#SOTD: Kelela-‘LMK’
Kelela has maintained a lowkey profile for a few years, with her music being vaguely relatable and majestic in sound. Her most recent single “LMK” is the crossover we need to bring her into the mainstream. It can be found on Apple Music and Spotify.
This is the lead single off of her upcoming album Take Me Apart, expected to be released on October 6th, 2017. If her voice sounds familiar, you may have heard her previous work: “Rewind”, “Want It” featuring Chicago artist, Tink, and was featured on Solange’s A Seat At The Table for “Scales.” Genius has described her an “R&B siren.”
While has been surface, the song appears to be a woman her willingness to go with the flow, the accompanying music video hints at a new layer to “Let me know.” In the video, we see her in different wigs and wonderfully provocative attire. This could be a metaphor for her taking time to find herself before she finds herself in a committed relationship. Then the final scene is what can be assumed to be a wedding, her dreads swinging freely. “It ain’t that deep either way,” is really just a less confrontational way of saying “no pressure.”
A common theme in modern feminist music is “it just is what it is” when it comes to romance. However, her apathy isn’t rooted in the preference to be single, but the willingness to keep things casual and wait until the next step-if that ever comes. It raises the point about not always having to date someone with the intent of marriage, but more about confirming that this person is necessary and beneficial to your livelihood.
On top of the layered lyricism, her ethereal vocals and vibey production from aptly-named DJ, Jam City, ring true in solidifying this as the forthcoming fall hit. I’ve already suggested my squad imitate the looks she served in the music video for Halloween 2017.
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