After a short spell working as a model, 5'10" Kelis began appearing on songs by Neptunes produced rappers such as 'Got Your Money' by the late rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard. Soon afterwards, she released her debut album, Kaleidoscope in 1999 of which the first single was 'Caught Out There,' a song based on the time she caught her boyfriend cheating on her, and she beat him. The video feautures Kelis leading a pack of angry women down the street screaming 'I hate you so much right now!'. The album was released in USA, Europe and Asia, but did not find much audience in the USA. Not a great success, it only sold 249,000 copies to date.
After finding her largest audience in Europe, Kelis released her second album titled Wanderland (2001) in Europe only, which like her first album did not fare well. It only sold 80,000 copies and was entirely produced by The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) again, similarly to her debut. Only one single was released 'Young Fresh N New'.
In 2003 Kelis finally found fame in her country with the single 'Milkshake,' which was a massive success in Europe, Asia and USA, and she began dating rapper Nas (born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones). The single was from the album 'Tasty' which did not feature the Neptunes as heavily as her previous albums. Singles included the popular Dallas Austin produced 'Trick Me' and 'Millionaire', a collaboration with OutKast's Andre 3000. 'In Public's duet with Nas was the fourth single from the album, becoming a top twenty hit in the U.K. without a video.
In 2006, Kelis presented a new album to her fans, entitled Kelis Was Here, which was originally to be called 'The Puppeteer' which was released on 22 August but was due Fall 2005. No Neptunes tracks appeared on this album, but Kelis used other producers such as Max Martin, Will.I.Am (Black Eyed Peas) and Raphael Saadiq. Singles are the huge 'Bossy', 'Blindfold Me', and 'Lil Star'. Kelis wrote more of the material on this album than she did for Tasty, and carries off the sci-fi, electronica sounds so often considered Neptunes material without them. This is most evident on the brilliant 'Trilogy'. Kelis has said she wants to make her mark with this album, as it will be the last 'album like this' she will make.
In October 2007, Kelis was dumped by Jive Records, for poor sales of Kelis Was Here but a new album is in the pipeline. The Hits - a greatest hits collection - was released in March 2008, including tracks where she was a featured artist, eg, Got Your Money by Ol' Dirty Bastard , N.E.R.D's Truth or Dare, and Richard X's Finest Dreams.
Kelis then signed to Interscope Records, and released her fifth studio album entitled Flesh Tone in May 2010. The David Guetta-produced Acapella preceded the LP in February of that year. Other singles released from the album include '4th of July (Fireworks)', 'Scream' and 'Brave'. The following year, Kelis appeared on Calvin Harris' 'Bounce'.
In the beginning of 2010, Kelis received a letter by animal rights organization PETA, in which she was informed about the cruelty that comes along with the production of fur coats. She pointed out that the organization seems to have little concern about the treatment of people of color and that she will continue wearing fur and eating meat.
Songfacts reported that 'Distance', the planned first single from Kelis’ sixth studio album received its first play during the June 30, 2012 show of The Beatnik Mix on London's Reprezent 107.3FM. At the time, the album was set to be house/dance-inspired, but sessions with TV on The Radio's Dave Sitek led to it taking a soul-like direction.
Kelis completed her sixth album in April 2013, and her new label Ninja Tune confirmed details regarding the album in January the following year, 'Jerk Ribs' served as the lead single for the album; the track had however been previously released as a free download the previous year.
Food was released in April 2014 to critical acclaim. Kelis also appeared for the first time at the annual South by Southwest festival, both performing and serving meals to attendees from her food truck.
