Kelela Announces New Album Raven, Shares Sparkling Single “On the Run”

Releasing “On the Run,” the third single off her forthcoming album Raven, Kelela has shared the details of her anticipated sophomore LP. It is the follow-up to her debut Take Me Apart, and is set for release Feb. 10, 2023, via Warp. All three singles recently released (“Washed Away,” “Happy Ending” and “On the Run”) are included on the album, which has a total of 15 tracks. Kelela and Asmara executive-produced Raven, with Kelela writing and arranging everything. Yo Van Lenz and Florian T M Zeisig (aka the ambient duo OCA) and LSDXOXO are the two main producers on the album, with further help from Bambii. The album centers healing, as Kelela explains:

I started this process from the feeling of isolation and alienation I’ve always had as a black femme in dance music, despite its black origins. Raven is my first breath taken in the dark, an affirmation of black femme perspective in the midst of systemic erasure and the sound of our vulnerability turned to power.

“On the Run,” released today (Nov. 15), makes Kelela’s flexibility instantly clear, both in her voice and as an artist. It jump-ropes the line between dance track and something to relax to, never accelerating so much that the listener can’t follow, staying always in the nebulous zone between a sparkling cool and a more intense beat designed to engage the whole body. Her voice draws designs all over the track, with DJ and electronic artist Kaytranada joining Yo van Lenz, Kelela and Bambii in the production credits, with additional production by Asmara.

Listen to “On the Run” below and see the details of Raven further down.

Raven Tracklist:
01. Washed Away
02. Happy Ending
03. Let It Go
04. On the Run
05. Missed Call
06. Closure
07. Contact
08. Fooley
09. Holier
10. Raven
11. Bruises
12. Sorbet
13. Divorce
14. Enough for Love
15. Far Away

Raven Art: