Kelis - Topic

Kelis Rogers is an American singer, songwriter, and chef. At age 14, Kelis was admitted to New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she learned to play the saxophone and won a spot in the Girls Choir of Harlem. After she graduated from high school in 1997, Kelis took on a variety of jobs before landing a backup vocal slot on an album track called "Fairytalez", released by the American hip hop group Gravediggaz. She then began working with music producers, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, known as The Neptunes, which ultimately resulted in her being signed to Virgin Records in 1998.
Kelis released her debut studio album Kaleidoscope with Virgin Records on December 7, 1999. Inspired by jazz and disco music from the 1970s, the album was a critical and international success. It spawned three singles: "Caught Out There", "Good Stuff", and "Get Along With You". The album reached number 43 in the United Kingdom while also becoming her first album to be certified gold. She left her label Virgin Records after its follow-up Wanderland received little sales attention and no U.S. release until 2019.