By CLTure
June 3, 2026
DMV native alternative R&B singer Kelela will perform in Charlotte for the first time on October 14 at The Underground, following the release of her third studio album, New Avatar, on July 10.
Best known for her critically acclaimed 2017 debut Take Me Apart, which blends sensual R&B with underground electronic textures, Kelela first gained major attention in the D.C. indie scene with her 2013 debut mixtape Cut 4 Me and her 2015 EP Hallucinogen.
She has also collaborated with artists including Solange on “Scales” from the 2016 album A Seat at the Table, as well as Danny Brown, Kaytranada, Gorillaz, PinkPantheress, and many others. Her first studio album since 2023’s Raven, New Avatar expands on her electronic R&B roots while incorporating shoegaze, grunge, indie rock, and dance music, reflecting influences from her early D.C. indie scene.
She has released three singles from the album — “Idea 1,” “Linknb,” and “Point Blank” — with production from London-based experimental pop producer Oscar Scheller, and the project features guest appearances from PinkPantheress, A. K. Paul, and Fousheé. Kelela also released a live album in 2025, In the Blue Light, recorded at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York, featuring many of her hits.
While she has made stops in North Carolina in the past, including Hopscotch in 2016, where she performed at CAM Raleigh, and Motorco Music Hall in Durham in 2017, this will be her first performance in Charlotte.
Presales are currently underway, and tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 5 at 10 a.m.
View this post on Instagram
Read next:
