Kelela has built her reputation as a forward-looking voice in club music and R&B. Her recent visit to Spotify Music Studios in Los Angeles, however, put a different kind of engagement on display: a deliberate reach into early-2000s alt-rock.
In the Live Room, Kelela performed “Mexico,” a deep cut from Incubus’ 2001 album Morning View, backed by an acoustic guitarist and a string quartet. The arrangement stripped away the original’s larger rock dynamics, leaving a version that was controlled and almost trancelike without losing the song’s core.
She also performed “idea 1,” a single from new avatar, released over the summer on Warp. The pairing of new material with the cover frames the appearance as more than a routine promotional stop. It is a rare signal of where her listening history intersects with her own work.
The cover doesn’t redefine either artist. It simply confirms that Kelela’s musical memory extends further than the club and R&B circuits she usually moves through.
