Cloud 19 dropped just a few months ago and you’re already following up with You Should Be Here – what will be different between the two projects?

Kehlani: Cloud 19 was a collection of love songs, a lot of songs that had to deal with self-love, love for this other person or lack of love for another person. This next one is stories about me, about my past, my childhood, what I’m doing right now, getting off tour and having to deal with everybody being different around me, how people are reacting to my changes, if I’m changing – all that type of stuff because of course I’m in a different place than I was when I made Cloud 19. Sonically, I’m trying all types of things. There’s some pop on there, super crazy R&B song that I just made, there’s a blues song, a ballad with just me and piano on some cinematic shit, there’s live drums – it’s crazy.

You mentioning your changes reminds me of the Kendrick Lamar interview where he discussed his adjustment, how are you handling the adjustment to fame?

Kehlani: Once you realize that the people put you on the pedestal and you didn’t put yourself there you just learn how to deal with people. When people want to be around and take a bunch of pictures all the time or when people start being extra nice and they just treat like you like ‘you want to sit down? You sure you don’t want this chair?’ people shift for sure and as artists we get the craziest part of it. I feel like you just realize that it’s just part of the territory.

“How That Taste” is so cocky in a good way, if you were to remix it who you add on it?

Kehlani: J. Cole, just because the message. Everybody would say he’s dope, he’s a lyricist but he doesn’t have that much mainstream appeal or he doesn’t make enough popping stuff for the audience. Then, he came out with a fucking album and smashed on the world. Making history where the record sales are crazy. Random tour is crazy. Popping up on random people, going to their house and shit – that’s some ‘look at what the fuck I’m doing and I’m coming from Forest Hills Drive.’ Hey, J. Cole I got the ill remix for you.

Your last tape, you kept the features to a minimum, what is your approach to featuring artists?

Kehlani: I feel like a lot of people right now want to make music with me because it’s a good look and that’s never what I want. At first I was like, ‘I want to make a song with anybody that likes me.’ Then you realize you can’t oversaturate yourself. People don’t realize how serious it is and it may sound dramatic but as two collaborators we just made a bond.  I don’t ever want to be on my shit and someone who I didn’t make the bond with be out there flexing it. That shit is horrible. On my next record I got a 17-year-old, unheard of girl from Minnesota and she’s a rapper. Hopefully she blows up off this and goes after her shit.

You tweeted that your records actually leaked onto Spotify early, what was it like handling that?

Kehlani: I released “How That Taste” because all day I had been getting a title tweeted to me and lyrics here and there. I thought that because of all the press I was doing that people were Snapchatting during meetings and posting shit. I was like ‘what is going on?’ I get to the studio and I get a screen shot of ‘oh man it’s on Spotify.’ My two new records are on Spotify, the one I’m supposed to release next week was already on Spotify for like a whole night so how did we combat it? We woke up the next morning and actually dropped the song. Very random, didn’t tell anybody I was dropping it but it was perfect because I just got off SXSW, my social was popping because of all the press and bam song.

You suffered a knee energy in the past but you’re still dancing, how are you keeping yourself healthy?

Kehlani: Keeping yourself healthy is kind’ve hard being a traveling performing artist but it’s just about having self-discipline. When we first got on tour I was just water and salads until I realized I was in the cold so I need some protein. We switched it up but drink some water it’ll make that much of a difference, eat some fruit, make sure you get breakfast, don’t go to rehearsal without eating, stuff like that. Make sure you work out, make sure you stretch before you go on stage – just little things. It comes with the territory, it’s like getting a puppy and then not doing shit. Why would you get a dog if you not going to walk it?