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" As much as we like to pretend we're just getting on stage and whatever, it's like, no, I practiced in front of the mirror my whole life. "
Kelela
Like
Just
Life
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" A lot of people of color in the music industry are still more interested in embracing things that are considered white canon, and looking radical. Like when people point to punk in the indie world: If you point to the history of punk as what you see as your legacy, that's more prized and praised. "
Kelela
Music
People
History
" I'd like to change what people expect. I want to evoke something that's not nameable, for people to go, 'Huh?' "
Kelela
Change
Expect
Go
" 'Take Me Apart' doesn't feel cohesive in a singular way but in a varied way. You can fixate on individual songs, and there are references from all over the place: Anita Baker to Bjork. I wanted to show all the facets of myself. "
Kelela
Me
You
Way
" How much closer can I get to the common ear, the mainstream, and how much it can still be from this other world, this other place? That's the line I keep trying to tread but have my wings extend more on both sides. "
Kelela
Wings
Trying
Both Sides
" The most rewarding thing for someone like me is for someone else to find solace through my music. "
Kelela
Someone
Through
Me
" My music sounds like one synergised thing, one message. "
Kelela
Sounds
Music
Message
" At the end of the day, I would like to have the farthest reach in terms of being able to communicate to as many people as possible. So it's not that I enjoy being obscure; it's that I sonically don't want to be situated here or there. "
Kelela
End
End Of The Day
People
" I know deep down I'm a star. "
Kelela
Down
Deep Down
Know
" As a black person on the outside, because there's so much black art and so much of black people's work circulating, so many people imitating what black people do, you would think that there'd be more black people on the business side. It didn't cross my mind that every label head, for the most part, is a white guy. "
Kelela
Art
Mind
Business
" I like to try out different methods to get to good songs. "
Kelela
Good
Different
Like
" I just want to live in a world where I can tell a guy, 'This is the deal: I really want this. I really want you. But it's also not that deep.' "
Kelela
Want
Live
I Can
" I am not carefree. I'm just not. I experience an immense amount of joy, a crazy amount of joy through sadness and so much struggle. There's something problematic about 'carefree black girl.' "
Kelela
Girl
I Am
Struggle
" As it pertains to my black womanhood, there's just a lot of ground to cover. There's a lot of stuff to say. "
Kelela
Just
Say
Lot
" I'm definitely seeking to challenge tropes. "
Kelela
Challenge
Seeking
Definitely
" I am your homegirl, at the end of the day, but I also feel very... outside. So if you're finding solace in feeling outside with me, then we're good to go. "
Kelela
Day
I Am
Good
" I like smart rappers who aren't necessarily trying to be deeper than you, like Danny Brown. "
Kelela
Like
Trying
Smart
" I want to empower. "
Kelela
Want
Empower
" Innovating something that is familiar. That's the general approach, and that's what I want to do with the melody as well. It should ring true - you should like every melody sequence without knowing what's happening next. "
Kelela
Ring
Knowing
You
" There is this feeling among black artists that you have to be really careful. We're not inclined to talk about this stuff because, if we do, we put ourselves in a position where we're not marketable or where we can't win. "
Kelela
Position
Black
Win
" Sometimes I learn by someone giving me warnings and giving me advice about what to do next. And other times, a lot of times, I have to put my hand into the fire. "
Kelela
Learn
Giving
Fire
" We don't want it to be obscure music. We're not trying to be indie. We want to be popular. "
Kelela
Popular
Obscure
Trying
" I would say there is a zone of R&B that hadn't been quite innovative. "
Kelela
Quite
Would
Zone
" I've always had this commitment to not being in one thing. "
Kelela
Being
Always
One Thing
" Before I collaborate, it's important that I have a conversation about what I care about before we make anything, so that it's very clear. "
Kelela
Care
Clear
Conversation
" You can never have enough reinforcements, resources for black women to thrive in the world. The topic has been addressed a million times before, but it will never end because what we're up against keeps morphing, and we have to figure out how to beat it. "
Kelela
World
You
Women
" No one is making extraordinary things alone. They might be alone in their bedroom while they're recording or writing, but they didn't actually conjure that thing out of nothing - without influence - without assistance - without anything. "
Kelela
Writing
Out
Nothing
" I spent a lot of time in college. I was just being academic and discovering myself through reason and analysis. "
Kelela
Time
Reason
Through
" I really do like Solange, sincerely. I'm down for her, and I trust her judgment. "
Kelela
Her
Down
Trust
" Growing up, Missy Elliot and Janet Jackson were definitely major references. "
Kelela
Growing
Major
Up
" My first reaction to being pigeonholed or pushed into certain confines is to be like, 'No, I'm the opposite,' you know? Like, don't put me in a stereotypical black-girl category, because I'm not like that; I'm doing this thing over here. "
Kelela
Me
You
Over