Kehlani has continued to be more comfortable with their true self lately. As they have been releasing albums each year and evolving as an artist, they has also been discovering their sexual orientation and gender identity.
In a cover story for Byrdie Magazine released today (Nov. 30), Kehlani officially confirmed that their pronouns are she/they, and that it pleases her more when people refer to them as they: “I don’t mind when people say ‘she’ at all, but something feels really affirming when people say ‘they.’ It feels like… you really see me.”
They updated their pronouns in their Twitter bio recently to reflect this preference. Kehlani also spoke on their announcement from earlier this year when they told their fans that they were lesbian. They had previously stated on different occasions that they were queer, bisexual and even pansexual, but they felt their lesbian announcement was too much about a label and not about their wants and needs: “I wish it was more of a journey discovering how I love and what I need versus putting the emphasis on having to ‘come out’ with my sexual identity.”
In the rest of their interview with Byrdie, Kehlani discussed multiple topics such as raising their daughter, their plastic surgery, how different they are as an artist compared to the beginning of their career, rumors about them dating other R&B girls and their upcoming album Blue Water Road.
After they were seen partying with SZA after the Met Gala this year, fans speculated they and SZA were an item, which Kehlani dismissed: “They said I’m collecting R&B girls like Infinity Stones and I haven’t fucked with any of them.”
When speaking about their album, which is slated to drop at some point this winter, they said it also touches on their sexuality: “(It) talks about love and coming into gayness.”
It is wonderful to see Kehlani continue to find and embrace themselves.
[Via]