How Kehlani Finally Won Her First Grammy After 10 Years

The Decade-Long Journey Pays Off

Kehlani finally broke through Sunday night at the 2026 Grammys, winning Best R&B Performance for "Folded." "I've never won anything before, this is a really crazy feeling," she said while accepting the trophy. "My first time being nominated for a Grammy was 10 years ago."

The win came for a song that became her biggest commercial success, with "Folded" peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November, marking her first-ever top 10 hit on the chart. She beat out Chris Brown and Bryson Tiller ("It Depends"), Justin Bieber ("Yukon"), Leon Thomas ("Mutt"), and Summer Walker ("Heart of a Woman") for the award. This wasn't her only win of the night; she also took home Best R&B Song for "Folded."

The track itself has an unlikely origin story. "Folded" was created during a Miami recording session originally intended for a feature that ultimately didn't materialize. The beat was actually meant for rapper Wale. As Kehlani explained: "The next day, we were listening to it and we realized, 'Oh, this is so serious. This is such a crazy song.' We almost had no idea, because we were just in the zone, it was so natural."

Political Fire on Music's Biggest Stage

But Kehlani didn't just celebrate her musical achievement. She used the platform to make a political statement: "What I wanna make sure that I say is that everybody is so powerful in this room and in this room later. And together we're stronger in numbers to speak against all the injustice going on in the world right now. So instead of letting it be just a couple of you here and there, I hope everybody is inspired to join together as a community of artists and speak out against what's going on. And I'm going to leave this and say, f**k ICE."

The statement wasn't spontaneous. She arrived at the red carpet wearing an "ICE OUT" pin, signaling her intention to use the moment for activism.

The Song That Changed Everything

"Folded" became more than just a hit, it was her breakthrough moment after "a career spanning four studio albums, four mixtapes, and five Grammy nominations." The song has amassed 375M+ global streams and earned her first solo Billboard #1 on the Rhythmic Airplay Chart.

Critics have been unanimous in their praise. Pitchfork, Los Angeles Times, Billboard, Rolling Stone and Complex listed it among the best songs of 2025. Robin Murray of Clash called it "sensual and alluring," while HotNewHipHop noted "Not only is it well written and conveys the proper emotions, the rhythm on it is infectious."

The song's complexity extends beyond its emotional depth. As Kehlani noted about performing it live: "There's not a lot of room for breath in the lead of 'Folded.' It's traveling through a lot of my range." That technical difficulty makes the Grammy win in the Performance category even more significant.

After 10 years of nominations and near-misses, Kehlani finally got her moment. She used it to celebrate her artistry and challenge the system, proving that sometimes the wait makes the victory even sweeter.

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