American singer Kelis Rogers-Mora, better known by her stage name Kelis, was born on August 21, 1979. She entered the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music, Art, and Performing Arts in New York at the age of 14, where she learned to play the saxophone and gained membership in the Girls Choir of Harlem. Following her high school graduation in 1997, Kelis had a number of jobs before being hired as a backing vocalist on the song “Fairytalez” from the album “Fairytalez”, which was published by the American hip-hop group Gravediggaz. She subsequently started collaborating with The Neptunes, a duo of music producers made up of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, and as a consequence, in 1998, she was signed to Virgin Records.
Brit Awards, Q Awards, NME Awards, and Grammy Awards events have all given Kelis recognition. Her musical work spans several genres, both as a lead and featured artist. She has worked with pop and rock performers Enrique Iglesias and No Doubt, R&B and hip-hop artists Busta Rhymes and Clipse, electronic and dance producers Calvin Harris, Timo Maas, and Richard X, as well as independent and alternative bands Björk and Dave Sitek. Six million albums have been sold worldwide, and eleven of her tracks have reached the top ten of the UK tracks Chart. She has had great success in the UK.
