After last year’s European tour and commercial success, Kehlani’s return to the Bay Area on Friday arrives at a moment of particular symmetry. The Oakland-born singer will headline the sold-out Big Game Block Party outside San Jose City Hall, an outdoor event timed to Super Bowl LX weekend.
Amid the surrounding spectacle of national sports programming, this highly anticipated show stands out for its scale and its grounding in regional geography: an artist shaped in Oakland neighborhoods performing at the South Bay’s civic center, drawing a crowd that bridges the area’s cultural map.
Anthony Gomez, creator behind the event’s co-promoter, SJ Foos, said Kehlani’s performance comes at a particularly opportune time: “She’s one of the most legendary and talented artists in the world right now, and she’s from the Bay Area. There’s literally no one better to have while all eyes are on us for Super Bowl weekend.” He continues: “She’s genuine. Nothing about her says ‘industry.’ She’s as real as it comes.”
Born Kehlani Ashley Parrish in 1995, the singer, who uses she/they pronouns, grew up in a household marked by early loss—their father transitioned soon after birth—and subsequent instability due to their mother’s spells of incarceration.
Raised partly by an aunt and moving through foster care, Kehlani initially pursued dance at the Oakland School for the Arts as a teenager, studying ballet and modern forms until a knee injury derailed those aspirations.
Music then became the alternative, as they drew from ’90s neo-soul records that raised them: Lauren Hill, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott have been mentioned as huge inspirations.
At 14, Kehlani joined PopLyfe, a teenage band produced by D’Wayne Wiggins of ’90s R&B trio, Tony! Toni! Toné!. PopLyfe built a local following before appearing on America’s Got Talent in 2011, where the group placed fourth.
On America’s Got Talent, judge Piers Morgan predicted that Kehlani’s talent would outstrip that of her peers. For once, he was right, as Kehlani eventually left PopLyfe over internal conflicts. Yet their solo success wasn’t immediate. In fact, the following years brought personal and financial strain, a journey they’ve been quite candid about not only through their songwriting, but also on social media.
After making it out on the other side of homelessness, a 2013 SoundCloud track, “ANTISUMMERLUV” caught entertainer Nick Cannon’s attention, who arranged studio time and temporary housing for Kehlani in Los Angeles.
Shortly thereafter, Kehlani signed to Atlantic, releasing the big label debut, SweetSexySavage, in 2017. Later big label projects (It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, Blue Water Road, Crash) and the wildly popular mixtape While We Wait soon followed, expanding their sound while keeping a focus on universally relatable personal narratives.
The past year, however, has brought the most prominence and measurable momentum. The 2025 single “Folded” peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, became their first No. 1 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart, and earned them their first-ever Grammy wins for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song at the 2026 Grammys. Follow-up tracks like “Out the Window” have sustained the attention, with both songs slated for a legitimately highly anticipated project expected later this year.
In the Bay Area context, Kehlani’s path carries particular resonance. They emerged from the same East Bay milieu that produced figures like E-40, Too $hort, LaRussell and H.E.R., where local scenes have long fed into broader recognition. We’re witnessing their ascent in real time.
San Jose, frequently positioned as secondary to San Francisco or Oakland in regional acclaim, receives a direct nod here, with a celebration during a sports frenzy that also highlights the region’s musical contributions. The open-air block party format, too, comes off as community driven, mirroring the grassroots energy that launched Kehlani’s early career, while the Super Bowl backdrop amplifies the spectacle.
Expect Kehlani to draw from across their catalog, balancing early mixtape intimacy with the mainstream reach of recent singles. For listeners in Oakland, or even further afield, the night offers a tangible measure of how Bay Area artists continue to navigate—and occasionally redefine—the space between local origin and wider visibility.
