Kelela Gets ‘Washed Away’ In New Music Video

Five years after the release of her debut album Take Me Apart, Kelela returns with new single and music video “Washed Away.”

Kelela is back and “Washed Away” on her first single in four years. On Tuesday (September 13), the DC-born singer-songwriter surprised fans with the desert-themed visual, directed by Yasser Abubeker. The four-minute music video was filmed in Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression desert plain.

“I love a banger, but for the first point of contact out of my hiatus, it felt more honest to lead with an ambient heart-check,” Kelela said about the Yo van Lenz-produced track in a press statement. “I specifically want to speak to marginalized Black folk and highlight the work we do to find renewal in a world that’s built to make us feel inadequate. This song is the soundtrack to the relief we find after going inward.”

Kelela unveiled the “Washed Away” music video with a tweet that read “Please TRUST the bangers are on the way, but first: how’s your heart?”

Nine months after last tweeting in January, last week, Kelela tweeted a humorous montage of fans on the search for new music from her, seemingly marking her comeback. The “Truth or Dare” singer released her debut album Take Me Apart in 2017, followed by 2018 remix album Take Me a_Part, the Remixes with contributions from Kaytranada, Serpentwithfeet, Lsdxoxo and DJ Lag, with additional features from Princess Nokia, Junglepussy, Cupcakke and Ms. Boogie on “LMK (What’s Really Good).” “Washed Away” makes Kelela’s latest solo single since 2018’s “Frontline.”

Watch “Washed Away” below.