It looks like Kehlani is ready to hit the club again. The Grammy-nominated singer has returned with their new single “After Hours,” produced by Khris Riddick and Alex Goldblatt.
On the sweaty groove, which samples Cordell ‘Scatta’ Burrell’s “Coolie Dance Riddim,” Kehlani sings about making a connection with someone on the dancefloor and isn’t ready for the night to end. Instead, they want to keep the party going at their house.
“It’s more than a moment / This can’t be a memory / The party is over / You wanna come with me / My home never closes,” Kehlani sings on the delectable tune.
Upon first listen, “After Hours” has enough replay value that could easily make it a contender for song of the summer.
Kehlani recently told Zane Lowe of Apple Music what inspired the direction of their new single. “Coming out of this pandemic to global tragedy, to global tragedy to global tragedy, I was like, ‘I’m not really in a space of wanting to make something that feels super jarring or super sad.’”
They continued, “I’m very outspoken about these things, but I want my art to provide some kind of life and fun, and I want to go outside. I want to hear this outside, and I want to feel good. So I focused just on making something that feels really good. The second we finished it, we just couldn’t stop listening to it. Then we tested it at the club and in the car. It was so fun.”
Kehlani first teased “After Hours” late last month on TikTok, which garnered over two million views.
“After Hours” is Kehlani’s first single since 2022’s blue water road. The 13-track set featured Justin Bieber, Jessie Reyez, Syd, Blxst, Thundercat, and Ambré.
Blue water road was among Rated R&B’s 30 Best R&B Albums of 2022 list. “This album sees Kehlani in their most vulnerable light yet, while still retaining their trademark sensualness that listeners love to indulge,” wrote Edward Dave.
Stream Kehlani’s new single “After Hours” below.