Maps of Music

Blue Water Road (2022)

Where the lyrics of Blue Water Road take you, and where it was really made.

Kehlani described the album as a glass house: light and transparent, with the sun shining straight through it.

Place unknown

Do you know where this album was recorded, or where its cover was shot? Tell us and we will add it to the map.

Third studio album by American singer-songwriter Kehlani
Released April 29, 2022 through Atlantic Records and TSNMI
Guest appearances from Blxst, Justin Bieber, Syd, Jessie Reyez, Ambré, and Thundercat
Production by Pop Wansel, Wesley Singerman, Some Randoms, Mike Wavvs, Jack LoMastro, Sam Wish, Rogét Chahayed, DaeDaePIVOT, Daoud, and Grades
Executive produced by Wansel
Described as the lighter follow-up to It Was Good Until It Wasn't (2020)
Primarily an R&B and orchestral pop record with elements of folk, hip hop, and progressive soul
Lyrics center on spirituality, sexuality, emotional clarity, and love

February 2021 Rolling Stone interview: Kehlani said songs were recorded for the deluxe version of It Was Good Until It Wasn't but seemed to suit a separate album
Official title revealed through a trailer on September 14
December 14 announcement: release delayed
Lead single Altar released after the title reveal
Second single Little Story released February 24, 2022
March 2022: during a Lollapalooza concert in Argentina, Kehlani announced the album would arrive the following month
March 24: cover and April 29 release date revealed
Up at Night with Justin Bieber released six days later as the third single
April 25: Kehlani announced a three-part docuseries, Blue Water Road Trip
Fourth single Everything released alongside the album on April 29

Kehlani Ashley Parrish, born April 24, 1995, in Oakland, California, an American singer, songwriter and dancer.
Started as a member and lead vocalist of the teen pop group PopLyfe in 2011, after appearing on America's Got Talent.
Left PopLyfe after management and contractual disputes and began releasing solo mixtapes.

Self-released the mixtapes Cloud 19 (2014) and You Should Be Here (2015), both critically acclaimed.
Signed with Atlantic Records; debut studio album SweetSexySavage (2017) peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.
It Was Good Until It Wasn't (2020) peaked at number two; Blue Water Road (2022) peaked at number 13.
Crash (2024) peaked at number 25; the single "Folded" (2025) peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and won Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.
Self-titled fifth studio album Kehlani released April 24, 2026.

Met with critical acclaim on release
Metacritic average of 83 from 11 professional reviews, indicating universal acclaim
Isabelia Herrera of The New York Times praised the album's delicate warmth and the tenderness that she said had not been felt since SweetSexySavage (2017)
Herrera also highlighted Kehlani's candid ruminations on queer desire and estrangement as the most resonant part of the album
Shahzaib Hussain of Clash commended the broadness of the album's sonics, including chamber pop, folky flourishes, and easy listening gems
Kate Lloyd of The Telegraph compared the album to a movie soundtrack, with string interludes working like camera pans between scenes
Yolanda Machado of Entertainment Weekly called it Kehlani's most confident album yet and compared its flow to a breezy coastal drive

Debuted and peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard 200
Earned 22,000 album-equivalent units in its first week
15,000 of those units came from streaming, equal to 20.2 million on-demand streams of the album's songs

Wish I Never contains a sample of "Children's Story" by Slick Rick.
Up at Night contains a sample of "Fairplay" by Soul II Soul and Rose Windross.
The final track, Wondering/Wandering, featuring Ambré and Thundercat, ends with noises coming from Kehlani's daughter, Adeya.
Kehlani planned a three-part docuseries called Blue Water Road Trip, made with their production company Honey Shot Productions.
Kehlani said they recorded songs originally meant for the deluxe edition of It Was Good Until It Wasn't, which were later judged to fit a separate album.