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
I needed a break, and going to culinary school turned a lightbulb on that I didn't have to make music. The people in the music business forget that not only is there an entire world of people out there who do not care what we do, we are not creating the wheel.
I don't think people know me at all. At the end of the day, if you see me in sequins and glitter out at a club, you might think that's all there is. But, you know, it's just glitter. My friends who I've known since I was 17 - they know who I am.
Everyone's attention span is getting shorter. As a result, everything - films, music, art - gets watered down and dumber. Every now and again, you get something great, but not often.
After 'Kelis Was Here,' I was done. I was like, 'I will never put out another record again; I hate this business; I hate all these people.' I was in this race that I didn't even realise that I was in.
The key to sauces is having patience. I'm not a patient woman, but I learned with sauces that you have to get everything on a slow roll and layer the flavors. That's where you get robust tastes: it starts one way and ends another.
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.
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.
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.
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.
My mom was concerned that us four little black girls have a really well-balanced life. She wanted us to be around people like us, but we also went to private school and traveled all the time. Now I fit in most places because I've been most places.
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.
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!