Kehlani has been at the forefront of keeping R&B’s heartbeat thriving in 2026, and she doesn’t want to hear any narratives about the genre being dead.
The R&B singer graces the cover of Billboard‘s 2026 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players issue published Thursday (Aug. 20), which features Kehlani in conversation with Leon Thomas. The Oakland native believes fans driving the idea of R&B fading are just too lazy to dig into the staggering amount of weekly releases in the genre.
“But we’re in a cool space right now. There’s so much R&B and so many different routes. You can pick who you want to be a fan of and what cross-genre mixes you want to experience,” she tells Thomas. “I hate the idea that R&B is dead. It’s never gone anywhere. People are just a little lazy in looking up new artists to dive into. There’s plenty everywhere you look. I’m finding someone I like every day.”
Kehlani also dishes on the double-edged sword of music’s entry point being so accessible, but it’s actually making it tougher to keep the attention of fans and build a strong base for a long-lasting career.
“I guess maybe it’s not hard to break through because you can post a TikTok or a video or get on Twitter and be like, ‘Here’s my song, and it’s great.’ People connect, people love you. There you go,” she said. “On the other hand, it’s hard to maintain; to build a long-lasting career because of the things it takes to sustain. Not everybody’s able to tour. Not everybody’s able to reach higher because of there being so much music.”
“Folded” gave Kehlani her first top 10 Billboard Hot 100 entry of her career in January, which carried momentum into the Grammy Awards, as she picked up her first pair of trophies in the best R&B song and best R&B solo performance categories.
“It was a great moment. For as long as I’ve been working, and as long as things have been going left, people have been telling me, ‘You deserve more.’ In order to survive in this industry, I’ve stayed grounded in the idea that my purpose is my purpose, and what God has for me is for me,” Lani reflects. “It wasn’t like this Grammy is going to confirm that what I’m doing has purpose, that what I’m doing is valid or God’s plan for me. But it’s cool to be recognized by an institution that has always upheld excellence.”
The 31-year-old returned with her self-titled album in April, which reached No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart and notched a top five debut on the Billboard 200. Kehlani kicked off her world tour in August, and she’ll be taking over Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Friday (Aug. 21).
See Kehlani’s Billboard cover below:
