Kelis Rogers (; born August 21, 1979), known mononymously as Kelis, is an American singer-songwriter and chef. She attended New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she learned to play the saxophone and won a spot in the Girls Choir of Harlem. After she graduated from high school, Kelis took on a variety of jobs before landing a backup vocal slot on an album track called "Fairytalez", released by the American hip hop group Gravediggaz. She then began working with music producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, known as The Neptunes, which ultimately resulted in her being signed to Virgin Records in 1998.
Kelis released her debut studio album Kaleidoscope with Virgin Records on December 7, 1999. Inspired by jazz and disco music from the 1970s, the album was a critical and international success. It spawned three singles: "Caught Out There", "Good Stuff", and "Get Along with You". The album reached number 43 in the United Kingdom, becoming her first album to be certified gold. She left her label Virgin Records after its follow-up Wanderland (2001) received little sales attention and no U.S. release until 2019. In 2003, Kelis released her third studio album Tasty. The album produced the singles "Milkshake", "Trick Me", "Millionaire" (featuring André 3000), and "In Public" (featuring Nas). The album earned the singer commercial prominence. Her fourth album, Kelis Was Here (2006), was preceded by the lead single "Bossy" (featuring Too Short) and reached number 10 on the Billboard 200. Kelis took a hiatus from music after its release, venturing into culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu. She later signed with will.i.am and began recording her fifth album, Flesh Tone, which was released in 2010. The album spawned four singles, including "Acapella" and "4th of July (Fireworks)", which were successful on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart and the UK Dance Singles Chart. Kelis' neo soul-inspired sixth studio album Food (2014) became her second top-20 album in the UK and spawned three singles: "Jerk Ribs", "Rumble" and "Friday Fish Fry".
Kelis has been recognized at the Brit Awards, Q Awards, NME Awards, and Grammy Awards ceremonies. Her musical output, both as a lead and featured artist, encompasses various genres. She has collaborated with R&B and hip hop acts including Busta Rhymes and Clipse; electronic and dance producers such as Calvin Harris, Timo Maas, and Richard X; pop and rock acts Enrique Iglesias and No Doubt; and indie and alternative musicians including Björk and Dave Sitek. She has sold 6 million records worldwide and has had particular success in the United Kingdom, where ten of her singles have peaked within the top ten of the UK Singles Chart.
Early life
Rogers was born and raised in the Frederick Douglass Houses in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. Her first name is a portmanteau of her father's name, Kenneth (1944–2000), and her mother's name, Eveliss. Her father Kenneth was an African-American jazz musician and Pentecostal minister and was formerly a professor at Wesleyan University. Her mother Eveliss is a Chinese-Puerto Rican fashion designer who inspired Rogers to pursue her singing career. She has three sisters, two older and one younger.
As a child, Rogers sang in church choirs and played violin, piano, and saxophone while attending Manhattan Country School, a private school. At 13, she shaved off all of her hair. In an interview, Rogers says she was kicked out of her parents' house at 16 for bad behavior, stating that she would sometimes clash with her mother, but continued her education at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she formed the R&B trio BLU (Black Ladies United). She was also a bartender and a sales associate at a clothing store before graduating high school.
Career
1997–2002: Kaleidoscope and Wanderland
In 1997, Kelis provided background vocals on "Fairytalez", a track on hip hop group Gravediggaz's album The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel. Afterward, a friend introduced Kelis to The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo); they formed a strong bond, and with their support she landed a record deal with Virgin Records. According to Kelis, Virgin Records advised her that publishing royalties would be split evenly among Williams, Hugo, and herself; however, Kelis made no money from sales of her first two albums on the label. Kelis has said that Williams was credited as a songwriter on songs of hers that he had not written.