In 2011, Piers Morgan was the only America’s Got Talent judge who voted against Kehlani Parrish – then the 16-year-old lead singer of wholesome covers band PopLyfe – passing the audition stages of the reality contest. That alone might be enough for most people to wish this gifted young Californian, now an impish but impassioned R&B empress-in-waiting, every success in any and all of her endeavours.
Her rapid post-PopLyfe evolution has included two under-the-radar but critically admired mixtapes of assertive neo-soul, a Grammy nomination, a collaboration with fellow packaged-pop escapee Zayn and a high-profile slot on the Suicide Squad blockbuster soundtrack. Her first proper UK tour adds some cabaret poise to the fluid slow-jams and maximalist make-out music of her recent, rather sprawling debut album SweetSexySavage, with Kehlani flanked by a brace of cane-wielding backing dancers. During the slinky I Wanna Be, she even rocks a flasher’s mac with a self-amused air of sexual hauteur.
Kehlani’s accelerating success in the US means this tour seems designed for bigger crowds better equipped to meet the call-and-response demands, which fall rather short beyond her sinuous hits Distraction and CRZY. But for all the provocative spectacle, Kehlani makes a point to address her predominantly young fans “human to human”. The second half of her set is punctuated with bracingly frank but highly applicable life advice for teens on issues of consent, self-care and, perhaps most importantly, taking no shit. She’ll go far.
- At Ritz, Manchester, until 3 March. Box office: 0161-714 4140. Then touring.
