Latest news with #Kehlani
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
New Music Friday: Listen to Lorde, Kehlani, KATSEYE & Frankie Grande
Atlantic Music; Thistle Brown (provided); Zora Sicher (provided) Kehlani; Lorde; Renee Rapp June might be coming to an end, but summer's just starting to heat up – and our favorite LGBTQ+ (and adjacent) artists have released some sunshine-ready tracks. We have a handful of new projects this week! Lorde's highly anticipated new album Virgin has finally arrived, KATSEYE is inciting some BEAUTIFUL CHAOS, Kevin Abstract's 18-track album Blush is an entire vibe, and Frankie Grande's debut album Hotel Rock Bottom reveals a new side of the icon. Meanwhile, Kim Petras has released her experimental new SOPHIE-inspired track "Polo," Kehlani just dropped the stunning music video for her R&B summer hit "Folded," Drag Race stars Trixie Mattel and Priyanka have both hopped on new tracks, and Reneé Rapp is officially "Mad." Scroll through to listen to this week's best new bops, and follow this writer's on Spotify. - YouTube "It's getting hard to be nice, " Reneé Rapp croons on her angsty new pop-rock track. - YouTube KATSEYE is sick of the games, boy. Their new five-track EP BEAUTIFUL CHAOS is glossy pop perfection. - YouTube Trixie Mattel's club remix of some HBO's most iconic (and gayest) TV show quotes is an instant club classic. Read a full breakdown of the song's references. - YouTube Song of the summer? Kehlani just dropped the stunningly sapphic music video for her lush R&B song "Folded." - YouTube UMI's latest indie R&B love song has blessed us with a stunningly sapphic music video. - YouTube Zara Larsson has delivered another pop banger with her MNEK-produced dance track "Midnight Sun" with a killer chorus. - YouTube Franke Grande bares all on his debut album and the music video for its title track, Hotel Rock Bottom. - YouTube Dove Cameron's dance pop era? The singer-songwriter is channelling Lady Gaga on her experimental new track. - YouTube Ali Shah is our latest pop boy who "goes both ways" in his steamy new music video. - YouTube Kevin Abstract's latest is a silky smooth indie track, one of 18 bangers on his new album Blush. - YouTube Lorde's fourth studio album Virgin has arrived, and lyrically toys with the singer's gender expression and identity. - YouTube Are you smiling yet? Between friends is ready to dance on "XD." - YouTube This SOPHIE-inspired track is pushing Kim Petras (and her listeners) to explore the experimental boundaries of pop. - YouTube Issa Rae is featured in Teyana Taylor's sweepingly romantic new music video. - YouTube The Aces have released the breezy debut single off their upcoming sapphic disco-pop album Gold Star Baby. - YouTube Kesha is definitely the one supplying the bangers this summer ahead of her upcoming album release and Tits Out tour. - YouTube Rio Romero's new track is a reflective ballad on moving on. - YouTube Drag Race star Priyanka teams up with Niiva for their dancefloor-ready banger "Fussy." - YouTube Bailey Zimmerman and Diplo team up for their new country song "Ashes." - YouTube Lizzo is back, and her new song with SZA is our outside vibe for the summer. - YouTube Raye and Mark Ronson's latest track "Suzanne" is an ode to powerful woman. Alison Wonderland - Again? Fuck. Alison Wonderland's hyperpop dreamscape is the chaos we need right now. Taylor Henderson is a music contributor to Out magazine. Be sure to follow 'the alphabet mafia' playlist on Spotify! This article originally appeared on Out: New Music Friday: Listen to Lorde, Kehlani, KATSEYE & Frankie Grande Chappell Roan, Lil Nas X, Lizzo deliver fresh New Music Friday New Music Friday: Kelly Clarkson's new ballad, Barbra and Hozier duet Trixie Mattel & VINCINT cover this RuPaul banger this New Music Friday
San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Is SoSF the Bay Area's Fyre Festival?
What was supposed to be San Francisco's hottest new Pride Weekend celebration has devolved into confusion and controversy, leaving many ticket holders frustrated and struggling to secure refunds. SoSF, a waterfront concert scheduled for Saturday, June 28, with headliner Kehlani, faced backlash earlier this month after the Oakland R&B singer withdrew from the lineup. Her exit followed a string of concert cancellations due to her outspoken support for Palestinians. DJ Adam Kraft, founder of event company Fake and Gay, and drag queen Nicki Jizz, who created the 'Reparations' drag show, subsequently dropped out, citing disagreements with the festival's stance on the issue. Organizers offered refunds to ticket holders due to the lineup changes, but mere days before the outdoor event, many report they're struggling to get their money back as promised. 'It's pretty sketchy behavior,' Jackson Bowers, 29, told the Chronicle. In the weeks that followed the lineup changes, organizers changed the event's name, switched its venue and wiped its social media presence. 'I was excited that they offered refunds but now it seems like they're just totally ghosting us.' The Cole Valley resident said that organizers sent out an email on June 5 announcing the lineup change. The event, set to take place outdoors at 900 Marin St., across the street from Pier 80's warehouse where it was originally booked, is still set to feature 'Nasty' singer Tinashe and Grammy-winning pop star Kim Petras, among others. After consulting his friends who had also purchased tickets, Bowers decided to request a refund on Thursday, June 19, via the email address provided by organizers. He said he paid a little more than $100 for one ticket. The Chronicle has reached out to SoSF organizers for comment. 'I texted my friend and I asked him, 'If we were rich, would we have fallen for Fyre Festival?' because I kind of feel like I did,' said Manuel Gallardo, referencing the disastrous luxury music festival that was meant to take place in the Bahamas in 2017 but was quickly canceled after its initial attendees lacked basic amenities. The 32-year-old Mission District resident said that he spent more than $200 for two tickets after fees, but decided to request a refund after the lineup changed and the event rebranded to Pride 2025 Block Party, sparking confusion. Like Bowers, he is waiting for his SoSF ticket refund, despite having reached out to organizers several times since June 18. 'I don't have very strong feelings about the political arguments that are being made, but I think that the response to Kehlani's political stance was offputting to me,' he said. 'It's a bummer that the event didn't really seem that it had its attendees top of mind or made us feel very good about going.' Oakland resident Julie F. was similarly bothered by the way organizers responded to the 'After Hours' singer's politics, and said that she and her partner requested refunds to ensure that they're 'standing in solidarity with what we feel is the deplatforming of Kehlani.' She declined to share her full last name due to safety concerns regarding her political opinions. While Julie's partner reached out at the beginning of the month and received a refund on June 11, she is still awaiting a response after sending her own request on June 15, plus several follow-ups. Jeshua John, 31, also received a refund on June 11 after submitting his request on June 8. The Haight-Ashbury resident said he decided not to support the event because it didn't align with his values, and he wanted to respect the local artists who had voiced concerns. 'I think it's important to not just have your ear to the ground but also be able to take cues from local artists that we all know and respect,' he said. 'I just feel better about myself knowing where my dollars are going.' John said that he was already skeptical of organizers when they announced the lineup change on Instagram, and screenshotted the post in which they asserted that all ticket holders would be eligible for a refund. The post has since been deleted. 'It's been frustrating but not necessarily surprising,' Julie, 27, said. 'They haven't really been very forward about what to do, what the process is, and also applying an unfair standard for people based on when they had the capacity to process refunds.' She said she paid $95.61 for her ticket by using a discount code, and has attempted to cancel her transaction directly through her credit card, though the process typically takes a few weeks. Even if their refunds aren't issued before Saturday, Julie, Bowers and Gallardo all said that they don't plan to attend. Instead, Bowers plans to hang out in Dolores Park, while Gallardo says he'll check out a different event. Julie doesn't have anything lined up yet. Gallardo noted that he was particularly disappointed by the SoSF shakeup because he wanted to support the revitalization of San Francisco's party scene. 'I just feel like with nightlife kind of coming back in the city after the pandemic I was wanting to support something that was gonna be new,' he said. Bowers also noted he was looking forward to something different. 'It's a shame since everything has unfolded since then,' he said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Queer Jams of the Week: New Music From Kehlani, Kevin Abstract, Blondshell & More
In need of some new tunes from your favorite queer artists? We're here to help. Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ+ artists. From Kehlani's lovelorn new R&B track to Kevin Abstract's confessional new collaboration, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below: More from Billboard Donna Kelce, Monet X Change, Eric Nam & More Join 'The Traitors' Season 4 Cast Earbuds, Speakers & More New Products to Enhance Your Summer Listening FIFA Club World Cup on Hulu + Live TV: How to Watch Paris Saint-Germain F.C. vs. Atlético Madrid Online Break ups don't always have to be a hot mess. With her latest offering 'Folded,' Kehlani isn't aiming to put her ex on blast, but rather to extend them an olive branch. A breezy R&B melody helps the singer glide through this airy song of moving on after lost love, as she asks her lover if they can come pick up their clothes. 'I have them folded,' she offers. We love it when a plan comes together, and seeing Brockhampton frontman Kevin Abstract reunite with his old friend Dominic Fike on their new duet 'Geezer' feels like the best of plans. Over some indie guitars and a scattershot beat, the pair trade verses about finding their way to success, even when the people around them still feel stuck in the same place. It's a tender take off Abstract's upcoming new LP, and one that's only bound to make you more hype to hear the whole thing. If you're still jamming out to Addison Rae's cult-favorite track 'Diet Pepsi' from last year, then allow us to offer you a little bit more with a slightly different vibe. Indie star Blondshell takes Rae's breakout alt-pop track and puts the emphasis back on the 'alt,' as she translates the song into a shimmering alt-rock track that sounds like it could've come off her latest album. Add in Blondshell's excellent live vocals, and you've got a killer cover on your hands. When it comes to soundtracking modern romance, there are few people more adept that Michelle Zauner. So it's no wonder why A24 tapped the alt-rock star to pen her new Japanese Breakfast song 'My Baby (Got Nothing At All)' for their new film Materialists. Throughout this sunny slow jam, Zauner takes some light shots at the gold-diggers of the world, opting instead for a tune about how little her lover has — and how special that makes their own connection in turn. The Yoruba word 'gbesoke' roughly translates to 'lift it up' in English — and after listening to salute's latest collaboration with Peter Xan, you'll understand why they chose to use that word as their title. With salute's top-tier dance production working overtime alongside Xan's alt-rock voice delivering commands to the listener, 'Gbesoke' easily accomplishes its goal and will have you lifting it all up as you bounce along to this banger. What even is Pride Month without a big, campy, gay pop song to play? Thankfully, G Flip is here with just the right track for the occasion. 'Big Ol' Hammer,' the Australian star's country-meets-synth-pop magnum opus, sees them embracing their butch side as they sing about a lover that makes the 'feel like a man.' The music video only adds further context, with Flip dancing it out in a garage surrounded by fellow queers in coveralls as they declare that they're hanging 'in a tool belt, like a big ol' hammer.' Check out all of our picks below on Billboard's Queer Jams of the Week playlist: Best of Billboard Kelly Clarkson, Michael Buble, Pentatonix & Train Will Bring Their Holiday Hits to iHeart Christmas Concert Fox Plans NFT Debut With $20 'Masked Singer' Collectibles 14 Things That Changed (or Didn't) at Farm Aid 2021
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kehlani Reflects on ‘You Should Be Here' Mixtape 10 Years Later: ‘I'm Grateful That It Changed My Life'
Kehlani endured innumerable struggles and beat the odds 'all before the age of even being able to buy a f—king drink at a bar,' as she said with her raspy, hushed voice in the 'Intro' of her 2015 sophomore mixtape You Should Be Here. She was raised by her aunt, who eventually adopted Kehlani, after her father died when she was a toddler and her mother served time in jail while struggling with drug addiction. She left PopLyfe, the Oakland-based teen pop band that finished in fourth place on America's Got Talent in 2011, due to managerial and contractual issues. She stole iPhones straight out of people's hands at train stations and sold them — and got banned from Walmart for stealing clothes and food — just to skate by, according to her 2015 Fader cover story. And she poured that grit and resilience that's carried her throughout her entire life into her music. More from Billboard Queer Jams of the Week: New Music From Kehlani, Kevin Abstract, Blondshell & More AC/DC Plug In Extra Stadium Dates for Australia's Power-Hungry Fans Brandy and Monica Reveal 'The Boy Is Mine' Was Inspired by 'Jerry Springer' In 2014, they independently released their critically acclaimed debut mixtape Cloud 19, which led to a label deal with Atlantic Records. By the time they were working on their follow-up project, they got to indulge in the one grown-up activity they hadn't been able to before. Then-19-year-old Kehlani still wasn't 'able to buy a f—king drink at a bar' in the U.S., but she could in Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, where she went with her righthand producer Jahaan Sweet and photographer David Camarena. 'I thought I was big shit because I was of legal age,' she tells Billboard, recalling her 'first experience of being out of the country and working in an Airbnb and leaving the Airbnb to go get a drink at a bar and listen to the music walking down the street. [It was] this freeing feeling of this is what I can do as an artist. This is the kind of life I can have where I can get up and go, get inspiration and create in another place, and make art in this freeing way.' On You Should Be Here, Kehlani navigates their romantic and familial relationships through the lens of a charming and vulnerable young woman taking her life by the reins – and a lifelong student of '90s R&B and neo-soul. The tape reassures her fans, known as the Tsunami Mob — as well as Kehlani herself — to never lose sight of the light at the end of the tunnel, even when it seems incredibly dim. And her inextinguishable pursuit was rewarding as the spotlight shined even brighter on the burgeoning star. You Should Be Here earned Kehlani their first top five project on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums as well as their first Grammy nomination for best urban contemporary album. 