Kelis

Kelis (born Kelis Rogers, August 21, 1980) is an American singer and songwriter.

Biography

Kelis was born in the Harlem section of Manhattan, New York City. Her father, Kenneth, was a jazz musician and a Pentecostal minister; her mother, Eveliss, was a fashion designer. "Kelis" is a combination of her African American father's and Chinese/Puerto Rican mother's names.

Related Topics:
Harlem - Manhattan - New York City - Jazz - Pentecostal - Minister - Fashion designer - African American - Chinese - Puerto Rican

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As a child, she sang in church choirs and played violin, piano, and saxophone while attending a private school. At age thirteen, she left home because her parents couldn't handle her anymore. She remained in school where she formed the R&B trio BLU (Black Ladies United). After graduation, she formed a band with the Neptunes and, with their support, landed herself a record deal.

Related Topics:
Church choir - Violin - Piano - Saxophone - Private school - R&B - Neptunes

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Her debut album, Kaleidoscope, was, overall, not an American success; though its debut single, "Caught Out There", was a modest urban radio success and a MTV/BET video hit in America. However, the entire album really took off in Europe, where all three singles, "Caught Out There", "Good Stuff", and "Get Along With You", were sizable hits. The album, Wanderland, was released two years later exclusively in Europe and Asia, after its lead single, "Young Fresh 'N New", failed to catch on in America; the video for "Young Fresh 'N New" barely registered on American MTV or VH1, but got pretty heavy play on MTV2.

Related Topics:
Kaleidoscope - Urban - MTV - BET - Wanderland - Europe - Asia - VH1 - MTV2

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Kelis, who had moved to Europe during her successful period there, returned to America where she met and fell in love with rapper Nas. The couple were married on January 8, 2005. She has since worked with a variety of musicians including Busta Rhymes, Foxy Brown, OutKast, P. Diddy, Moby, Richard X, Timo Maas and Enrique Iglesias.

Related Topics:
Nas - January 8 - 2005 - Busta Rhymes - Foxy Brown - OutKast - P. Diddy - Moby - Richard X - Enrique Iglesias

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Her most notable duets were popular singles and music videos, even in America, during 1999 and the early 2000s decade. These include the following: "Got Your Money" with Ol' Dirty Bastard, "What It Is" with Busta Rhymes, and "Candy" with Foxy Brown.

Related Topics:
1999 - 2000s - Ol' Dirty Bastard - Busta Rhymes - Foxy Brown

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Kelis finally did find mainstream success in America in 2003, with her #1 urban, #3 Hot 100 song, "Milkshake"; this helped to propel her album Tasty to the top of the charts. Ths single and album were similarly successful in Europe. The album's second single, "Trick Me", once again proved successful at radio and video channels in Europe during mid-2004, though the song did not enjoy success in America, where its music video was not even released. "Not In Love", Kelis & Enrique Iglesias' duet from Iglesias' album, was also released as a single in 2004 and failed to catch on in America outside of the club charts.

Related Topics:
2003 - Urban - Hot 100 - Tasty - 2004 - Club

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At present, Tasty's third single, "Millionaire" (which features Andre 3000), has been released in Europe and is climbing the charts. Its music video has just begun receiving airplay there as well, but neither the single nor the video will be released in America. It is unknown whether "In Public" will be released to American radio stations sometime in the near future.

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More Information

• July 2005 Kelis is currently recording the highly anticipated follow-up to her multi-platinum 'Tasty' album in the US due for release this autumn;
• Aside from working hard on a brand new album, Kelis has also been writing a cook book which will be hitting the bookstores soon;
• Kelis has also been designing her own line of fashion assessorieshttp://www.kelis.co.uk