Kelela’s new avatar LIVE tour is an unforgettable night of dancing “In the Blue Light”
Words by Staff Writer: Leah Korenberg | Photos by Staff Writer: Leah Korenberg | Edited by: Aaliyah Smith
On the 21st night of September, Kelela and her opener, keiyaA, graced the stage of The Wiltern in Los Angeles, California, for night one of the highly anticipated new avatar LIVE tour. Fans were brought through a range of emotions, resembling lighthearted dancing in the club to the emotional catharsis after holding back for much too long.
keiyaA set the scene with hypnotic vocals and an enchanting stage presence. I became an immediate fan after hearing a familiar sound in her performance of “A Mile, a Way”— an exhilarating track with atmospheric vocals, samples Beyoncé’s “Kitty Kat.” keiyaA is the perfect opener to join Kelela on the “new avatar” tour’s, being an alternative R&B multi-instrumentalist who doesn’t conform to a distinctive sound.
As Kelela strutted on stage, the crowd’s energy intensified, only heightening as the show progressed. Opening with “Fooley- LEECH Ambient Queen Remix,” a majority of Kelela’s performance incorporated guitar-driven versions of her songs as well as viral fan-made remixes such as, “The High” x Massive Attack’s “Teardrop” by @okayigotalittlefatbutt, “Contact” x Aaliyah’s “One in a Million” by namyu (@taylorswiftdjset), and even included “outta time” x Sade’s “No Ordinary Love.”
“I love rearranging; that’s like half the DJ, half of the jazz girlie in me. You can get both things from each side,” said Kelela during her performance.
Kelela reimagines her own songs through remixing and converging genres—an ability that showcases her versatility as an artist and the timelessness of her production. Her graciousness in platforming artists and DJ’s with a smaller platform exhibits her unwavering support of those who are taking a risk in pursuing their aspirations, despite feeling behind on the journey. Kelela evoked a universal feeling of inspiration; I left the show more invigorated than ever—being confident in my abilities as a recent college grad who’s barely on the way to figuring it out.
“I didn’t write my first song till I was 27. For anyone who is still working on that shit, I just want to send some words of encouragement for you to keep going, and it is worth it,” said Kelela during the show.
Kelela and Fousheé
The crowd’s ecstaticism peaked when Kelela brought out PinkPantheress to perform “the bridge.” Fousheé was brought out shortly after to perform “new life forms” , which was the first time for the duo. It was such a treat to have two special guests just as sweet as Kelela. My favorite performance of the night was the “linknb” Traps N Trees Philly Club remix that teleported the theater to a rave and had everyone doing the young ho bounce. Kelela also sang an additional verse of “linknb,” potentially teasing an remix album of new avatar for fans to look forward to.
I also thoroughly enjoyed her performances of “Rewind,” which she sang in a lower register on the guitar, and “All the Way Down,” which her vocal range and fierceness shine with the lyrics, “Build it up, we tear it down/Cared before but, baby/Now I don’t give a fuck.” The show featured cascading strobe lights to simulate the club dancefloor and smoke to create a stormy atmosphere the frustration and tension expressed on new avatar. Kelela also adorned a beaming light on her chest, possibly to symbolize entering rebirth as the same Kelela authentically, but a new avatar.
Nicole, also known by her stage name Yuca Frita (@yuca.frita), a Bay Area DJ and Kelela fan since the 2013 mixtape “Cut 4 Me.” She drove to L.A. to finally see her perform. Kelela weaves intricately through genres and production elements, which especially inspires Nicole as a DJ curating her own sound.
“I feel like Kelela is an artist that really inspires me in different ways, but I think she definitely shows what it's like to kind of morph into different sounds and textures while still maintaining her own sonic identity. I feel like that's something personally I've been trying to figure out in this new chapter, so I think the album came in that sort of like prime moment for me,” said Nicole.
Nicole also praised Kelela for resurging electronic and experimental sound in mainstream music, and the audience’s demand for dance music is palpable. In the last few years, rave culture in Southern California alone has skyrocketed. If you’re like me, you or someone you know has attended at least one rave in their lifetime.
“I think what she's done for bringing club music more into the conversation (has) been super key, especially as a DJ,” said Nicole. “Sounds that I would maybe feel a little more timid to play back in the day; now it's like, oh, actually, that's what we're wanting, we want to hear more of that experimental.”
Besties Jas (@avatarjasper) and Stef (@stefiwonderful) spoke on how they embodied Kelela’s music through their outfit choices, reflecting the alternative and R&B elements of her artistry.
“I'm more inspired by punk, and that kind of alternative scene that I always really enjoyed from a fashion and social commentary standpoint,” said Jas. “Punk is really about fighting against the machine of the systems that oppress us as black women and black queer people. For me, expressing myself in that manner was really important when I came to the show.”
“I just got this new top and it just kind of felt very 90s R&B to me. I know that Kelela, to me, is more of an R&B artist, even with all the different elements that she brings to her work,” said Stef.
As a creator of zines that cover mental health in the art realm, Jas is emboldened by Kelela’s honesty in acknowledging that we are in abysmal times and her demonstration of the liberation that comes with opening up about hardships.
“I make zines about mostly my personal experience with these darker, almost taboo subjects that people don't talk about within certain art spaces around mental health or even just the way that society is functioning and the way that it impacts people on a personal level,” said Jas. “I feel like, as far as the social commentary aspect of being still in the middle of some really dark times, has inspired my personal art practice.”
Kelela curated an inclusive space for all music lovers, particularly Black and queer audiences who typically compartmentalize their expansive music tastes. She has cemented her status as a prodigy and one of the greatest artists of this generation. Her music has forged a community that reminds us that our similarities prevail over our differences; none of us can resist a night of dancing “In the Blue Light.”
Emma (@katbelleem) and Wyatt (@wyscovel)
Right: Keily (@millionsofsoulss) and Izea (@f33lsick)
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Thank you for reading! Go ahead and put some Kelela on and enjoy the rest of your day i-candies, and keep up with staff writer Leah via her Instagram.