Tsunami Mob is what our new FADER cover star Kehlani calls her best friends. It’s also what she calls her fans, who she treats like friends, and whose allegiance to her not-radio-pandering music may prove to be lucrative enough to turn Kehlani into a legit pop star.
Back in March, before the release of her excellent mixtape You Should Be Here, Kehlani defined the type of person worth fucking with.
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3. They’re into things that you already like doing
“I've had the same best friend since I've been in the seventh grade. His name is Edward,” Kehlani said. “The friendship started because we had the same interests. We went to theatre camp and we both sang, danced, and did theatre. So we automatically clicked up.”
4. And they share your big-picture goals
Kehlani doesn’t just like her friends, she admires their sense of purpose. “I respect my friends because they demand respect, you know? They are all a bunch of quirky, different, not-cookie-cutter-looking people. Not the typical bad bitch, you know, but they got my back when I need anything,” she said. “We all want to inspire other people. We all want to make a difference. I think that's what draws us together: we have a common goal of making it bigger than us.”
6. And they don’t ‘yes’ you
Kehlani’s closest homies also work with her, but they’re not doormats. “My team is made up of my best friends. And I'm the leader of the pack, it's my team,” Kehlani said. “But if I get fed up, or I'm in too much of a leader mode and something comes out the wrong way, they'll never hesitate to let me know. Like, 'Yo, remember who you are talking to right now, we are your friends. We don't just work for you.’ Sometimes it gets really stressful — I’m 19 and I’m running my entire team. [Ed note: Kehlani is now 20.] Some of the girls that work for me are older than me, and sometimes I have to be a little extra. Like, ‘Listen to me, pay attention,’ because I have to run my ship. But my friends keep me in check.”
7. They’re into you, not just your spotlight
“Some people will come up to me like, ‘You look like a dope person to have a conversation with. I want to sit down and do regular stuff with you, like go to the movies.' Other people come up to me and go, 'Hey, I want to get backstage at your shows, and could I meet your stylist?’ Or, ‘You guys are getting some free stuff, let me come. Oh, you about to kick it with this person, you going to this party?' That's the ultimate no-no.”
9. And if someone’s going to become a romantic friend? They need to be able to handle your lifestyle
In a romantic partner, Kehlani’s looking for someone who respects her career and doesn’t feel diminished by all that comes along with it. “People may be like, ‘Yeah I'm really down for you.’ Then they realize I'm never home,” she said. “They have to be able to be confident enough in themselves to where they know, like, ‘My girlfriend's around fifty hundred million rappers right now, and I know she's not doing anything because I'm here.’ And they have to be able to be very supportive of me and not have any type or jealousy or feel intimidated because I'm the woman in the relationship. Guys I dated in the past always [started off] supportive about my career, then all of a sudden it's like, ‘Well, dang, you're doing all this stuff, and I'm just at the house.’ I don't want to emasculate anybody, you know?”
Pre-order a copy of Kehlani's issue of The FADER now. It hits newsstands August 25.
