Kelis is a popular American singer, songwriter, and chef who burst into the limelight with the debut of her first album, Kaleidoscope. However, it was her third album featuring the popular song “Milkshake” that made her a household name in both the US and Europe. Although popularly known for her music, Kelis has always had a passion for cooking and has opened a restaurant in London. Learn more fun facts about her below.
Brief History & Age
Kelis Rogers, also known as “Kelis”, was born on August 21, 1979 in Harlem, New York. Her father, Kenneth Rogers, is an African American who was a church minister, a jazz musician, and a professor at Wesleyan University. On the other hand, her mother, Eveliss Rogers, was a mixed-race fashion designer. As a young child, her parents encouraged her to play music by enrolling in the church choir. Her musical development was brilliant thanks to her father’s musical genes which were definitely passed on to her. She later learned the saxophone and violin.
As Kelis turned into a teenager, she began to find her quiet domestic life somewhat oppressive. She became restless with a new desire and hunger to get out of the house and explore the world. This is how she applied to the renowned Fiorello H. LaGuardia Academy of Music, Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan. Thankfully, she was accepted at the age of 16, giving her a reason to leave her parents’ home to seek independence.
Career Synopsis
Kelis signed to Virgin Records, which allowed her to perform the catchy chorus of “Got Your Money.” Thankfully, that break came a few months after graduating from LaGuardia at the age of 20. In December 1999 a debut album was ready and it was called Kaleidoskop. The album was controversial as it contained heavy feminist lyrics.
On the release of her second album, Wanderland, Kelis encountered problems with her record label Virgin Records, resulting in the album being released in Europe only. She left Virgin Records for Arista. Luckily for Kelis, her third album Tasty, released in 2003, spawned the hit single Milkshake. It entered the American pop culture lexicon with the catchy lyrics of the song “My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard”. Other albums she has released are Kelis Was Here, released in 2006; “Flesh Tone” was released in 2010 under Interscope Records.
family – mother
Kelis is of mixed ancestry as a result of her mother, Eveliss Rogers. Eveliss is half Chinese and Puerto Rican. She is also a popular fashion designer having designed some of the best pieces for Hollywood’s top stars, as has her daughter Kelis.
husband and children
Regarding her own nuclear family, Kelis is currently married to real estate agent Mike Mora. Both secretly married in 2014. A year later, in November 2015, they welcomed a son they named Shepherd. Now Kelis has two boys, including her son Knight, whom she had from her previous relationship with Nas. In 2018, Mike Mora (who is also a photographer) posted a semi-nude photo of his wife Kelis to social media, to mixed reactions. While some credited the contribution to the art, others expressed dislike for the sensual imagery, suggesting that Mike should have been more territorial in his wife’s body rather than exposing her to the world.
Keli’s relationship with Nas
Nasir Jones aka “Nas” was Keli’s first husband. The two met at an MTV Video Music Awards party in 2002 and dated for a year. They then got engaged in 2004. The following year, 2005, they both got married. Unfortunately, their initial romance didn’t last as the couple filed for divorce in May 2009 after four years of marriage. During the divorce filing, Kelis was seven months pregnant when the union’s first child made the situation even more difficult and awkward than it should have been at the time.
Their son was born in July 2009 and he was named”Knight”. The divorce was finalized in May 2010 and Kelis has described the association with Nas as mentally abusive. She went on to reveal that at the time when former Hollywood favorites Chris Brown and Rihanna were on the domestic violence news (in which Rihanna was the victim), Kelis said she was also having a domestic altercation with her ex. Husband Nas a had the day before.
To make matters worse, Kelis said Nas was also unfaithful in their marriage as he dated other women for more than two years even while they were married. Currently, Kelis and Nas are still involved in a custody battle over their son “Knight”. According to Kelis, Nas had broken his father’s end of the deal. She said that she received no financial support from Nas and that she alone would take care of her boy’s needs.
Height and body stats
Kelis is a very tall singer whose body figures help accentuate her overall looks. So she is 1.78 m tall. Her other available body measurements include her weight of 55kg and her bra/bust measurement of 35B. Your waist size is not available.