Kehlani Is Having One of the Biggest Years of Her Career

If anybody still thinks R&B is dead, Kehlani would probably disagree.

And she has the numbers to back it up.

Kehlani is coming off one of the biggest runs of her career following the success of “Folded,” a record that became much bigger than just another release.

Earlier this year, “Folded” earned Kehlani her first Grammy wins, taking home Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song.

Then came another first.

Her self-titled album Kehlani reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, giving her the first chart-topper of her career on that list.

That's a pretty serious run for an artist who has already been doing this for more than a decade.

Kehlani's career has always been interesting because she never needed to completely abandon R&B to stay relevant.

From early records like “The Way” to projects like SweetSexySavage, It Was Good Until It Wasn't and Blue Water Road, she's been able to grow without making every era feel disconnected from the one before it.

Now it feels like she's getting another level of recognition.

This week, Kehlani landed the cover of Billboard's 2026 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players issue, where she also pushed back against the constant conversation that R&B somehow isn't thriving anymore.

And honestly, look around.

R&B isn't dead.

The genre just doesn't always look or move the way it did 20 years ago.

Kehlani is also taking the music back on the road. Her 2026 world tour includes a 33-date North American run through early October, and Australian arena dates have already been announced for 2027.

For somebody who already had a successful career, 2026 feels less like a comeback and more like another level.

New fans are discovering her.

Longtime fans are still here.

And “Folded” gave Kehlani one of those career records artists can spend years trying to find.

Maybe R&B isn't going anywhere after all.