Kelela wants her songs to feel as complex as real life

The FADER speaks to Kelela about genre and race, working with Oscar Scheller, and covering Incubus for her new Spotify Live Room sessions. Kelela’s songwriting process can be painstakingly slow. It doesn’t help that sometimes, not even she knows what she’s trying to say. “Oftentimes when I’m singing in gibberish over the instrumental, there are…

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GEN F: Jae Stephens knows you’re going to stan

GEN F: Jae Stephens knows you’re going to stan The Los Angeles singer parlayed running a Beyoncé fan page into a bonafide pop-star career. She still loves a meme. By Tobias Hess Photographer Carter Howe Carter Howe. Jae Stephens has a quirk of inserting her name into random words. For example: “I’m just trying to…

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Chxrry is the whole show

The Ego Tour is pure pop spectacle, no props or gimmicks needed. Chxrry backstage at Baby’s All Right on August 27, 2026.   Vivian Medithi / The FADER Baby’s All Right was simply too small. That was my biggest problem as I snaked through the backroom thicketed with fans anxiously awaiting Chxrry. When I interviewed…

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This year’s VMAs nominations lean pop, legacy, and white

5 takeaways and observations about this year’s VMAs nominations. Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for MTV The MTV Video Music Awards return Sunday, September 27, in Los Angeles. On Tuesday, the award show revealed this year’s long list of nominations featuring music’s most tenured stars alongside captivating new artists reshaping the mainstream. Madonna leads with…

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Ravyn Lenae wants her music to fly free

Ravyn Lenae wants her music to fly free The Chicago singer-songwriter talks genre and her new album, Blue Island, in our latest FADER Interview. By Vivian Medithi Video Ethan Holland “There are R&B artists who do pure R&B – that’s great and it should be labeled as such,” says Ravyn Lenae. “And then there’s Black…

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