'I was told there hadn't been a mixtape nominated for a Grammy, and if there was, then I was the first girl. It was a pivotal moment, any moment that lets you know that the level of how you believe in yourself is valid,' they says. As part of Black Music Month, Billboard is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of You Should Be Here with Kehlani, discussing what the mixtape meant to them at the time of recording it, continuing to show love to Musiq Soulchild, feeling 'haunted' by their videotaped reaction to their first Grammy nomination, and if they'll ever bring back that one song that's been removed. What do you remember most about recording ? How natural it was. Me and Jahaan were living together at the time in all these Airbnbs. We were in any living room we could find. That was such a crazy project because it was right after my first mixtape ever, which changed my life. It was me making music the first year out of my teenagehood and the first year of me cracking off as an artist. There was so much context in there of how that shaped my relationships, my view of the world, my young womanhood. That was in response to my life at the time. Sweet produced six songs on the mixtape What was your working relationship with him like at the time? Considering he later worked on your 2017 debut album why was he such a crucial member of your inner creative circle? We did a lot of Cloud 19 together. We did what I felt like was my first breakthrough song, 'Get Away.' We both had this underdog feeling because when I met Jahaan, he was an assistant at a studio and I was there working with someone else. After the session ended, Jahaan came in the room and was like, 'Hi, you don't know me. I'm like the little guy here. I have a beat to play you if you'd be down to listen.' And I'm like, 'Well, I'm a little guy. [Laughs.] Absolutely play me the beat.' And it ended up being my first breakout song. We've just had that kindred relationship where we were really hungry and we felt like we had something to prove, but we also had chemistry where we'd finish each other's musical sentences. He'd know what I'd want to do next and where I'd want to take it, and before I would even get a chance to do it, he would already be tweaking the beat to how I'd probably like it. Around the time you released this mixtape, different publications were labeling you a . Did that term resonate with you? I kind of still, to this day, feel like a mindie artist. That's nothing to do with the label, more to do with the era that I came up in. I was a part of the pre-streaming service [era]. You have to go hard for yourself. You can't wait for a marketing strategy or rollout. It's all about the relationship that you have with your fans personally, with no middleman. I've always operated in that way. My fanbase [grew] up with me, they feel like they know me, which is a double-edged sword in this day and age. We have a really deep connection where they feel proud to be here this long and every time a milestone happens, and they're excited about things that are beyond where's the next hit? Are the numbers moving in this kind of way? That comes from that mindie movement. Light shines through as a key lyrical theme in . You sing 'So be great, be kind/ Don't let them dim your light/ A woman like the sun should always stay bright' on 'Bright.' And you sing, 'Too damn strong/ To let you get the best of me/ Took way too long/ To find the light inside of me' on 'N—as.' Why was that an important message for you to share with your fans on this mixtape? I've dealt with chemical imbalance and mental illness my entire life, so it's been up and down. Anybody with mental health issues knows how imperative that moment that your light returns is and how much of a big deal it is. It's not, 'I felt sad yesterday and I'm coming around today.' It's these time periods where you do not feel like there's any sort of light at the end of anything. And when you finally get that back, the measures you take to ensure that it stays, whether your boundaries change or your routine changes or you have to let certain things or people go, it's a big feat. That was the beginning of my life shifting in that way where I had to make those changes to prioritize the light that I found. Those were the first years of my life with stability and with control over my own life. Everything was shifting, and I finally had a grip on it. I just needed to protect it. Speaking of 'N—as,' you removed the track from all streaming services in 2023. Would you ever put it back on streaming for the fans who miss it? At this point, I'm not really interested in bringing it back for myself. I've always said if there's another artist who would like to put it out because people want the song in the world, I'd be more than happy to let another artist record it and let them have it. Other than that, at the time I took it down, I was being communally called in by people who felt offended by it, and I was abiding by what I feel like community care is, which is when you're called in, you listen and you make a change. I try to keep my peace