Kelela Shares “The Bridge” With PinkPantheress Ahead of Album That Leaves R&B Behind

A few days before Kelela releases her third album, New Avatar, she’s let go of another piece from it. “The Bridge” features PinkPantheress and marks the latest in a string of previews that show a deliberate left turn from the electronic R&B she’s long been associated with.

The record, out this Friday, draws instead from the Washington, D.C. scene where she first cut her songwriting teeth. The references are grounded and specific: shoegaze, grunge, indie rock. They replace the club-lit textures of Raven (2023) with something more guitar-corroded and melody-first. PinkPantheress, who released both Fancy That and its remix edition last year, fits neatly into this mood—her voice a familiar, light counterpoint amid the heavier framework.

“The Bridge” follows earlier singles “Idea 1,” “Linknb,” “Point Blank,” and “Outta Time,” each moving further from the rave-informed sound that defined Kelela’s previous project and its remix counterpart. On New Avatar, she’s not working alone: A.K. Paul and Fousheé also feature, suggesting a record built around shared space as much as personal revision.

For Kelela, who also released the live album In the Blue Light last year, the pivot isn’t sudden so much as long-simmering. It acknowledges a foundation she hasn’t excavated before on record—a return that also functions as a reset.