American singer Kehlani is a strong woman. Earlier this year, reports came in that she attempted suicide following a scandal surrounding unconfirmed reports of her cheating on her then boyfriend, basketball player Kyrie Irving with musician PartyNextDoor. Twitter descended like a school of sharks, tearing into her (because the internet is a horrible, horrible place). It was a frenzy, and no one won.
Suicide is nothing that anyone should ever feel like they should have to consider. And as obvious as it sounds, telling someone to go “kill themselves” is terrible, no matter how joking you might intend it to be. The fact is, people hide things within themselves. No one is happy all the time, and comments like those Kehlani faced in the aftermath of the allegations may be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
This is something that Kehlani addresses directly in her latest song, the first release since her suicide attempt. 24/7 is a tribute to those moments of sadness. Layering her smooth voice over poppy, slightly glitchy beats (produced by DZL), the lyrical matter deals with her reassurance that sadness is natural. “It’s okay to not be okay,” the track opens with, but it’s unclear whether she’s addressing herself or not. “I don’t know nobody/ who smiles at everybody/ 24-7″ leads the chorus, pushing back thoughts of being the only one.
Listen to the whole track below, it’s really worth your time.
Image: TMZ