Kelis
Kelis
Kelis Rogersbetter known mononymously as Kelis, is an American singer-songwriter and certified chef. Kelis achieved moderate international success with her 1999 debut album, Kaleidoscope, but left her label Virgin Records after its follow-up, Wanderland, received little sales attention and no U.S. release. Her third album, 2003's Tasty, earned the singer commercial prominence and produced the hit single "Milkshake", her most well-known song. Kelis Was Here, her fourth album, was the subject of further label disputes and she took a hiatus...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPop Singer
Date of Birth21 August 1979
CityNew York City, NY
CountryUnited States of America
For me, saying 'I'm bossy' is a cute, tongue-in-cheek way of saying that I'm in control of my life.
I can't live without Eucerin cream, lip gloss, gum, nail polish, and sparkly things.
People know 'Milkshake' like a jingle, but they don't really know who I am.
My audience is made up of such bizarre, rare people. They're very sparse and scattered; it's not like a huge body of people.
Everything I do has a certain quality, a certain flair, a certain flavor. I like to eat the way I like to dress, the way I listen to music: put it all together, and it's a great party.
There's a difference between a pop star and an artist. Pop stars have to be perfect all the time; an artist is allowed, on occasion, to suck. And I put myself in that category because I sometimes suck. I'm not trying to please the masses. It's not going to happen, so I don't try.
The business of music. You know, it's an oxymoron in a sense. It's like the two things. Although we both need each other, they really don't go together.
I was never an R&B artist. People coined me one, but that's because, especially if you're in the States, if you're black and you sing, then you're R&B.
In my life, looking at other women who have been pregnant while writing, I always feel like it's kind of their most musical or the closest to themselves. I think for me it's such a validating moment, you know. I always knew I wanted to have kids, and I've been making music all my life.
I've done a lot of different tours. For me, I try to go on tours that I think are gonna be fun. It's, like, grueling, and it's hard, and there's got to be an element to it that's exciting.
There's a point where you think, 'What else will I do if I don't do music?' It becomes your identity when it never should have been. But food ignited a fire in me, and I came right back to music because it no longer felt like a job. It was a really powerful thing for me.
Am I R&B because I'm black? Am I pop because I have a song called 'Milkshake'? Or can I just be who the hell I am? Good Lord, people make it seem like we're doing heart transplants here, but we're just making music!
God is the creator of all things.
As a child, I'd help my mum cook, and it was ridiculous - she had the correct gadget or utensil for everything. 'Stop! Don't use that, I have exactly the right utensil.' After I left home, I survived on cup-a-meals and never saw myself as being like her. Now I've become her.