As we head into a new decade, Ampersand music writer Haley Bosselman zeroes in on pop music’s rising artists.
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Having the sex talk with your parents is usually pretty uncomfortable. So it’s a bold move for Amir Kelly to have his very Christian parents in his music video for “Eden,” a song about his virginity that tugs at the tension between love and lust.
“I think [my parents] trust me a lot with my music,” Kelly says.
The video begins with Kelly at a table flanked by his parents. They hold hands, heads down in prayer. Cut to a shot of papayas in a girl’s lap. She smoothly strokes inside one of the fruits.
The contrast achieves Kelly’s goal for the song to “feel like a battle.”
Several days after Kelly’s “Eden” video premiere this past November, I meet him at a USC Starbucks. He wears a soft, camel-colored tracksuit, white Nikes and scattered, delicate gold jewelry. It’s full circle moment, because inspiration for his first song, “Maui,” struck while he was cleaning bathrooms as a Starbucks employee.
If “Maui” was a where Kelly discovered his sound, then “Eden,” a song dripping with sensuality and truth, solidified his artistic vision. He defines his music as “Blindian pop,” a cohesion of his Black and Indian ethnicities and love for 90s/early 2000s pop and R&B music.
“We took the whole backyard garden… and made it into a whole production,” Kelly says about the video’s premiere party.
Kelly emphasizes the hard work it takes to put on a ground-up event for 250 people with a team of 15. Planning began when he started his senior year in August 2019 at the USC Thornton School of Music’s pop program. The party brought “Eden” to life.
“When you first walked in, there was incense holders and… tea lights lighting a whole path,” Kelly says. “Before you entered the world [of Eden], there were two white bowls you had to wash your hands in with essential oils and lavender.”
The event, like the song, pulls from the story of Adam and Eve. A staple piece at the premiere party was an art installation put together as a shrine featuring fruits and a painting of the “Eden” cover art. There were also themed beverages: “Love” was a mango-tajin cocktail; “Lust,” a “forbidden fruit” sangria.
Kelly plans to have three more events like this in the spring. The release technique, bringing each song to life, keeps people from digesting music too quickly. It’s music as an experience, not a product.
“All my songs are so special individually,” he says. “I definitely want to let my worlds exist alone at first before I tell the full parts of the story.”
Event dates will be announced in the coming months. For now, the soonest you can see him is at the Ghost Gallery on February 29 for a night of art and music.
“Eden” is only Kelly’s second single, but he has already been featured in Rolling Stone India, PopSugar and The Fader. His early video releases, a cover of SZA’s “Love Galore” and “Maui,” hinted at Kelly’s affinity for visuals invigorated by movement and people. “Eden” is Kelly’s opportunity to prove that he is capable of more than artsy-cool music videos. He fleshes out a full narrative through lyrics, video and sound.
Christianity and Hinduism have always been part of Kelly’s life. As a young teen, he says he was a “super, super, super Christian kid” and “very, very, very insecure about a lot of things.”
“Eden” captures Kelly’s evolved relationship with Christianity. It’s a testament to his upbringing and ultimate rebellion against traditional morals.
“I do believe in God,” Kelly says.
The original sin after all, as Kelly notes, is temptation. The pre-chorus repeats: “If I share my secrets with you, will you stay all night?” It’s a moment of embracing sexuality, but this bravado coils back in the chorus. “Talking like I want it but I know I’m feeling afraid,” Kelly admits. The bridge brings the dichotomy head-to-head. In the video, a female and male group of dancers approach each other. The men fall to the ground and the women move in and over them. It seems the women have control over the men, their arms guiding the men up from the ground. They rise then fall, rise part way and hunch. In the end, the entire group punches up to the sky and collapses. Kelly narrates the moment with a chopped up version of the chorus.
USC was Kelly’s dream school growing up. Leaving India for the United States, his grandfather attended USC to get an education and eventually start a life for his family. He is the only grandchild in his family to carry the Trojan legacy.
“He made a bunch of sacrifices before he could send my family out here,” Kelly says. “As I’ve been enjoying my journey of reclamation, I’ve been able to go and learn from him not only about the culture and the language, but about him.”
Kelly hopes to go to India sometime soon. In the meantime, he plans to make music that only he can sing— songs that embrace his identity as a Black and Indian man.
“When you do lean into your own cultural influences you can take over the world,” Kelly says. “I come from two of the most melodically and rhythmically richest cultures… It feels like I have enough vocabulary to work with for a lifetime.”
For such reasons, Kelly admires Rosalia, the Spanish flamenco pop musician.
“If I could just be the Indian Rosalia that would be amazing,” Kelly says. “It’s not even to try copying her, but just how strong she stands in her cultural roots… it’s really inspiring.”
Despite his love for “Eden,” Kelly sees his next single, “Eyes,” as an even clearer introduction to his music. It’s a fun, sexy song about when someone isn’t being fully honest and you can tell because you can see it in their eyes.
After talking for almost an hour, Kelly’s phone continuously lights up. He has another meeting to get to. Before he leaves, Kelly makes sure I know one thing. Eyes glimmering, he smiles like he has a secret: “I’m just getting started.”
You can follow Amir Kelly on Twitter or Instagram for more information on upcoming music and shows.
Cover art by Caleb Griffey