After dropping a number of cryptic hints on social media over the weekend, which left many fans speculating the singer’s long-awaited return, Kelela has officially shared a new track, “Washed Away”.

The ethereal single is Kelela’s first new music since the release of her 2017 acclaimed debut album, Take Me Apart. “I love a banger, but for the first point of contact out of my hiatus, it felt more honest to lead with an ambient heart-check,” she said in a press release.

It comes accompanied by a music video directed by Yasser Abubeker that features Kelela amid the elements of the Danakil Depression, which sits in the northern section of Ethiopia’s Afar region. “I specifically want to speak to marginalised Black folk and highlight the work we do to find renewal in a world that’s built to make us feel inadequate. This song is the soundtrack to the relief we find after going inward,” she added.

Kelela initially broke through in 2013 with the release of her Cut 4 Me mixtape, shortly followed by her first EP Hallucinogen in 2015. In October 2018, the artist released a Take Me Apart remix project featuring the likes of Hitmakerchinx, LSDXOXO, Gaika and Kaytranada.

Listen to “Washed Away” above.