Kelela Drops ‘point blank’ + Tour Dates

Kelela has released “point blank,” the third single from her upcoming album new avatar, out July 10th via Warp Records.

Produced by Oscar Scheller, the track arrives as a gift to fans alongside the announcement and live pre-sale of her first full multinational tour in years: new avatar live.

“I first outline the baseline dynamic, which is that we’re expected to endure men’s inability to self-regulate,” she states. “The fantasy many of us are invested in is one where we do such a good job of holding space that it starts to rub off on our partner over time, eventually inducing some sort of revelation and building their emotional maturity. Yet the more we pour into men, the more entitled they become.” In Kelela’s words: “We are down bad.”

Following “idea 1” and “linknb,” “point blank” centers on the emotional weight of romantic misogynoir and the labor of loving someone who mistakes your care for endless resource.

Kelela brings her friends into the conversation, naming a dynamic many know but rarely hear articulated this clearly. The bridge is where the song exhales — the one moment of physical satisfaction in a track that otherwise refuses to give an inch.

She’s not asking for more. She’s taking what she wants and leaving the rest behind.

In support of new avatar, Kelela will embark on her new avatar live world tour, marking her most anticipated live run and her first time bringing this scale of show to audiences across North America, Europe, and the UK.

Local presales begin Wednesday, June 3rd at 12 PM local time.

Public on-sale begins Friday, June 5th at 10 AM local time.

North America
Sep 8 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox
Sep 9 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
Sep 13 – Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre
Sep 15 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
Sep 16 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
Sep 17 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
Sep 21 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
Sep 23 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park
Sep 24 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
Sep 27 – San Francisco, CA – Portola Music Festival*
Oct 5 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater
Oct 6 – Chicago, IL – The Vic Theatre
Oct 7 – Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall
Oct 9 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
Oct 11 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
Oct 13 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
Oct 14 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground
Oct 15 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
Oct 16–17 – Miami, FL – III Points*

Europe & UK
Oct 21 – Lisbon, PT – LAV
Oct 22 – Madrid, SP – Sala Lab/Wagon
Oct 23 – Barcelona, SP – La Paloma
Oct 27 – Paris, FR – Élysée Montmartre
Oct 28 – Cologne, DE – Stollwerk
Oct 29 – Berlin, DE – Huxleys Neue Welt
Oct 31 – Turin, IT – C2C Festival*
Nov 2 – Brussels, BE – La Madeleine
Nov 3 – Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso
Nov 4 – London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton

*Festival Dates

Throughout her globally revered, boundary-pushing career, Kelela has established a lane of her own in R&B and electronic music. On her long-awaited third album, new avatar, the singer/songwriter (through the versatility of the guitar) challenges perceptions of these genres, while weaving together fragments of lived experiences to shape a world of connection and resilience during times of unrest.

The songs journey through Black femme rage, joy as resistance, Gotham City-esque dystopia, misogynoir, romantic tension, and more. It’s anchored by production that demands a broader rethink about alternative, rock and indie music.

Kelela’s defiant nature has propelled her so far already — from her hometown of Washington, D.C. to world stages. In 2013, she released her debut mixtape, Cut 4 Me. She continued solidifying her revolutionary R&B sound with 2015’s Hallucinogen EP, with The New York Times naming its single, “Rewind,” one of the “25 Songs That Tell Us Where Music Is Going.” By 2017, she released her electric debut album Take Me Apart (followed by 2018’s TAKE ME A_PART, THE REMIXES), building upon her intimate storytelling.

After a nearly five-year hiatus, she returned in 2023 with her groundbreaking second album, Raven, and its critically acclaimed counterpart, RAVE:N, The Remixes in 2024. Raven has been hailed as one of the Best Albums of 2023 by Pitchfork, Billboard, Vulture, Variety, and more, while the remixes solidified her as a leader in the dance music space.

In 2025, Kelela showcased yet another innovative side of her artistry with her live album In The Blue Light, which hit #5 on the Contemporary Jazz chart and #20 on the Jazz Albums chart. Now, with new avatar, Kelela displays the masterful intention she puts into forming new sonic cityscapes. But don’t confuse it with escapism: “I don’t want the music to be a distraction from what’s really going on in the world; I want it to help you get into it.”

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