as much as possible, and I feel like re-putting it out on any platforms at this point would be another ignited thing beyond what my focus is at the moment. You contributed background vocals to Chance the Rapper and The Social Experiment's the same year you featured him on 'The Way.' How did you two establish that relationship? Me and Chance go back to that golden era of earlier music from our late teenagehood and early young adulthood where it was me, Chance, Bryson [Tiller], Jhené [Aiko], Tinashe. It was this early group of us that were still dropping things on SoundCloud. We were all tapped in with each other. We're in that space of innovation is starting to happen, which I don't know if we realized that at the time, but now I can look back and be like, 'Oh, that was the beginning of certain ways that music moves now.' Me and Chance have always had a great friendship and continue to do so. 'Down For You,' featuring BJ The Chicago Kid, interpolates Musiq Soulchild's 'Just Friends (Sunny).' Four years later, you featured Musiq Soulchild on 'Footsteps,' the opening track of How did you finesse that? Did you two ever talk about 'Down For You'? Oh, he knows I'm a fan. I not only interpolated him on that, but on the mixtape before, I quoted him. It went from quoting to interpolating to the feature. He's always known from even the first moment. I don't care about coming off like a fan to anybody in anything that I'm a fan of. [Laughs] I always was loudly like, 'You're my favorite. Growing up, you were my favorite. You'll always be my favorite.' He knows very well. I will get down on the floor and bow to that man. What was your favorite song from in 2015, and is it still your favorite off the project a decade later? 'Jealous.' I just remember the excitement of discovering Lexii and how it was to hear Lexii for the first time on her SoundCloud. I remember being in a sprinter van with my manager and being like, 'Yo, there's this girl from Minnesota and she's so hard. We need her on the album.' And she just knocked out that verse so quickly, and I just became a super Lexii Alijai stan because of it. To this day, it's one of my favorites that I've done because of the energy that she brought to it. That is my favorite now because of sentimental reasons. Rest in peace, Lexii. At the time, my favorite song was probably 'You Should Be Here' because it felt like a declaration. I had just got out of my first adult relationship, and that person broke up with me because of the trajectory I was in and there were some issues around that. It felt like this big catalyst into, 'Oh, this is shit is real.' And it awoken all the feelings of I really need to anaylze how my life is shifting. You just turned 30 in April. If you could talk to the 19-going-on-20-year-old version of Kehlani who was making , what would you tell them? I would say your life's about to change. The art that you're making is going to have big cultural significance that gets a lot of people to relate to you because of your story, your upbringing, your background, your emotional journey. It's going to bring a lot of those people who need it to the forefront, but also don't take that on as your own. Lock in, focus on your relationship with God and perfect your craft. Take your time and have fun. Once You Should Be Here came around, I was in go mode — and it was such a detrimental thing to my mental health, because life really took off after that. We got the Grammy nom, it started getting really psycho insane, and I spent a lot of years working myself to burn out — and taking on the fact that all these people were like, 'You changed my life, You saved me.' It was a heavy weight to carry at 19, 20. I was also growing up in front of the world. So I would want to hear from myself now that I owed it to myself to really prioritize my mental well-being while I'm giving these things to the world. You embarked on your first-ever solo headlining tour, the You Should Be Here Tour, after the tape dropped. But earlier that year, you went with G-Eazy on the second leg of his From the Bay to the Universe Tour. What lessons had you learned from that joint stint that helped you during your first solo run?I will always thank G-Eazy for being the first person to take me on the road and open the lane for me like that. He's so incredible, because he's done that for almost every single Bay Area artist. Like, every Bay Area artist who has come out of the Bay that has been after his time, he's brought on tour. He's opened the door for all of us in that way. It was a very different tour than what an R&B tour would look like. It was very rock star. I'm like, 'This what a tour bus is? This what backstage looks like? This some rock star s–t.' It allowed me to see the epicness before I had to go and take on all those responsibilities myself. It's different when you're an opener. You just get to go on stage and then watch someone every night. I got to see what a show with production looked like, and a show that had a set and real lights. And then I went on my first tour, and I didn't have any of those things — but it gave me something to look forward to and something to be excited about, like, 'Oh, I can do this. This is possible.' You earned your first-ever Grammy nomination with this mixtape. Do you remember how you felt when you found out? What's funny is I am so haunted by the video where I found out. There's literally a video where I'm running around screaming outside of the tour bus. I think we were in Sweden. I had some acne [laughs] on my cheek, and I put tea tree oil on it, and I burnt the shit out of my face. So I'm sitting there holding my face while I just chemically