The beautiful, sexy, and talented Kehlani has been one of the queens of bouncing back lately with her music more popular than ever, and her glow more radiant. Little did we know, for months she has been pregnant with her first child to the shock of most of us.
The break of her exciting news was met with much confusion from the public, mainly because in songs like "Honey" and in her cameo during Demi Lovato's performance (where the pair spent some sensual and sexy moments on stage), she had many of us thinking she was putting men on the back burner.
However, Kehlani is not a lesbian or bisexual, but pansexual, which means her sexual preference is as fluid as water. Kehlani recounts the reactions she received from fans and critics alike in her interview withNylon:
"I've gotten everything from, 'I thought she was a lesbian,' to 'she was using queerness to promote her career, then went and betrayed us with a man,' to 'her baby father is just a sperm donor.' One, I never identified as a lesbian. I've always been pansexual."
Pansexuality could refer to someone who is sexually and/or romantically attracted to a person regardless of that person's biological sex — it's not their biological equipment that is most critical. It is not equivalent to bisexuality, because it's broader in scope and more along the lines of: If I love you, and want to be with you, I will.
Though Kehlani wants the world to know that she is proudly fluid, she does not want to be the poster child for the rights of queer people, or queer expression:
"I never woke up and decided to be the 'queer icon' of the century. Having so much attention on me outside my art already gives me enough anxiety. I have always said, and will always say, there are people out there in this community fighting for equality in more real ways than making songs about it and performing at events like I am, and those are the 'queeroes.' Those are the ones who deserve to be awarded and constantly highlighted."
In fact, aside from her music and the arrival of her daughter, Kehlani has diverted her attention to the launch of her new free wellness app, Flora, which focuses on bringing wellness into the hands of anyone curious about ways to make their everyday life more abundant.
This is particularly heartfelt as the songstress often shares her struggleswith mental health:
"Flora's main focus is curating and grouping the most helpful and convenient tips, advice, and routines to make our contributions to sustainability more enjoyable and easy on the mind and heart. I think the most important aspect of the app is that we offer a lively, completely inclusive community that's geared toward forming positive life patterns and habits, totally free of judgment."
When it comes to people who are struggling to find their identity with solid terms, Kehlani advises you to do you, boo:
"Whatever makes you feel your safest, in your truest identity, you should identify as such without being policed by the same community you are supposed to feel most safe with. A lot of queer youth I know feel extremely validated by the term 'queer.' You deserve to be believed, taken for what you say you are, and not shamed for it. Always open to learning though."
I look forward to the healing of members of our communities struggling with mental health, some new bomb music, and a beautiful new life on Earth Kehlani!
To read Kehlani's full cover story, head over to Nylon.
Featured image by Gabriel Olsen/WireImage
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