Kehlani reacts to Grammy nominations, talks hopes for upcoming album

Kehlani has earned back-to-back Grammy nominations, but her experiences learning about them were different. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Kehlani revealed she was more prepared to receive a Grammy nod for “Folded” than she was when found out she was nominated at the 2025 awards show.

“Last year, I was genuinely shocked. My friend texted me, and he lives in Brazil, so he was just ahead. I was asleep, and he was like, ‘Grammy noms come out today.’ I was like, ‘They’re not worried about me. I’m going back to sleep,'” Kehlani recalls, noting she “woke up to seven missed calls and eight texts.” “I was like, ‘What the f***?’ Especially because ‘After Hours’ and Crash in general had gotten such a polarizing reception. I was shocked.”

This year, however, with the release of “Folded,” Kehlani says everyone was predicting she’d be nominated for the song. “I had this opposite pressure, like, if we don’t get nominated after everybody’s saying this, then all I’m going to have to hear for the next months is how I was snubbed,” Kehlani said. “I don’t need that sitting on my back. I just need to be focused on creating, honestly.”

Kehlani also discussed her upcoming album, which features Usher and production from Ryan Leslie and James Fauntleroy, sharing what she hopes to bring to life with the project.

“I just want people to have an experience. I want people to just love singing and dancing again. It is really that simple,” Kehlani said. “It’s such a personal moment for me right now to be proving myself. I feel so personally just motivated to rewrite my story, and I hope that trickles into the experience that people have. I hope people feel empowered.”

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