Say hello to Kah-Lo
A rising local star will make her debut at the Grammys
THERE’S no better way for performers to cut their teeth than by playing to indifferent coffeehouse patrons in New York City. Just ask Bob Dylan. And if you can’t reach him, ask rising star Kah-Lo.
After graduating from Hofstra University in 2013, the Nigerian-born singer toughed it out on the local circuit, playing venues around the city and learning hard lessons along the way. “I noticed that it’s not a good idea to do slow songs,” she tells The Post. “They’re boring for me and people just stare at you!”
On Sunday, the 24-year-old will be at the Grammys. It’s probably no accident that her ticket to the big time wasn’t a ballad but a dance track.
Three years ago, KahLo reached out to British producer Riton via Twitter, explaining that she was a fan and suggesting a collaboration. She impressed him with her sultry vocals, and they came up with “Rinse & Repeat,” which emerged in late 2015. The song became a club smash in the UK and racked up more than 27 million Spotify plays stateside. Now it’s in the running for Best Dance Recording in a field that includes the Chainsmokers.
Kah-Lo — real name Faridah Demola Seriki — divides her time between New York and Lagos, and it was there, in Nigeria’s capital city, that she heard via social media that “Rinse & Repeat” was up for the prize. “I screamed,” she says. “My mom thought robbers were in the house!”
The success turned her into an overnight star in Nigeria, where her Grammy nomination made the front page of a national newspaper. Kah-Lo will be at the Staples Center on Sunday night, where she’ll make a beeline for Queen Bey. “I just want to breathe the air she’s breathing and maybe keep it in a box!”