Dublin artist KEHLI seems to draw from dancefloor-filling classics in her sound, one that she’s unveiled onto a developing Irish R&B scene in recent months. Fresh, summery beats are overlaid with vibrant, upbeat vocals, producing a dance-pop buzz that’s seen her draw attention for early singles ‘Hypnotized’ and ‘Ur So Cool’. Both are natural party tracks, heady with the style of warm late-evenings.
“It feels amazing being able to finally let people hear what I’ve been working on,” she tells the Gazette of her recent releases, which have been gathering plenty of local radioplay. “The reaction and support from people has been unreal, which has let me continue on making more music so I’m very happy.”
“I’ve always been involved in music since a young age and I’ve just become more obsessed with it as a career over the years. I started with stage school and Irish dancing from the age of four, then as the years went on I became more involved in getting to use music as a
career path, which is insane as it’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do.”
A new EP, a follow up to ‘Ur So Cool’, is in the pipeline and promises to develop on that edgy R&B vibe. KEHLI’s already been through many of the tropes of early pop music – she applied to various TV shows from the age of 14 – but is now planning to spend time in London to ensure the EP is as strong as possible, working with producer MSRD to help hone her sound.
“It’s back to work for me,” she says of the preparation. “It’s been so nice to have some sort of routine, so music-wise I’m hopefully going to London soon but we are holding off until everything is safe. I’m so excited to see everything coming together! The process can be long and I’ve grown so much through the project so it is a special one to me.”
For now, ‘Ur So Cool’ is gathering momentum online, particularly on Spotify, and is set to become KEHLI’s early calling card. The collaborative track, made together with Louis III, is just a taster.
“It was one of my favorite studio days,” KEHLI says of the recording. “Louis III is the nicest person ever and we just clicked so well and we were both so happy with the end product! So it was an amazing experience.”
“I knew from the start that this would be a fun one. Working with Louis was an honour, he is crazy talented and I’m so happy we got to make this together. Listening to ‘No Air’ by Chris Brown and Jordan Sparks gave me major inspo for this song as it’s such an iconic duet. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as we loved making it.”