Kelela Announces Long-Awaited Sophomore Album ‘RAVEN’

Kelela has announced her full-length sophomore album, RAVEN, which releases on February 23rd via Warp Records.

Kelela is returning to music with her long-awaited sophomore album, RAVEN. On Tuesday (November 16), the singer-songwriter went to social media to unveil her upcoming LP, along with new single “On the Run.” The track, produced by Yo van Lenz, Kelela, Kaytranada and Bambii, follows Kelela’s recent two singles “Washed Away” and “Happy Ending,” both released earlier in the fall.

“I started this process from the feeling of isolation and alienation I’ve always had as a black femme in dance music, despite its black origins. RAVEN is my first breath taken in the dark, an affirmation of black femme perspective in the midst of systemic erasure and the sound of our vulnerability turned to power,” Kelela said in a statement about the project.

RAVEN comes five years after Kelela’s debut album Take Me Apart and its 2018 remix album Take Me a_Part, The Remixes, which featured production from Kaytranada, LSDXOXO and Serpentwithfeet with additional guest appearances from Princess Nokia, Junglepussy, Cupcakke and Ms. Boogie on “LMK (What’s Really Good).”

In a recent profile with Dazed, Kelela spoke about her five-year hiatus, which the artist referenced at the start of her album rollout in September.

“This time away has shown me that I have been very slowly building my world [the whole time],” she said. “Which is funny, because I feel like the dominant music business framework says that, if you go away, people will forget you. For me, it feels like the opposite. Because the way that I’ve been consistently vulnerable in sharing my real self through my art has kept me present with my audience.”