1. Kelis was married to Nas from 2005 to 2009, before filing for divorce when she was 7 months pregnant, citing irreconcilable differences at the time. The two had previously met way back in 2002 at an MTV Video Music Awards party. Eight years later, their divorce was eventually finalized in 2010. However, no one at the time knew that Nas’ alleged abuse was the cause of their split.
2. She decided to end their allegedly abusive relationship after Rihanna and Chris Brown’s domestic violence issues came to light. “When the pictures came out with that whole thing that happened with her and Chris Brown, the only way I could describe it was double dipped. I was like, do I jump in, do I say it? I had bruises all over my body at that time,” Kelis told Hollywood Unlocked in a bombshell interview.
3. She’s an accomplished singer. Not only is she responsible for the huge hit “Milkshake,” she also earned herself a Grammy nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Performance in 2004 for the single. She’s also collaborated with Bjork on a remix of her song “Oceania,” she collaborated on Calvin Harris‘ song “Bounce”, and David Guetta produced her smash success of a song “Acapella”. On top of all that, her hit song “Bossy” was so widely popular and played so frequently on the radio, it also achieved multi-platinum status just as a ringtone.
4. Kelis was born and raised in Harlem. In fact, musical talent runs in her family. Kelis’ father was a jazz musician as well as a Pentecostal minister. Even as a child, Kelis was a musical wunderkind. Not only could she sing, she also learned how to play the violin, piano and saxophone. However, Kelis also had a rebellious phase. At 16, she was kicked out of her parent’s home for clashing with her mother.
5. Pharrell helped her make her sign her first record deal. After graduating the prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, which she still attended even after getting kicked out of her mom and dad’s home, she was introduced to the group, The Neptunes, which was comprised of Pharrell and Chad Hugo. With their help, she got a record deal with Virgin Records.