Kelis

At 44 years old, Kelis has this physical status:

Kelis Rogers (born August 21, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and chef.

Kelis was accepted to Fiorello H. in New York when she was 14 years old.

LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.

She learned to play the saxophone and gained a spot in Harlem's Girls Choir.

Kelis worked in a variety of careers, but after graduating from high school in 1997, she landed a backup vocal slot on a single named "Fairytalez" by American hip hop band Gravediggaz, she had a dream.

Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, also known as The Neptunes, later began working with her.

She was later signed to Virgin Records. Kaleidoscope, her first studio album, was released on December 7, 1999.

The album, which was inspired by jazz and disco music from the 1970s, was a huge and international success. It was three singles: "Caught Out There," "Good Stuff," and "Get Along With You."

The album debuted at number 43 in the United Kingdom, while also being awarded gold for the first time.

After her brand, Wanderland (2001), received little market attention and no U.S. release was planned until 2019.

Kelis' third studio album, Tasty, was released in 2003.

The album "Milkshake," "Trick Me," "Millionaire," and "In Public" were among the songs included on the album.

The album gained the singer's commercial success.

Kelis Was Here (2006), her fourth album, was the subject of more label controversy, and she took a break from music after its debut, when she attended Le Cordon Bleu culinary school.

Will.i.am later signed her fifth album and began recording her fifth album.

Flesh Tone, her fifth studio album, was unveiled on May 14, 2010.

The album produced four singles, including "Acapella" and "Fireworks"), which were hits on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart and the UK Dance Singles Chart.

Food (2014), Kelis' fourth top-ten album in the United Kingdom and her second top-ten entry on the US Billboard 200, where it debuted at number 6 on the US Billboard 200.

It was entirely produced by Kelis and David Andrew Sitek for its cohesive sound and introspective lyrical material.

Three singles were released: "Jerk Ribs," "Rumble" and "Friday Fish Fry," among other things.Kelis has been recognized at numerous Brit Awards, Q Awards, NME Awards, and Grammy Awards ceremonies.

Busta Rhymes and Clipse, interactive and dance designers, like Calvin Harris, Timo Maas and Richard X, pop and rock bands Enrique Iglesias and Dave Sitek, as well as indie and experimental musicians Björk and Dave Sitek, have all performed as a lead and featured artist.

She has sold six million albums around the world, and has had success in the United Kingdom, where ten of her singles have risen to the top ten of the UK Singles Chart.

Early life

Kelis Rogers was born and raised in Frederick Douglass' Houses in Manhattan's Harlem neighborhood. Kenneth (1944–2000) and her mother's name, Eveliss, are among her first names. Kenneth was a singer and Pentecostal minister who served as a professor at Wesleyan University and was formerly a researcher. Eveliss, a Chinese-Puerto Rican fashion designer, inspired Kelis to pursue her singing career. Kelis is the third-born of the four children, according to her.

While attending Manhattan Country School, a private school, Kelis performed in church choirs and played violin, piano, and saxophone. Kelis shaved all of her hair at 13 years old. In a chat with Charlotte Roche, Kelis claims she was kicked out of her parents' house at the age of sixteen for bad behavior, and that she and her mother would occasionally clash with her mother, but she continued her studies at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she formed the R&B duo. Before graduating high school, Kelis was both a bartender and a sales associate at a clothing store.

Personal life

Kelis met rapper Nas at an MTV Video Music Awards party in 2002; the pair dated for one year before becoming engaged in 2004 and marrying in January 2005. She applied for divorce in April 2009, citing irreconcilable inconsistencies as the reason. At the time, she was seven months pregnant. Kelis gave birth to her first child, Knight, in July 2009. In May 2010, the couple's divorce was finalized. Kelis has portrayed her relationship with Nas as physically and mentally traumatic, relying on the anticipation of her child's birth as a factor in her decision to end her marriage. Kelis also recalled that the domestic violence between Rihanna and Chris Brown influenced her decision to leave Nas. She felt ashamed because she had bruises all over her body after seeing pictures of Rihanna battered, but she was reluctant to speak out. Nas responded to the allegations on social media, accusing Kelis of attempting to slander him during a custody dispute and accusing Kelis of abusing his children. In addition to the domestic violence allegations, she alleged that Nas' drinking habits had started to hurt their family's marriage, and that he had been having adulterous affairs for two years. They are embroiled in a pending custody battle over their son. Kelis said in April 2018 that she had not received "one cent" from Nas in child care until 2012, and that she hasn't been an active parent. "He doesn't participate," she said. He comes out when it's fun, and he appears when there is a good photo op... Just because you had sperm involved, I don't think it should have been 50/50.

