Kehlani reveals she underwent surgery ahead of upcoming tour

Kehlani performs onstage during the 2026 BET Awards at Peacock Theater on June 28, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Kehlani is taking a brief break from preparing for her upcoming tour after undergoing surgery to address a sinus issue.

She shared a post from her Instagram burner account, @sidequestshawtyyy, to her public Instagram Story, explaining the reason for the procedure.

"THIS IS NOT A NOSE JOB! lmao," she began the caption of the post, which sees her with gauze taped beneath her nose. "so turns out for the last 7 years or so my nasal canal has been 98% blocked by my swollen turbinates, a deviated septum & a clogged right half of the sinus system."

"the doctor said she don’t even know how i been singing forreal. mouth breather a**," she added. "today i fixed it! i feel like i got punched in the face."

Kehlani said she will have "some days of down time" before returning to rehearsals for her upcoming tour.

"IM FINNA BE ABLE TO BREATHE YALL FRIDAY HURRY UP," she wrote.

In her burner account's Story, she described the first night post-surgery as "terrible." "I'm choking, can't breathe at all..just a bloody blocked up mess. dry a** mouth," she wrote.

Despite the recovery process, Kehlani said she's excited about the advantages.

"i used to have to constantly cancel things because i was getting back to back to back sinus infections and everybody was cussing me out," she wrote, "but im finally about to go on my first tour with no breathing issues! oh I can't WAIT."

Kehlani's Kehlani World Tour kicks off in August. She'll be joined by special guests Durand Bernarr, Isaia Huron, TheArti$t and Waseel.