Kelis

Biography

Kelis Rogers (; born August 21, 1979) is an American singer. She attended Manhattan, New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she played saxophone and was selected for the Girls Choir of Harlem. Upon graduation, Rogers landed a role as a backing vocalist for the hip hop group Gravediggaz. She then began working with music producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo—collectively known as the Neptunes—who led her to sign with Virgin Records in 1998. The following year, she guest appeared on Ol' Dirty Bastard's Neptunes-produced single "Got Your Money", which marked her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.

Rogers's debut studio album, Kaleidoscope (1999), was inspired by jazz and disco music from the 1970s. Despite critical acclaim, the album was met with domestic commercial failure; it instead found moderate success on international charts. Led by her first Billboard Hot 100 entry as a lead artist, "Caught Out There", the album peaked at number 43 on the UK Albums Chart and earned gold certification by the country's British Phonographic Industry (BPI). She parted ways with Virgin Records after her second album, Wanderland (2001) also received poor sales—not seeing a domestic release until 2019. After signing with the Neptunes' Star Trak Entertainment, Rogers third studio album, Tasty (2003), served as her commercial breakthrough and was met with continued critical praise. Its lead single, "Milkshake", peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100; the song and its follow-up, "Trick Me", both peaked at number two on the UK singles chart. Her fourth album, Kelis Was Here (2006), was supported by the US top 20 single "Bossy" (featuring Too Short), and peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200. Following its release, she took a hiatus from recording and ventured into culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu.

She later signed with will.i.am Music Group to release her fifth album, Flesh Tone (2010), which explored electronic music. Two of its singles, "Acapella" and "4th of July (Fireworks)" found success on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart and the UK Dance Singles Chart. Tying-in with her culinary career, she released her sixth studio album Food (2014), which became her second top-20 album in the UK and spawned three singles: "Jerk Ribs", "Rumble" and "Friday Fish Fry". The album explored a neo soul recording style.

Rogers has been recognized at the Brit Awards, Q Awards, NME Awards, and Grammy Awards. Her musical output as a lead and featured artist encompasses various genres. She has collaborated with R&B and hip hop acts including Nas (whom she married in 2003), Busta Rhymes, Outkast, and Puff Daddy; electronic and dance producers such as Calvin Harris, Disclosure, Giorgio Moroder, Timo Maas, and Richard X; pop and rock acts Enrique Iglesias, Duran Duran, and No Doubt; and indie and alternative musicians including Björk and Dave Sitek. She has sold six 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.

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