Kelis was arrested by Miami Beach police in March 2007 and charged with disorderly conduct. According to the arrest report, an operation in which officers disguised as prostitutes in the South Beach nightclub district was interrupted when Kelis began yelling racial insults at them. She was taken to the Miami-Dade County Jail and was released on a $1,500 bond later. Kelis was cleared of the charges in September 2008. Kelis' spokesperson announced that she would file a lawsuit against the Miami Beach Police Department alleging unlawful arrest and violation of her civil rights.

Kelis married photographer Mike Mora in 2014 and gave birth to her second son Shepherd in November 2015. Kelis has been living on a tiny farm outside Los Angeles that she runs when she is not traveling around the world since January 2020. Galilee, her second child with Mora and her third overall, was born in September 2020. Mora revealed openly that he was fighting stage-4 stomach cancer in September 2021. In an Instagram post, he said he had been diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer in September 2020 and was given eighteen months to live. Mora died on March 14, 2022, at the age of 37.

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Career

Kelis performed background vocals on "Fairytalez," a track on hip hop band Gravediggaz' album The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel. Kelis was introduced by a friend to The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo); they formed a strong relationship and eventually, with their help, she secured a record deal with Virgin Records. Virgin Records advised her that royalties would be split equally between Williams, Hugo, and herself, but this was not to be the case; Kelis earned no money from her first two albums on the label; Williams has also been credited as a songwriter on songs of her own that she hadn't written, according to Kelis.

In mid-1998, Kelis' debut album, Kaleidoscope, was released within a year, and she was done within a year. Kaleidoscope, a product of The Neptunes and released by Virgin Records in 1999, ranked 144 on the US charts and ranked 144. Billboard 200 chart and chart and ranked in the top ten on the Top Heatseekers chart. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album has sold 249,000 copies as of 2006. The Billboard Hot 100's top ten Hot R&B/Hip Songs, as well as its lead and most popular song, "Caught Out There," debuted at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 54. Kelis appeared on Ol' Dirty Bastard's Top 40 single, "Got Your Money," during this period.

The album did well in Europe, where "Caught Out There" was a moderate hit in most European countries except in the United Kingdom, where the song saw huge success, peaking at number four on the UK Singles Chart. "Good Stuff" (featuring Terrar of Clipse) was his second hit single, while "Get Along with You," the third, was less popular, debuting at number 51. Kaleidoscope gold was awarded by the British Phonographic Industry for sales of 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom, where it ranked at number 43 on the UK Albums Chart.

Kelis received the Brit Award for Best R&B/Soul Act and the NME Award for Best R&B/Soul Act in 2001 before embarking on Moby and U2's Area:One and Elevation tours respectively. Kelis and the Neptunes' output at the time was heralded as harbing a new R&B trend, but she later said, "I was never an R&B artist." Some people called me one, but that's because, especially if you're in the United States, if you're black and you sing, you're R&B." Her vibrant style in both clothing and hair attracted a lot of notice.

Wanderland, Kelis' second album, was released in 2001 in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, but there is no North American release before 2019. Virgin, Kelis' time, had fired those that served on Kaleidoscope, and their replacements did not know or believe in Wanderland, according to Kelis, a US telecommunications firm; she had previously worked in Kaleidoscope. Kelis was eventually dropped from Virgin in America around the time of the album's European release, but the brand's roster in Europe remained unchanged. Wanderland, a commercial failure, debuted at number 78 in the United Kingdom; its sole single issue, "Young, Fresh n' New," made it to the top forty on the UK Singles Chart; a commercial failure. The album, which was produced in whole by the Neptunes and features collaborations with members of Clipse and No Doubt, received a critical response. "In our collective fantasies, Kelis Rogers is already the ghetto-fabulous sex-queen of discoded future-funk pop-rock-soul." "Kelis' long forgotten masterpiece" was later referred to Wanderland by the Fader.

