Kelela returns with new song “Washed Away”
Watch the video for the vocalist and producer’s first new music in four years.
Kelela has shared new song "Washed Away," her first new solo music since 2018. The Yo van Lenz-produced track is released via Warp and comes with a video shot in the Danakil Depression, located in the northern part of the Afar Triangle in Ethiopia. Check it out below.
"I love a banger, but for the first point of contact out of my hiatus, it felt more honest to lead with an ambient heart-check,” Kelela said in a statement. "I specifically want to speak to marginalized Black folk and highlight the work we do to find renewal in a world that’s built to make us feel inadequate. This song is the soundtrack to the relief we find after going inward."
"Washed Away" marks the return of Kelela following a four year break. Her debut studio album Take Me Apart was followed a year later by remix project Take Me a_Part, the Remixes. Her absence from the music world was used in promotion for "Washed Away," with a video of fans asking "Do you know where Kelela's been?" circulated over the weekend. Revisit The FADER's 2017 Kelela cover story here.