Brave
KELIS Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But it wasn't that way in the beginning
It was this way
It was kiss me
Come kick me and diss me
I had to give it up
Now it's a way different feeling
You took my soul I had to steer it back
Now it's with me
No mistake just listen
I had to give up
All of this pain you had given
It's just a reminder of livin'
It was crazy, had a baby
He's amazin', he saved me
And this time it's just us
You raised up, I can say that
I was too young, I'll never get that back
Now it's this way
Now it's flipped babe
I'm happy, just listen
I had to give it up
I was super cool
But now I'm super strong
I had nothing to loose
But I was super wrong
It was the circumstance
I got the power from
I was super tough
But now I'm super strong
Super strong
I'm a braveheart
I'm a braveheart
I'm a braveheart
So come and play my purple heart
Come and play my purple heart
Come and play my purple heart
I didn't run
I was super cool
But now I'm super strong
I had nothing to loose
But I was super wrong
It was the circumstance
I got the power from
I was super tough
But now I'm super strong
Super strong
I was super cool
But now I'm super strong
I had nothing to loose
But I was super wrong
It was the circumstance
I got the power from
I was super tough
But now I'm super strong
Super strong
The lyrics of Kelis's song Brave depict the journey of a young woman who has overcome a painful experience and emerged stronger from it. In the beginning, she was not proud of her victory, but as she reflects back, she realizes that it was all worth it. The song starts with the reminiscence of her pain and how she was mistreated with hurtful words and actions. This led her to give up and lose control of herself.
But things changed when she had a baby, and that angel brought a new meaning to her life. With her child's support, she gained the courage to take control of her life again. The pain from her experience only serves as a reminder that she is still living and standing strong. The lyrics convey the message that life is not always easy, there will be difficult times, and there will be circumstances that affect us. But what defines us is how we deal with them.
The lyrics of the song Brave reveal Kelis's stand on facing adversity and emerging victorious. Her message of hope is clear, and the song could be a source of inspiration to anyone who is going through difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not ashamed of winning
I am proud of my achievements
But it wasn't that way in the beginning
Initially, I was not proud of my accomplishments
It was this way
My earlier mindset was different
It was kiss me
I allowed myself to be mistreated
Come kick me and diss me
I let others hurt me physically and emotionally
I had to give it up
I had to leave that situation behind
Now it's a way different feeling
Now I have a completely different perspective
You took my soul I had to steer it back
You hurt me deeply but I had to regain control of my life
Now it's this way
Now things are better
Now it's with me
Now I feel empowered
No mistake just listen
There is no misunderstanding, just pay attention to my message
I had to give up
I had to leave behind my old mentality
All of this pain you had given
Your actions caused me a lot of pain
It's just a reminder of livin'
It's a reminder that life can be difficult
It was crazy, had a baby
I had a child in a difficult situation
He's amazin', he saved me
Despite the challenges, my baby brought joy into my life and helped me
And this time it's just us
Now it's just me and my child
You raised up, I can say that
You helped me grow stronger, I acknowledge that
I was too young, I'll never get that back
I was too young to fully understand the situation
Now it's flipped babe
Now the situation is different
I'm happy, just listen
I am content now, hear me out
I had to give it up
I had to let go of my old way of thinking
I was super cool
I used to be laidback
But now I'm super strong
But now I am very resilient
I had nothing to lose
There was nothing for me to lose
But I was super wrong
But I was mistaken in my approach
It was the circumstance
It was the situation I was in
I got the power from
I became powerful because of it
Super strong
I am now extremely strong
I'm a braveheart
I am courageous
So come and play my purple heart
Come and join me in being brave
I didn't run
I did not retreat from my challenges
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALESSANDRO BENASSI, MARCO BENASSI, JAMES FAUNTLEROY, JEAN KOUAME, KELIS ROGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jolinexx7246
My favourite song in The Sims 3! ❤️ Whenever this song is on the radio in my Sims‘ house or in the club I‘m dancing along in front of my computer and I replay it allll the time 😂
@PhoenixRoseYT
YES!! Also here cuz of Sims 3!!!
@davidbellew
I had to shazam it from Sims to find it 😂
@venicedoll821
My sim and Beau had their first woohoo to this song 😂
@MKim-nv5ix
i'm not a simer, but heavy rotation all the time - it#s Kelis , lol.
& lyrics are real good ;)
@maniak6
❤
@AngelofAmbrosia
Currently 2021 and I STILL listen to this several times a month. It kinda irks me that many people only know her as the “milkshake singer.” Her discography, while not super lengthy, is full of hidden gems. This album itself is amazing— the story of a single mother finding strength and liberty. It makes me emotional just thinking about it.
@LaughingSaint66
She gets more beautiful with age for sure !
@mashaishaaaa
Yes!!! She is my favorite singer after mariah carey and janet jackson in my childhood))
This song came after acapella when ibwss breaking and becoming a single mother
@rjpardo2
Fleshtone is one my favorite albums by any artist. So good!