A conversation in New York City with Kelela + Sage Elsesser

Two of the most distinctive voices in music today, they speak to us about rebellious creativity, risk-taking and experimentation.

We engineered Headphone (1) Pro for every type of music lover: artist, fan, industry leader. They combine our best listening experience with the studio tools you need to create on-the-go. How does access to creative tools drive your process?

Kelela: Tools are make or break. I didn't write my first song until I had a programme that let me make music. It was GarageBand. I needed to [mess around with the technology] by myself and have a record of it.

Sage: I identify with that. I started on my computer too. My dad gave me an Akai XR20, which was a small, battery-powered drum machine. I took it to school with me. That was how I got into production and effects. I need to get with the times, but I still enjoy the process of turning on a machine. I also identify with having a record of my experiments. I'll revisit something six years later. Ask, Why was I hating on this? This is beautiful, a time capsule.

“Making music is laborious, like cutting pieces of my heart and giving them to the listener.”

Sage Elsesser

We’re all about supporting the risk-takers transforming their genres with new sounds and new expressions. How do you experiment? Who does this best?

Sage: I love Vashti Bunyan, Trish Keenan of Broadcast and Rest in Peace. My north star is Ka. It’s a strange time for me. My music is rap, but I sometimes feel isolated in the rap landscape right now – with my intentionality and consciousness. Making music is laborious, like cutting pieces of my heart and giving them to the listener. It’s tough but empowering.

Kelela: Growing up listening to many sounds, there's a difference between a mash-up and a synthesis. I’m not just putting two things together like: ‘booyeah.’ It should come from a place of wonder. And a strong foundation. I could [create] a strings or orchestral piece but it would still be R&B, because you can’t take [that] out of me, no matter what I’m singing [over]. My life is dedicated to finding as many intersections with the compass of R&B as I have in my body.

“The things that make us insecure or a bit uncomfortable are often the things that are most authentic.”

Kelela

How do you keep your community close to your music and process? How does it feel to put new ideas out in the world?

Kelela: The things that make us insecure or a bit uncomfortable are often the things that are most authentic. That intersection is what produces a feeling of urgency in someone else. Sometimes, I’ll write a line and then I'll hit my board of trustees and be like: “Am I actually saying this? Am I actually about to rhyme ‘sauna’ with ‘wanna?’” My friends are like, “That’s fab.”

Sage: I'm really protective of my music. It's almost like I don't want any ears on it. It has to be entirely mine until I'm ready to release it. A friend of mine once told me, When you release an album, it's no longer yours. One, two, three, release! I would love to share the process more, but I feel so confident in the intention that I'm setting – so it’s quite private. My thesis has always been to speak to an experience for someone who doesn't have the words.

What does rebellious creativity mean to you?

Kelela: Sometimes the most punk thing is the most innovative, and sometimes punk music can suck. Sometimes music that everybody says is really innovative is not that innovative. It’s about risk. In my work, I’m trying to be sincere and to fill in space. I'm trying to find an intersection we don’t know yet. Some people might interpret that as rebellious or going against the grain. Really, I think it’s being honest and staying curious.

Sage: I just want to tell the truth. It's my duty to show the totality of who I am – my mental health, everything under the headline of life. People have asked: Why is there always sadness in my music? But I hear strength and beauty. I live a life of service, I want to be there for someone else. I've gotten so much from other people, and I want to extend my hand in that same way. Whether it's through art or smiling or offering somebody a hug when you see them crying. In today’s fucked up world, rebellion is about kindness.

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Kelela is a recording artist blending R&B with influences spanning electronic, house and jazz and collaborators including Solange, Gorillaz, Arca, Kaytranada, Shygirl, Yaeji and PinkPantheress. Known for the intimacy of her lyrics and a unique level of creative control, Kelela first attracted critical acclaim for ‘Rewind’ (2015) – described by The New York Times as one of the “25 Songs That Tell Us Where Music Is Going” – and later, with Raven (2023), listed as one of the year’s best albums by Variety.

Sage Elsesser is a professional skateboarder, model, creative director, producer and rapper who records as Navy Blue, described by the Los Angeles Times as "one of the most revered rapper-producers of the contemporary hip-hop underground." Known for his exacting ear, he has collaborated with Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE, The Alchemist, Armand Hammer and Ka. His latest, Sir Render (2026), follows Memoirs in Armour and The Sword & the Soaring, closing what Hip Hop Golden Age said "may be the most ambitious, cohesive trilogy in recent alternative rap."