Clash 124 Kelela

Kelela is the second face of Clash Issue 124.

Kelela declares it to be a "reckoning" - her first new album in six years is out now, and she's ready to speak her truth. The ruptures opened up by the pandemic and the energies of 2020 have cut her to the core, reconfiguring how she relates to her art.

In her decade-long career, 39-year-old Kelela Mizanekristos has articulated a vision of queer Black womanhood through Dionysian euphony. She views herself not as a spiritual guide or a guru but as a translator of emotions. 

As she puts it: “The reality is I’ve been sitting with these feelings my whole life…”

Elsewhere in this issue, Clash sits down with Grammy-nominated Gabriels, while you'll also explore the soulful realm of R&B aesthete Fousheé, and meet the pan-genre sonic voyager KAM-BU. We’ll pin-point daine’s avant pop futurism, and gain some life lessons from seminal UK rapper Avelino. You’ll be granted an audience with Grammy-winning saxophonist and songwriter Venna, before diving into the realm of Black Lips, the seminal 90s queer theatrical collective which centred around ANOHNI.