Kehlani made sure to take a moment to acknowledge the ongoing crises in Palestine as well struggles elsewhere in the world during her debut Tiny Desk performance.
During her set on the popular series, which premiered on Wednesday (July 31), the Oakland-bred singer went through multiple hits from her decade-long career including 2019’s Ty Dolla $ign-assisted “Nights Like This,” 2016’s “Distraction” from her debut album SweetSexySavage, “The Way” from 2015’s You Should Be Here, “Can I” from 2020’s It Was Good Until It Wasn’t and her latest single “After Hours,” from her new album, CRASH.
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Around the 8:52 mark, Lani took a moment to address the crises: “I wanna take a second to say free Palestine, free Congo, free Sudan, free Yemen, free Hawaii, free Guam,” she said. “Beyond a ceasefire, we need an end to the occupation. It’s deeper than this. I need everybody that’s here right now, everybody that’s watching to step up and use their voices.”
She concluded: “Any difference you can make, it’s appreciated. Hire people [from those countries], send your money where it matters. We all we got.”
In late May, Kehlani reaffirmed her stance for Palestine in the music video for “Next 2 U” and released merchandise for the song that is “made in Bethlehem in a family owned and run sewing workshop.” According to her website, all proceeds will be “distributed amongst Palestinian, Congolese, and Sudanese families through Operation Olive Branch.”
Weeks later, the Bay Area native took to social media and shared that said items sold out less than two weeks after they were first listed.
“Next 2 U tees capped out with over $555K raised,” she wrote on Instagram. “This song is about protection, something that institutions have failed to do for the people of Palestine, Congo, and Sudan. No one got us the way we got each other. Me & my team feel overwhelmed with gratitude for yall showing out for this fundraiser.
“We’re blessed to say we supported artists in the West Bank while raising money for families in Gaza, Sudan, and Congo. We’re blessed to say that we are supported by a community standing on business together. We’re blessed to play a small part in a growing tide towards the truth about Palestine.
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“We’re invincible together and I feel ever so inspired by yall. THANK you for showing out on the streets of DC, with your dollars, with your labor and [organizing], with your bodies blocking business as usual THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I believe that we will win.”
