“Folded” is the biggest hit of Kehlani’s career thus far. Since its release in June 2025, it has been covered by some of the hottest artists and HBCU marching bands.
Jackson State’s marching band, the Sonic Boom of the South, decided to give its own rendition of “Folded” during halftime of the 2025 W.C. Gorden Classic against Tuskegee in September. The band turned the R&B track into a stadium anthem, complete with brass harmonies and percussion.
The cover quickly went viral and even garnered the attention of Kehlani. She called their rendition “incredible” in her Instagram Stories, reposting a video of the performance, according to Vibe.
‘Folded’ is Kehlani’s biggest hit of her career so far
The track became her first top 20 hit after it ranked on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 16 weeks and recently peaked at No. 18. “Folded” also became the No. 1 song on the Rhythmic chart, was No. 1 with Urban Mainstream Radio and spent two weeks at No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart, per Vibe.
The single is reportedly being considered for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song nominations at the 2026 Grammys.
“im here twiddling my thumbs wanting to drop what’s next but God saying watch me work.” Kehlani wrote in the caption of an Instagram post “looking like a Folded fall. i can’t thank you all enough. a song can change it all.”
Brandy, Toni Braxton and more artists have covered Kehlani’s song ‘Folded’
The single didn’t just receive attention from fans; it was also remixed and covered by some of the top R&B artists in the country. The song was covered by Brandy, Toni Braxton, JoJo, Mario, Tank, Trevor Jackson, Eric Bellinger and Queen Naija. It received so many covers that Kehlani confirmed she would be creating a compilation EP of the covers.
A “Homage Pack [is] on the way,” she wrote on Instagram Stories after rumors of the project started circulating, according to Vibe.
Prior to the announcement, Kehlani had released her own a cappella remix titled “(un)Folded” in July.