Kim Kelly has two sons and a voice she honed at church on Sunday mornings. The musician is a siren and cars honk and break when they see her posed for her photograph, but the artist doesn’t mention sexuality as the driving force of her work. “My music has a sense of peace. It’s therapy for me to sing how I feel,” says Kelly, who describes her sound as ‘soulful dancehall,’ and is working on a new LP after releasing the video for Vibes this spring.

Her depth manifests three-dimensionally: onstage, on-record and in conversation, when she talks about the life she wants to have for her children. She says, “I want them to live their freedom.”

@kimkellymusic

Makeup and styling by @Niko.mua

Read the long form essay on the legacy of Little Jamaica here.