Kehlani: Photos From the Billboard Cover Shoot
Kehlani photographed July 27, 2026 at Topanga Creative Acres in Topanga, Calif. Zimmermann dress, Andrea Wazen shoes, Jacquie Aiche jewelry. Micaiah Carter
It’s early afternoon on a sizzling, sticky late-July day in the hills of Topanga Canyon, high above the stretch of the storied Pacific Coast Highway that connects Santa Monica, Calif., with Malibu. But there’s a different type of warmth inside the orange-curtained cottage on this quiet, bucolic property, where a reunion between two longtime friends and collaborators is about to begin.
Kehlani and Leon Thomas — two of the hottest artists in R&B right now — immediately hug. “I get to do this with someone I actually know and love,” Kehlani says with a wide smile. Clearly relishing his role today as musician-turned-journalist, Thomas notes, “I’m doing an interview with fam so here we are. I feel like a young Bryant Gumbel.” They both burst into laughter. “Oh, you stoked,” Kehlani says. “They gave this man a mic!”
The longtime co-writers (her “Sweet Nuthins,” his “Dirt on My Shoes”), fellow Grammy winners and friends are here to talk about 31-year-old Kehlani’s sharp upward trajectory in the wake of her global hit, “Folded,” and being honored as Billboard’s 2026 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players R&B Artist of the Year. And it’s doubly fitting that Thomas, 33, is sitting in the interviewer’s seat: The “Mutt” hitmaker appeared on the cover of Billboard’s 2025 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players issue as the Breakthrough of the Year honoree.
Released last June, “Folded” stamped several exclamation points on Kehlani’s long-established career. Marking the singer-songwriter’s first top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 (No. 6), the single garnered two Grammys in February: best R&B song and best R&B solo performance — Kehlani’s first wins after seven nominations. Now RIAA-certified double platinum, “Folded” has become one of the most enduring R&B hits of the decade, spending an astounding 52 weeks on the Hot 100 and a record-breaking 20th week at No. 1 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. Released in April, her self-titled fifth studio album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 (her fourth top 10 career entry) and No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, the latter another first.
Read the full Kehlani cover story here.
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Image Credit: Micaiah Carter Prabal Gurung dress, Charles & Keith shoes, Jacquie Aiche jewelry.
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Image Credit: Micaiah Carter Zimmermann dress, Jacquie Aiche jewelry.
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Image Credit: Micaiah Carter Blumarine suit, Jacquie Aiche earrings, Kallati ring.
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Image Credit: Micaiah Carter -
Image Credit: Micaiah Carter Styling by Alejandra Hernandez. Hair by César DeLeon Ramirez. Makeup by Troye Antonio. On-Site Production by Francine Nazario at The Nuance Productions.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.