A few weeks removed after a suicide attempt that set the Internet into a tizzy, Grammy-nominated R&B star Kehlani made good on an earlier promise and performed as the headlining act during the sixth annual Rhythms Music Festival at San Francisco State University yesterday, April 14.
The 20-year-old burgeoning star wasn’t too far from her Oakland hometown as she belted out fan favorites from her breakout project, You Should Be Here, while sporting a shorter blond hairstyle, in apparent efforts distance herself from the imagery of last month.
On the wee hours of March 29, Kehlani took to their Instagram account to reveal she had attempted suicide in a still unknown manner, which followed a day where her name was plastered across social media hundreds of thousands of times. The catalyst for the incident was her on-again, off-again boyfriend PARTYNEXTDOOR posting a picture of himself in the bed with Kehlani, jumpstarting the rumor she had cheated with her last known boyfriend, Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving. The incident wasn’t as silly as it sounded on Twitter as Kehlani was later admitted to a psychiatric ward at a Los Angeles hospital for an undisclosed period of time.
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Kehlani has yet to directly discuss the incident and her Instagram account is constantly deleting its updates but she appeared to be well enough to bring the house down. She did acknowledge the suicidal attempt indirectly to her fans who packed the SF State Depot.
“I have to say thank you for the support and the love,” she said during an intermission period. “And I apologize if I’m very emotional but I’m very emotional these days,” she chuckled as the crowd screamed endlessly.
If keeping busy is the proper treatment Kehlani needs to move past the incident, she’s in for plenty of therapy. Her upcoming tour schedule will have her front and center at this year’s Roots Picnic, the KMEL SUMMER JAM as well as the BET experience in Los Angeles. And that’s just the June lineup of festivities.
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Check out the various clips from Kehlani’s Rhythms Music Festival down below.
