A R T I S T S ✿
Los Angeles based artist Kelady describes her debut album titled BABAE's transformative process like the moon phases building up, breaking down, and flowing out again. BABAE (buh-BAH-EH) which means "woman" in Tagalog embodies both vulnerability and confidence through a cheeky ritual of playful chants, and soul-digging melodies. Experimenting with bassist/producer danyo (idesia), Kelady carves a path for herself with visual lyricism and a smooth cadence against gritty rhythms.
Experiencing the doubleness in diasporic identity which stems from her Filipina descent and SoCal-American culture, Kelady combines recordings of kulintang gongs, bamboo-palm textures, cowrie shells, and car engines with electric bass, keys, and nylon guitars. Contextualized within explorative forms of contemporary Hip-hop/R&B/Jazz singing and rap, BABAE portrays the dynamics between identity received and identity created while presenting questions of balance and freedom. By contrasting elements both lyrically and sonically, the album gestures different relationships with time through layering themes of the past, present, and future – a stand in for grandmother, mother, and child that emulates imagined narratives; a cumulative voice of womanhood that seethes out from a paralyzing silence.
Inspired by maternal struggles, from abandoning dreams for survival while adapting to challenging environments, and to confronting the consequences of heartbreak – Kelady's music guides listeners to navigate through a paradise of life and death, love and loss. BABAE calls for renewal, professing an uncompromising yet blissful lift in vocalizing suppressed emotions while surrendering to love the self and to have courage in the void.
Released May 19, 2023
✿ Credits ✿
All music was produced, recorded, and mixed by danyo in Los Angeles CA, with Silly Me and Kulog recorded in Portland OR.
Written by Kelady and danyo
Mastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering
Art by Kelady
© KELADY 2023. breakfast feelings