Kelis recorded "So Be It" for the Red Hot Organization's Fela Kuti tribute CD, Red Hot and Riot, in 2002, from which all proceeds were donated to AIDS charities. Kelis appeared on his single, "Help Me," the same year she had a top-five US club with a remix of "Young, Fresh" from Timo Maas, who later featured her on his single, "Help Me." At that year's Winter Music Conference, she hosted the DanceStar USA Awards ceremony.

Kelis' second top ten hit in the United Kingdom as a featured artist on Richard X's "Finest Dreams," a reworking of the S.O.S. P. Diddy, the band's manager for a brief period, performed on "Let's Get Ill" as a featured artist on "Let's Get Itll," the band's 1986 single "The Finest," and a European club hit (and the UK top 40 single). According to Nielsen SoundScan, she found mainstream success in the United States with her Hot Dance Club Play number one, Billboard Hot 100 top three single "Milkshake"; this helped to push her third album Tasty to gold status in the United States, where it debuted at number 27 on the Billboard 200 and has sold 533,000 copies. In 2004, "Milkshake" went gold, selling over 500,000 copies, and Kelis was named for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.

Although the Neptunes contributed several tracks to Tasty, the album was released by their company Star Trak Entertainment, a joint venture with Arista Records—Kelis has also collaborated with other musicians, including Dallas Austin, André 3000, Rockwilder, and Raphael Saadiq. "I felt like I had a lot to prove with this album," she said in an interview. People were starting to annoy me by the words, "Is she really any good without The Neptunes?" Which I knew was ridiculous. "I'll take the challenge," I was thinking. The album was well-received critically; Entertainment Weekly said that Tasty's history—big beats, out-there photographs, and sex appeal—refined [...] [...] a large part of Tasty's appeal is in seeing Kelis rise to the challenge of working with many imaginative maestros.

In Europe, "Milkshake" and Tasty immediately found success. Tasty went platinum in the United Kingdom, selling over 300,000 copies, and "Milkshake" went gold, selling over 200,000 units, according to the BPI. During mid-2004, the album's second single, "Trick Me," debuted in many European countries; in the absence of promotion by Jive Records, Kelis did not achieve success in the United States; after Arista Records folded at the time of Tasty's debut, it did not have a success in the United States. Kelis' success in Australia soared, where Tasty gained gold and "Milkshake" and "Trick Me" went platinum, as well as "Milkshake" and "Trick Me" went platinum. Kelis continued the success of his third Tasty single, BPI silver-certified "Millionaire" (featuring André 3000), with the Rockwilder-produced album "In Public," which reached number 17 on the UK charts, which ranked at number 17 on the UK charts.

Kelis' collaboration with Enrique Iglesias from his 2003 album "Not in Love" was released as a single in the United Kingdom the following year, placing him as the UK top five. Despite this, the single failed to chart on the United States. Billboard Hot 100, it topped the country's Hot Dance Club Play chart, in a new way. Kelis worked with Björk on a remix of Björk's album "Oceania" (from Björk's album Medla), which appeared as a B-side on Björk's second album, "Who Is It." Kelis appeared on stage for the opening act of fellow Jive artist Britney Spears' The Onyx Hotel Tour before concening her own tour of Australia and New Zealand. She appeared on the soundtrack to "Just Like Heaven" (1979) with a cover version of The Pretenders' "Brass in Pocket" (1980).

To the soundtrack of the 2006 dance film Step Up, Kelis contributed a song titled "80's Joint." "I Love My Bitch," Rhymes' second single from her 2006 album The Big Bang, she collaborated with Busta Rhymes and will.i.am. This was Kelis' second time collaborating with Rhyme, the first being his 2001 album "What It Is."

