Kehlani’s 'While We Wait'—A Magnificent Piece on Navigation of Modern Relationships

The Oakland contemporary R&B singer and songwriter released her third mixtape, While We Wait on February, 22 2019 after a two-year hiatus. Her latest offering is her fourth project overall after her debut mixtape, Cloud 9 (2014), Grammy-nominated mixtape You Should Be Here (2015) and debut LP SweetSexySavage (2017). While We Wait was written and recorded during her pregnancy. Therefore, the title alludes to the wait of her baby due in March or her upcoming sophomore album.

On While We Wait, Kehlani departs from her previous projects’ established thematic formula—tempestuous childhood, suicide attempt and emotional rollercoaster. She delivers a magnificent piece on representation and navigation of modern relationships. This mixtape narrates raw and unabridged truths and realities of Kehlani’s previous relationships. It exhibits her experiences of three stages of a relationship—pre, current and post.

The first song of the mixtape, “Footsteps” featuring MusiqSoulchild, with sound of waves on a beach and 90s R&B distinctive production style, fittingly opens and sets the tone for the entire mixtape. “…When I walked away/I left footsteps in the mud so you could follow me,” Kehlani looks back at a dysfunctional relationship that diminished gradually, unwillingly leaving her then partner hoping he would fight for her. The eloquence of “Footsteps” is astounding.

“Too Deep” finds Kehlani venting her frustrations about a “fling” that’s becoming too deep and losing enjoyment attached to it while gaining emotional attachment. She wants a no-strings-attached simple relationship, “I thought we were just fuckin’/I can’t fall in love for nothin.” Her fear of serious relationships stems from a previous toxic relationship encapsulated on the Ty Dolla $ign-assisted “Nights Like This,” “But all that glitters isn’t gold, I was blinded/Should have never given you my heart on consignment.”

“Nunya,” slang word for “none of your business” is a fully loaded clip shooting at Kehlani’s ex-lover who’s always in her business and doesn’t want to let go, “It’s none of your, none of your bees [business]/Callin’ all my girls to check where I [have] been.”

My current personal favourite and a would-be perfect follow-up single to “Nights Like This” and “Feels,” succinctly sums up Kehlani’s burning affection and desire for someone. She has learned from her previous turbulent relationships and unlike on “Too Deep,” she expresses her readiness for a relationship with emotional attachments and refuses to let her previous troubled relationships tamper with this one, “It took a lot of hard shit just to learn/How not to break down and stop, baby/No matter what I seen in the past/I won’t let it impact how we grow now, baby.”

“RPG” is about insecurity while “Butterfly” finds Kehlani in a new relationship and in a quest to explore all aspects of her partner. The song plays on the metaphor of a butterfly’s life cycle or metamorphosis. Despite all the trauma and hurt Kehlani has suffered in her previous relationships her new partner makes her feel brand new like a butterfly after metamorphosis, “Butterfly, yeah, yeah/You make me feel brand new”.

Therefore, While We Wait was worth the wait.