In April, Kehlani made her return to Twitter after a lengthy amount of time off. Just a few days after she came back, she made a huge leap in her journey for self-acceptance, sharing with her followers that she identifies as queer. In the months leading up to Pride, Lani took it upon herself to call out some potentially harmful lyrical content in Rita Ora's new track "Girls," with her criticism being heard fully as Ora apologized shortly after. With her newfound status as an LGBTQ+ role model, Kehlani has been keeping herself busy while touring, posing for the cover of Paper Magazine's Pride issue.
Sharing some of her favorite photos from the entire shoot, the singer posted a gallery on her social media pages looking absolutely stunning. Embracing bright colors and flowers, Kehlani stands out in the images with many colors of the rainbow displayed. Rocking several different outfits, Lani had her "fluid" tattoo on full display and while she may be judged at first glance because of her rugged, inked exterior, her feature offers people the opportunity to get to know a softer side of the artist. Clarifying her sexuality recently to her fans, Kehlani told Paper, "People either expect me to be a quote-unquote dyke or femme, and it's weird to me. Especially when queer people do it to each other, because I think when you truly understand the humanness of queerness, there are no rules to this shit."
Kehlani's cover story with Paper Magazine is available now. Check out some of her favorite shots below.