Kehlani Discloses Artists Avoided Collaboration Requests Due to Palestine Advocacy

Kehlani’s upcoming album CRASH, set for release on June 21, features a few collaborations, which the artist attributes to their advocacy for Palestine. On Tuesday (June 18), Kehlani shared on social media that several artists they had planned to collaborate with “ghosted” them after learning about their political stance.

“I couldn’t secure any features because of my political beliefs, but I’ll elaborate on that in an interview because everyone backed out on me. Every single person said, ‘Yes,’ and then just disappeared,” Kehlani revealed.

Kehlani says that almost every artist she contacted for a feature dropped out due to their political stance. Yikes! pic.twitter.com/MRIgjUhnu6

— AJR (@ajr_bcg) June 18, 2024

Earlier, on June 12, Kehlani had announced that merchandise sales for their song “Next 2 U” had raised over $555,000 for Gaza, Sudan, and Congo. Partnering with Nöl Collective, Kehlani released limited-edition T-shirts screen-printed in Ramallah.

“The song speaks about protection, something that institutions have failed to provide for the people of Palestine, Congo, and Sudan. Our community’s response to this fundraiser has overwhelmed me and my team with gratitude,” Kehlani expressed in a statement shared on Instagram. “We are blessed to have supported artists in the West Bank while raising funds for families in Gaza, Sudan, and Congo. We are also blessed to be part of a movement that seeks to reveal the truth about Palestine. Together, we are strong and unstoppable.”

Kehlani’s forthcoming album will include tracks like “After Hours,” released in April, their first of 2024. The album features collaborations with artists including Omah Lay, Jill Scott, and Young Miko across its 13 tracks.

Beyond their solo music, Kehlani teased a remix of Jordan Adetunji’s popular track “Kehlani.” Released with accompanying visuals on June 10, the remix is approaching 1 million views on YouTube as of now.