burned it, and David [Ali] tells me the information, and I start losing my mind with the switch from 'Holy s–t, I'm crying because I just burnt my face' to 'Holy s–t, I'm crying because I'm nominated for a Grammy off of a f—king mixtape.' It was f—king hilarious. I was told it hadn't been done before that. I was told there hadn't been a mixtape nominated for a Grammy, and if there was, then I was the first girl. It was a pivotal moment — any moment that lets you know that the level of how you believe in yourself is valid. I'm not big [on letting] any award validate how great your art is. But it's nice when the system in place or the hierarchy of what you're doing in art recognizes that what you're doing is great. It feels good, even if you don't believe in it. What did mean to you at the time of recording it, and looking back at your discography, what does mean to you now? At the time I recorded it, I was just a hungry 19-year-old trying to follow up the splash that my first project made, trying to get my emotions down, trying to explain myself, trying to get people to feel me. Looking back at it now, I'm grateful that I was down to bare myself in that way and I was down to be emotional and vulnerable. I'm grateful that it changed my life. It really did. It was the project that was the first change of my life as far as musical pivots, and there would be no project after that without what You Should Be Here opened up for me. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UCSD pulls out of San Diego Pride amid objections to festival headliner
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — UC San Diego and UC San Diego Health has announced it will not be participating in the San Diego Pride this year over what it views as antisemitic statements made by Kehlani, one of the festival headliners, regarding the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The move to pull its sponsorship and opt out of the festival follows a coalition of Jewish groups and Mayor Todd Gloria, who announced earlier this month they were sitting out of this year's the celebrations in light of the Grammy-nominated singer's comments and 'safety concerns.' In a statement earlier this week, UCSD officials described Kehlani's views as 'blatantly Antisemitic' and stressed they were making the move to 'stand firm' in its commitment to supporting Jewish members of its campus community. 'Not just a party:' World Pride celebrations end with defiant politics on display The statement noted the university and its health system still intend to march in the Pride Parade. Kehlani, who identifies as non-binary, has been an outspoken advocate for Palestinians amid Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza through their social media platform and music. Although the singer's stalwart advocacy has drawn accusations of promoting antisemitic rhetoric from those supportive of Israel. One such display critics point to is their music video for 'Next 2 U,' in which the message 'long live the intifada' is prominently featured. The phrase means 'shaking off' in Arabic and has been used to describe Palestinian rebellion against Israeli occupation. However, this history leads those supportive of Israel to view the phrase as a call for violence against Jewish people. The use of this phrase was cited as the rationale in the cancellation of a scheduled performance of theirs back in April at Cornell University by the school's administration. In response to Cornell's decision, the singer posted a video to Instagram pushing back on the interpretation of her view as antisemitic, saying she is not 'anti-Jew,' rather 'anti-genocide' and is opposed to the actions of the Israeli government in the course of the conflict. FOX 5/KUSI reached out to San Diego Pride for comment on UCSD's withdrawal and is awaiting a response. The nonprofit, in a previous statement, said it does not endorse the political views of performers booked for the festival, adding, 'We honor the value of artistic integrity, the importance of free expression and the role that artists play in shaping culture, challenging systems and amplifying voices while respecting each other's differences.' How to handle the ongoing conflict in Gaza has been a tension point for San Diego Pride, having also drawn backlash from those who have expressed support for Palestinians. Last year, the nonprofit came under fire for the abrupt cancellation of a workshop led by two pro-Palestinian groups, Jewish Voice for Peace and People for Palestine San Diego, at San Diego She Fest — a beloved street fair that takes place prior to the Pride Parade and Festival. Local LGBTQ+ community deals with vandalism amid Pride Month At the time, San Diego Pride cited safety concerns in canceling the workshop. In an open letter shortly after, however, She Fest organizers said the purported risk was 'non-existent,' as they had 'an extensive safety plan, security on site and no viable threats.' The move ultimately led She Fest's leadership to sever ties with the nonprofit, stating in a post on Instagram the two came to a mutual decision that it was not possible for them to move forward together 'in a way that honors [She Fest's] values and responsibility to our community.' As for the Jewish groups boycotting this year's Pride in light of Kehlani's statements, several said they similarly plan to celebrate Pride independently of the main festivities in July. 'It's really sad to me that the San Diego Pride didn't understand the needs of the community,' Lilian Faderman, a congregant at Temple Emanu-El and LGBTQ+ historian, told FOX 5/KUSI earlier this month. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