Kelis Was Here, Kelis' fourth studio album, was released in 2006 and debuted and peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200. Despite its career-best debut, Nielsen SoundScan reports that the album has only sold 157,000 copies in the United States as of 2007. Kelis Was Here charted at number 41 and has sold 60,000 copies of the BPI, earning a silver medal in the United Kingdom. Kelis' first album not to feature contributions from The Neptunes was released by this time; rather, she performed with Cee-Lo, Max Martin, Raphael Saadiq, Scott Storch, and will.am, among others. Kelis said she was not paid by Jive Records for the recording or promotion of Kelis Was Here and Later, she referred to the period as "not" the most artistic environment" and "the only time when I felt like I was being pulled in different directions." There were just too many cooks in the kitchen." "Intriguingly insightful, if unjustified and long," MTV said in 2016 that "it remains her most creatively anarchic project." Kelis Was Here was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 2007 Grammy Awards.

According to the RIAA, Kelis Was Here's lead single, "Bossy" (featuring Too Short), was a moderate success in the United States, peaking at number 16; it later became multi-platinum as a cell phone ringtone. "Blindfold Me" (featuring Nas) the second American single, debuted at number 91 on the R&B chart and did not feature on the Billboard Hot 100. Rather, Virgin's European label, Kelis, released the Cee-Lo-featuring "Lil Star," which was another top ten hit for Kelis in the United Kingdom (top ten on the UK Singles Chart). Kelis appeared in many festivals around Europe in mid-2007, France, and Germany, such as the Wireless, Rise and Gurtenfestival. With help from producer Scott Storch, Ford chose Kelis to assist with the 2007 Ford Edge.

In late 2007, Jive Records cut Kelis. Cee-Lo Green's manager at the time confirmed that the singer was on an alternative dance album and that she would buy a pop album by songwriter Guy Chambers. Calvin Harris, a Scottish electronics engineer, was also believed to be working with her. "I was like, 'I will never put out another record again, I hate this industry, I hate all these people," Kelis said after taking a break from music. I was in a situation where I didn't even know I was in it. I awakened and ten years had passed. That was never my idea.

The Hits, the label's fourteen-track greatest hits album after Kelis left Jive, was released in 2008. There are no previously unreleased songs on the album; Ol' Dirty Bastard's "Got Your Money," N.E.R.D's "Finest Dreams," and Richard X's "Finest Dreams" appear alongside every charted Kelis single to date, with the exception of "Blindfold Me." After being used in advertising for the 2008 season of the reality series Big Brother Australia, the Kelis Was Here album track "I Don't Think So" became a top 40 hit in Australia.

Kelis joined Interscope Music Group in 2009 to produce her fifth studio album, Flesh Tone, which included performances from Ammo, Free School, Benny Benassi, Burns, Boys Noize, Benny Benassi, Will.i.am, and David Guetta. Kelis' move to dance music was reflected in Flesh Tone's Flesh Tone. After her Jive Records experience, Kelis was reluctant to join another major label, but she did not want the album to be "swept under the rug with a smaller label." Kelis appeared on Basement Jaxx's 2009 album Scars (with apl.de.de and Jean Baptiste), a top 40 U.S. and UK club hit, as well as Crookers' debut album Tons of Friends, coinciding with her change in musical direction.

The critical reaction to Flesh Tone was generally positive, with Pitchfork naming the album Kelis' best since her debut, Kaleidoscope. The first single from Flesh Tone, "Acapella" (produced by David Guetta), debuted on the UK Singles Chart and climbed to number one on the US charts, and debuted in the top five. The UK Dance Chart and Hot Dance Club Songs chart followed each other, eventually receiving a BPI silver medal award. Flesh Tone debuted at number 48 on the Billboard 200 and at number five on the Dance/Electronic Albums, peaking at number 48. "4th of July (Fireworks) was Kelis' second single, alongside a video co-directed by Rankin and Nicole Ehrlich), and it became a top ten club hit in America and the United Kingdom. "Scream" and "Brave" two of the subsequent singles had minimal chart success.

Kelis embarked on her first US tour, titled All Hearts with Robyn, with a mix of club, festival, and solo dates that lasted through 2011 – including Glastonbury, The Big Chill, Good Vibrations Festival, and Lovebox. Kelis appears on Mark Ronson's "The Man Who Stole a Leopard," a track from the 2010 Duran Duran Duran Duran Duran album "All You Need Is Now," a song she and the band performed in a concert directed by filmmaker David Lynch. "Waiting" by Cheryl Cole's Messy Little Raindrops co-wrote the song. Kelis later collaborated with Scottish producer Calvin Harris on the 2011 single "Bounce," Harris' third studio album, 18 Months. "Bounce" debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Kelis' tenth top ten single and her best-selling in the country (as of 2017). The BPI has since given it a gold medal.

