Kah-Lo - Pain/Pleasure (2023) [Hi-Res]

Nigerian-born singer and songwriter Kah-Lo is known for her ebullient blend of house music, R&B, and pop. She emerged to viral fame in 2016, collaborating with British producer Riton on the song "Rinse & Repeat," which picked up a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording. In 2021, she delivered her solo EP, The Arrival, and returned in 2023 with her full-length, pain/pleasure.

Born Faridah Demola Seriki, Kah-Lo grew up in Lagos, Nigeria and spent time living in London with her family. She started playing music and writing songs in her teens. Her parents encouraged her to diversify her education and she spent time at both Lagos' Vivian Fowler Memorial College and New York's Hofstra University, where she studied marketing and graduated in 2013. She took a job in marketing but continued to pursue music, playing coffee houses around Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. It was during this period that she reached out to British producer Riton and they began collaborating. In 2015 they released the song "Rinse & Repeat," which went viral, eventually earning a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording. On the heels of the recognition, the duo released their 2018 full-length, Foreign Ororo, which included "Rinse & Repeat" and spawned several more U.K. and Australia radio hits in "Fasta," "Fake ID," and "Ginger."

A solo EP, The Arrival, appeared in 2020 and featured the track "Commandments," later included on the FIFA 2022 Soundtrack. The same year, her song "Drag Me Out" was featured in fashion designer Oscar de la Renta's Spring campaign. She has also collaborated on other tracks including Idris Elba's "Baille," Diplo's "Give Dem," the Knocks' "Awa Ni'," and Michaël Brun's "Melanin'." In 2023, Kah-Lo brought all her previous experience to bear on her full-length solo debut, pain/pleasure, which included the singles "GD Woman," "Karma," and "fund$." © Matt Collar