Kelela is back. New single ‘idea 1’ is out through Warp Records, and signals a shift in sonic direction for the artist.
We’ve been covering Kelela on this site since 2014 – from early singles, to the Cut 4 Me mixtape era, to covering her Dublin shows – and each chapter has been worth paying attention to.
The release comes three years after her acclaimed second album Raven, which was followed by a remix collection in 2024, and a stripped-back reworking of her repertoire, In The Blue Light last February.
For an artist who has shown an ability to expand her sonic depths, Kelela’s return with ‘idea 1’ is a pivot in that it uses borth plucked and distorted guitars in its sonic backing, a contrast to her normal clubby electronic R&B productions.
It was produced by Oscar Scheller and co-written with her close friend, the painter Janiva Ellis.The video, directed by 91 Rules, is described as allegorical – a woman moving from breaking point to rebirth.
“‘idea 1’ is about what it feels like to exist in this climate — the weight of being expected to witness, absorb, and speak truth at a time when the world feels like it’s unraveling. That’s a particular kind of burden Black women know intimately. This song doesn’t offer answers, it just refuses to look away. Co-writing it with my best friend Janiva Ellis, hearing Oscar’s production give it shape, and then watching 91 Rules bring that tension to life visually feels like the beginning of a much larger conversation I’m ready to have.”
She wrote the song while reading Octavia Butler’s dystopian novel Parable of the Sower.
Something bigger appears to be on the way.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