Kelis' management company announced that her sixth studio album would be released in late 2012 and feature film from Skream, BURNS, Tom Neville, Dan Black, and Caspa. In mid-2012, Skream's "Distance" was the first single to be released in the United Kingdom. "I'm on a real 90s vibe with this album, it's kind of trip-hopish," Kelis said of the album. "I'm sure it's more electro, it's a little deeper and darker." Kelis appeared on Dan Black's single "Hearts" and Skream's "Copy Cat" (both 2013), the latter of which resulted in a controversy after Kelis argued that Skream refused to have her appear in the music video. "When everyone else starts doing it, it's not as enjoyable," she said. That [sound] was certainly not a new one any more. The majority of the recording sessions' information is unveiled.

Kelis was working with producer Dave Sitek, and it was announced that two albums would be released through Sitek's label, Federal Prism. "Jerk Ribs," a new single, has since debuted online. Kelis then signed to British independent label Ninja Tune for the release of the album, titled Food, in 2014. Food, made entirely by Sitek, Food, debuted at number 20 on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Kelis' second highest-peaking album since Tasty in 2004. It debuted at number 73 on the Billboard 200 and the top 20 on the Independent Albums in the United States. "Rumble" (a top 40 hit on the UK Independent Singles Chart) and "Friday Fish Fry" were two of the subpoenas. "Kelis' sixth album is a moving feast," critics wrote about "Kelis' sixth album is a touching feast." Food was named as one of the year's best R&B albums, according to Rolling Stone.

Food's limited edition featured remixes by electronic designers such as Actress, Mount Kimbie, Ben Pearce, Breach, Machinedrum, and Will Saul. Breach reworked his remix of "Rumble" into a new song starring Kelis, "The Key," which was released as a single later in 2014. Live in London, Kelis' appearance at London's Somerset House was recorded and released as an album in late 2014. Kelis appeared on veteran disco producer Giorgio Moroder's album Déjà Vu in 2015, performing on the track "Back and Forth" from Glorgio Moroder's album, Déjà Vu. She appeared on English house DJ TCTS' single "Do It Like Me (Icy Feet)" and Dan Black's single "Farewell" in 2017. She also released "Who's Lovin' You" (originally sung by The Miracles) on the Danger Mouse-produced compilation Resistance Radio: The Man in The High Castle in 2017.

Kelis performed on "My Milkshake," a rework of her 2003 single "Milkshake" by British producer Freejak, which was released in 2018. Kelis embarked on the Kaleidoscope 20th Anniversary Tour, a UK and European tour commemorating the 20th anniversary of her debut album Kaleidoscope's debut in March 2020, although this was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kelis appeared on "Watch Your Step" in 2020 and "Deal with It" on Ashnikko's debut mixtape in 2021, and "Deal with It" on a Disclosure album titled "Watch Your Step." The former single, which was released on Disclosure's Grammy Award-nominated album Energy, received regular airplay on BBC radio stations in the United Kingdom and climbed to the top of the UK dance charts top 40. On YouTube, a biographical animated short about her life as a singer and chef was released in October 2020.

Kelis revealed to i-D magazine in 2019 that she was working on an EP that was supposed to be released in 2020; in 2021, she said Dirt, her album, Kelis, would be released in 2022. In 2021 and 2022, Kelis produced "Midnight Snacks" and "Feed Them," the latter in collaboration with the meal delivery firm Daily Harvest.

In the Beyoncé song "Energy," an interpolation of Kelis' "Milkshake" was used, an interpolation of her "Milkshake" was used. b "Beauty" was used on her 2022 album Renaissance. After Kelis said she was not told nor asked for permission for the song's use, the song was remastered on some streaming platforms to remove the interpolation. Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes, the credited songwriters on "Milkshake," had "stolen" and "swindled" her recording rights, according to Kelis.

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