds to a climax as the singer becomes more desperate to get her message across. The bridge of the song is particularly impactful as the beat drops, and Kelela repeats the phrase "For the rest of the night" to emphasize how important the moment is.
Overall, "Rewind" is a relatable song about the ups and downs of romance and the desire to find someone who understands and accepts us for who we are. The lyrics and production make it a standout track on Kelela's album, "Take Me Apart."
Line by Line Meaning
Since that day you're all I think about
Ever since that day, you have occupied my mind completely.
Thought you were impossible 'til now
I never thought I could have you until now.
You're with me wherever I wake up
No matter where I wake up, thoughts of you are always with me.
I'll take my chances, I know that I'm falling
I am willing to take a risk by falling for you.
I'm best when I'm next to you
I feel my best self when I am beside you.
'Cause I'm heating up, are you reading my mind?
I am feeling intense emotions, are you able to understand what's going on in my mind?
I know that I'm stalling, don't leave me behind
I am aware that I am taking too long to take action, please don't abandon me.
I'm still on the run, you don't know where I hide
I am still running away from my feelings for you, and you're unaware of my hiding place.
I'm giving you eyes, but you misread the signs
I am sending you signals, but you're interpreting them wrongly.
And I can't rewind, baby
I cannot turn back the clock.
I'll search everywhere for you, and I can't rewind
I will search every corner of the world for you, but I cannot undo the past.
Baby, don't blink when I'm watching you, and I can't rewind
Don't miss a moment when I am watching you, but the past is unchangeable.
Watch you from afar, I just can't stop (I can't stop staring)
I can't help but watch you from a distance.
Had the words but then they slipped my mind (now I can't remember)
I had something to say, but I forgot it the moment I saw you.
Every time we lock eyes, our lights fade out
Whenever we make eye contact, the world around us seems to disappear.
I'm getting stage fright, when you walk up to me
I get nervous when you approach me.
Boy, you're over the line
You have crossed a boundary, and I am confused about how I feel.
This ain't a mystery, I'm tryin' to keep my cool
I am trying to handle my emotions calmly despite the obvious attraction between us.
You standing next to me, I'm about to break the rules
You being close to me is making me want to break my own rules.
Turn my head to the right, now I'm looking for you
I am looking for you by turning my head to the right.
For the rest of the night
For the entire night.
Oh, no, no, baby
Oh no, no, my love.
Can't rewind
The past cannot be changed.
Lyrics © WARP MUSIC LIMITED, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Ariel Rechtshaid, Jeremiah Raisen, Ezra Maxwell Rubin, Kelela Mizanekristos, Phillip Gamble, Samuel Obey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@starseed97
Still obsessed with this 5 years later. Timeless bop
@ilopablot263
Me too boo
@fadedsophomore
Just came across this song again. Didn’t realize how much I missed it
@melissametta5580
Me too
@2amincentral94
Did you have to rewind it
@waterdog737
Untill we all six feet under
We will make sure the generations remember this song
@marieta2901
My question here : Why this incredible song is not a huge hit ?
@CassieJazz96
IDK!
@tawkischeap1
ikr? its a pumping jam
@titusdeluxe
because it is incredible well done so peaople has bad taste these days, they like shit, whores trying to make music and this girls does good music instead being showing body and making scandals!