Kelis (born Kelis Rogers on August 21, 1979), is known simply by her first … Read Full Bio ↴Kelis (born Kelis Rogers on August 21, 1979), is known simply by her first name Kelis (pronounced Kuh-lees). Her name is an amalgamation of her parents' first names, her black father Kenneth and Chinese-Puerto Rican mother Eveliss. Growing up in Middle Class Harlem, New York Kelis' childhood was not a deprived one. But she was not without problems, after her parents realised they could not cope with her unruly behavior (Kelis shaved all her hair off at age 13, soon afterwards dyeing the regrowth the colors of the rainbow), Kelis moved out of the family home, continuing her private education.

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.

Who's Lovin' You
KELIS Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I had you
I treated you bad
And wrong, my dear
And since, yeah
Since you been away

Dont'cha know I
Sit around

With my head hangin' down
And I wonder
Who's lovin' you

I, I, I, I
I should have never
I should never
Ever, ever, ever, ever have made you cry
And since
Oh, since you been gone

Dont'cha know I
Sit around
With my head hangin' down
And I wonder
Who's lovin' you

Life without love
Is oh, so lonely
I don't think that I
I'm gonna make it
All my life, all my life
Belongs to you only
Come on, come on
Come on and take it

Because all
All I can do
All I can do
All I can do since you been gone is cry
And it's you
Yeah it's you
Yeah, I wonder
Worry your pretty little head about what I do

Dont'cha know I
Sit around
With my head hangin' down
And I wonder
Who's lovin' you
And I wonder
Who's lovin' you

And I wonder
Who's lovin' you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Kelis's song "Who's Lovin' You" express the regret and heartache of a person who mistreated their partner in the past. The singer acknowledges that they treated their partner badly and made them cry, realizing their mistakes only after the partner has gone away. The absence of their loved one leaves them feeling lonely and lost, questioning who might be loving them now. The song emphasizes how the singer's life is incomplete without the love they once had and that everything they do since the partner's departure is filled with sadness and tears. The song ends with a plea for the partner to come back and reclaim the singer's life, acknowledging their undying devotion.

Line by Line Meaning

When I had you
During the time when I was in a relationship with you

I treated you bad
I didn't treat you well or with kindness

And wrong, my dear
I made mistakes and acted inappropriately, my love

And since, yeah
And ever since then

Since you been away
Since you've been gone or not with me

Dont'cha know I
Do you not know that I

Sit around
I spend my time idle and unoccupied

With my head hangin' down
With my head lowered in sadness

And I wonder
And I ponder or question

Who's lovin' you
Who is giving you love and affection now

I, I, I, I
I, I, I, I