"After Hours" is a song by American singer-songwriter Kehlani. It was released through Atlantic Records as the lead single from her fourth studio album, Crash, on April 4, 2024. The song was produced by Alex Goldblatt and Khris Riddick-Tynes. On May 24, 2024, a remix of the song using the instrumental of Destiny's Child's 2005 song "Cater 2 U" was released. An official remix of the song, featuring Brazilian singer Ludmilla, was released on August 28, 2024, through Kehlani's While We Wait 2 mixtape. The song received a Grammy nomination for "Best R&B Song" at the 67th Grammy Awards.
Background Kehlani first previewed "After Hours" on March 5, 2024, through her TikTok and began promoting the track throughout March. On March 25, Kehlani posted an official snippet of the track and made the preview sound available on TikTok and YouTube. They officially announced the single and its release date on April 1.
Composition "After Hours" contains a sample of Cordell "Skatta" Burrell's dancehall riddim "Coolie Dance Riddim", which was popularised in Nina Sky's April 2004 top-ten single, "Move Ya Body" featuring Jabba, and has been crowned a "summer anthem" by music critics. The track "sees Kehlani lean into the levity of radio-friendly RnB" and is described as a "frivolous club-inclined track".
Critical reception Eric Torres of Pitchfork described "After Hours" as "a featherlight, upbeat reinterpretation that doubles as an expert showcase for Kehlani’s vocals". In the context of the album, Michael Cragg of The Observer said the song "sets the tone, its nostalgic, club-based R&B a perfect summer soundtrack".
+Critics' year-end rankings of "After Hours" Publication List Rank NPR 124 Best Songs of 2024
Personnel Musicians Kehlani Parrish – lead artist, vocals, songwriter, composer Khristopher Riddick-Tynes – songwriter, composer, producer Alex Goldblatt – songwriter, composer, producer Daniel Upchurch – songwriter, composer Diovanna Frazier – songwriter, composer Cordel Burrell – songwriter, composer
Technical Colin Leonard – mastering Jaycen Joshua – mixing Mike Seaberg – mixing Jacob Richards – assistant mixing Chris Bhikoo – assistant mixing
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for "After Hours" Chart (2024–2025) Peakposition New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) 7 Nigeria (TurnTable Top 100) 61
Year-end charts + 2024 year-end chart performance for "After Hours" Chart (2024) Position US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) 59 US Rhythmic (Billboard) 19
Certifications
References