Kelis (birth name Kelis Rogers) was born on August 21, 1979 in Harlem,
New York, USA. She is an American R&B singer and songwriter.
Biography and Career :
Her father was an African-American jazz musician and Pentecostal minister and he was the person who influenced her choice about music. Her mother, a
Chinese-Puerto Rican fashion designer influenced her about the importance of a good-looking presence in an artist's career.
Her love for music appeared at a young age and she started to sing in church choirs and also started to learn playing piano, violin and saxophone. After she graduated from Manhattan Country School, a private school she le
ft her home at the age of sixteen and went to continue her education to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts where she formed the trio BLU (Black Ladies United).
After a collaboration with hip-hop producer Goldfinghaz, Kelis came into attention of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, the super-producers better known as The Neptunes And they produced her first album "Kaleidoscope" which was sold in over 10,736 copies in the first week.
Her second album "Wanderland was produces only in Europe, Asia and Latin America and the sales weren't very good. Her third album "Tasty" brought her good sales and also a nomination in 2004 for "Best Urban/Alternative Performance".
In 2006 appeared Kelis' fourth album "Kelis was here" and the single "Bossy" went multi platinum in December 2006. The album contains collaborations with
Scott Storch, Cee-Lo Green (from the Gnarls Barkley fame), Raphael Saadiq, will.i.am, Max Martin & Dr. Luke, Knobody, Polow da Don, Damon Elliott, Cool and Dre, Sean Garrett, and Bangladesh.
Trivia :
- Height: 178cm
- Her trademark is her husky voice.
- She is married from 2005 with the rapper
Nas.
- Her name is a combination of her parents' names.
- In march 2007 she was arrested for disorderly conduct and for resisting arrest without violence in Miami Beach,
Florida.
Quotes :
- "Singing comes easy to me, but recording is another story. I'm more of a live performer. Recording was something new to me, so I had to get in the swing of that."
- "You know what's funny? I'm a celebrity here but a star in Europe."
- "I had always been a fan of Nas, but I never met him. This is the one guy in the industry who's like the phantom rapper."
- "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!"
Discography :
Albums :
1999: Kaleidoscope
2001: Wanderland
2003: Tasty
2006: Kelis Was Here.
Kelis' Dates :
Pharrell Williams
Nas (2005)
Kelis Image : kids.yahoo.com
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