R&B singer-songwriter Kehlani will open A&O Blowout this year, A&O Productions announced Tuesday.

Kehlani is a singer-songwriter from Oakland, California. She appeared on season 6 of “America’s Got Talent” as a member of teen pop group PopLyfe.

Since then, she has released two mixtapes and is currently signed with Atlantic Records, a label that includes artists such as Bruno Mars and Coldplay. Her song “Gangsta” was featured in summer blockbuster “Suicide Squad.”

A&O concerts director Alexandra Lefkowitz, a Weinberg senior, said the group focused on diversity in its artist search.

“It’s really important to me as the director of concerts and the committee as a whole that we bring what reflects the music industry and the diverse qualities within the music industry,” Lefkowitz said. “It’s important that she’s a woman and that she’s a person of color … because that experience has probably defined her music in a unique way that I think is important for the Northwestern population to see.”

The results of the poll A&O released last year significantly contributed to the decision-making process, said A&O co-chair Will Corvin, a Weinberg senior.

“R&B was one of the top rated genres … so we were definitely looking to bring R&B artists, especially because we wanted to diversify a little bit,” Corvin said.

The concert will be held at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Sept. 30. A&O hopes to attract a wider audience of students who may otherwise not attend by holding the concert on an earlier date than previous years, said A&O co-chair Caroline Kelly, a Communication senior.

Tickets will be available for $10 at the Norris Box Office beginning Tuesday.

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