Kehlani sings medley of hits for “overdue” ‘Tiny Desk’ performance

Written by ABC AUDIO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on July 31, 2024

It’s Kehlani’s time to shine on the Tiny Desk stage, and she says “it’s been a long time coming.”

After performing her 2019 hit “Nights Like This” backed by a full live band and backup singers, she thanked the crowd for “coming and tuning” into her moment.

“I definitely know I’m overdue for doing this so thank you for making sure I was able to get here this far along in my process,” she said. She then went into the SweetSexySavage cut “Distraction,” “The Way,” “Can I” and wrapped up with “After Hours” from her most recent album, CRASH.

During the performance, Kehlani took time to make a political statement, voicing her support for Palestinians amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

“I want to take a second to say: Free Palestine. Free Congo. Free Sudan. Free Yemen. Free Hawaii. Free Guam,” she said. “Beyond a ceasefire we need an end to the occupation. It’s deeper than this. I need everybody that’s here right now, everybody that’s watching, to step up, to use their voices.”

You can watch Kehlani’s Tiny Desk episode on YouTube or catch her on her Crash World Tour, which kicks off in September.