Shes still a boss: Kelis does Honey Mag

Kelis may have recently blown out thirty candles, but her flame is far from lost. In 1999 when most of today’s pop stars were just pierce-less middle-schoolers, Kelis was grown and busy debuting her first album, Kaleidoscope. The cover featured a then 20-year-old Harlem hope, topless, body-painted, rocking a cheetos hued afro of curls. And though it took her four years to receive mainstream success (Hello Tasty), Kelis’ time wasn’t spent morphing from image A to B. The visionary claimed jezebel from jump and has maintained her bold mien through marriage (What up, Nasir!), divorce (Damn, Nasir!), and now motherhood. Even while approaching a decade plus career span and exiting a three-year hiatus, Kelis is far from extinguishable.

Now with a new Interscope deal under Will.I.Am Music Group and coming 5th album tentatively titled Flesh Tones, Kelis is back for her avant-garde crown. We caught a few minutes with the resilient divorcée and new mother as she spoke about frank New Yorkers, pregnancy pros, and stuntin’ on R&B’s young’ns. Don’t play with fire.


Honey: First off, congrats on your newborn! Did you have any doubts about recording so early again after having Knight?

Kelis: Actually, I never thought about it. Organically one thing just led to the other. I feel like your child should be a part of your life, not that your life should change because of your child. I never wanted to be that type of woman who couldn’t balance her family and work.

True, life is all about symmetry. I imagine motherhood has been good to you?

Yeah, honestly it’s awesome. I really, really love it.

What’s your favorite part?

Waking up at five in the morning and seeing that Knight’s awake and he’s got this bright, sunny, delicious face looking at me like, “Good morning mom.” It’s literally the greatest thing to wake up to and it tickles me every time. I adore him.

Aww! What about your outlook on life, has being a mother changed that at all?

It’s put a lot of things into perspective. I don’t think it’s changed who I am, but I think it just makes what’s important clear.


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