# 1909    Kelis -    MILKSHAKE

Tasty, Star Trak/Arista Records, 2003              BILLBOARD CHART ACHIEVEMENTS:           Rhythmic Top 40:   # 1             Club Play:  # 1             Hot 100 Singles:  # 3          Top 40 Tracks:  # 4   R&B/Hip-Hop Singles:  # 4       Top 40 Mainstream:  # 8                     GLOBAL CHART ACHIEVEMENTS:       # 1 in Ireland            # 1 on World Dance Top 30 Singles               # 2 in Australia               # 2 in the UK                 # 5 in Norway                 # 5 in Sweden # 11 in the Netherlands    # 12 in Finland     # 13 in Denmark         # 14 in Chile         # 17 on World R&B Top 30 Singles     # 20 in Italy        # 22 in Germany        # 22 in Switzerland    # 30 in Latvia         # 38 in Austria             # 52 in France                               Top Five at  MATT RADIO

I've noticed that each of your albums seems to have its own unique feel.   Kaleidoscope, Wanderland, and Tasty each have their own distinct vibes, which indicates a lot more care went into them than most albums released today. What determines the vibe for your records?

It takes its own life.

On the new CD, the topless tattoo of you... whose tattoo is that?

Oh, it's my man's tattoo.

How did you choose the producers you worked with on this new album?

Well, some of the people I'd known I wanted to work with, and then a lot of the people that I worked with, it just sort of fell into place.  They were all really talented producers and I thought we could do something really great here with them.

You're the executive producer on the album.   How did you use your artistic control to shape the vision of the album?   How did you choose the direction it went in?   Most artists don't have that much control on their albums and I really respect you for maintaining that.

With everything else, with the overtone of the music and everything, when it's yours and you have control over what it is you want and what you like... then from there it's got to be what feels good, and it has a taste on its own.  It is its own thing.

What was it like to work with Andre 3000 on "Dracula's Wedding" and "Millionaire?"

He's incredible.  He's really talented and interesting and we had a really good time.  We'd been talking a lot about working together, you know.

Awesome.  You wrote several songs on the album.  How do you approach songwriting?  Do you get a track and write to it, or…?

There's no formula.

Well, how did the "Milkshake" idea hit you?

Actually, my album's called Tasty, and after talking to the Neptunes guys, that's kind of what came out.

Did you have any idea it would be so big?

I don't know; that's a hard question to answer.

Have you been involved in the remixes of the single?

I did my own remix because there was a lot of stuff to work with

The a cappella of "Milkshake" was actually on the 12" vinyl.   All the various different mixes that have been done...  how have you reacted to them?

I think it's really cool when people do remixes of your records.

How has the US response been, compared to the European response to the music on this album?

It's been great, really great.  I haven't been out there yet... well, I went out there before it came out, twice, but I haven't been out there since it's been out.

I just came back from a Caribbean cruise, and on the radio there would be a calypso song, a breakbeat song, then "Milkshake," usually in that rotation.  So they love you in the Caribbean.

Oh, great.

Aside from your mix, obviously, what's your favorite remix of it?

Oh, I don't know, I don't know.  I haven't heard all of the mixes, so obviously I don't know.

You've created some really wonderful dance music, yet you're not perceived nor defined as a dance artist, per se.  Do you find labels limiting to your musical vision?

Labels are limiting to any vision, honestly.  But I just do the music that I like, whether it be dance or hip-hop or whatever;
it doesn't matter.

Do you feel that artists limit themselves when they target one specific genre?

I don't know... I mean, it's up to... each person is different, you know.

How did you hook up with P Diddy for "Let's Get Ill"?

We've been friends and we were working together on some other things.  It was kind of, he asked me to do the record and I was like, yes, let's do it.

You were incredible at the Dancestar awards.  How did you prepare for such a big debut?

I didn't, really.   I mean, I perform a lot, so I kind of just got up there and had fun.  I had a lot of fun, actually.

Cool.   I loved your version of The SOS Band's "Finest" that you did with Richard X.  How did you tackle such a classic, and what do you think of the end result?

I love that record!   I was really honored that he'd asked me to do it.  You know, he and I had worked together before, so I think he's great and I was really excited to do that.  I don't know, I just sort of sang it how I sing.

My personal favorite song of yours is "Young, Fresh and New."  What inspired the story of that song?

 That's one of my favorite records off that album, too, and I think it was really just about being young and being a female.  As you say, all these people, your label and your counterparts that you work with, kind of look at you like, Frankenstein, that you're sort of their creation.  You get to the point when you want to ask questions and do things on your own, it's like, "Ahhh!" They're angry or upset... they don't understand why it is you chose to live your life the way you do.  "Young, Fresh and New" is really good for me; it's saying that I'm young right now, I'm enjoying my life, I don't have to answer to anybody, and this is who I am.

How is working with a dance producer like Timo Maas different than working with someone more hip-hop oriented like the Neptunes?

There's no difference to me.  I mean, it's not about the genre of music, it's about people.

I've heard a version of "Fight For Your Right To Party" which has you singing on it.  How did that one come about?

Oh, Mondo Grosso, actually.  There's a friend of mine from Japan who told me there was a DJ that really had some great stuff and was interested in doing some things with me.  So when he came to the States, I met him and we kind of just kicked it.  I really liked the idea that he had for doing "Fight For Your Right," so I rerecorded it with my own twist to it and added a little bit of stuff here and there and that's kind of how it came out.

Are there any other classic songs that you would like to take a crack at?

There's so many great records, you know what I mean?  It depends on whether another situation is posed to me.   I don't have anything in mind right now, but you never know.

Is there anything you want to say to your fans out there in the dance world?
No, man, just hey, what's up, my album is called Tasty, it's in stores now, and I would love to do some more dance stuff for whoever's out there listening, just so you know.


source:  interview conducted by DJ Ron Slomowicz, dancemusic.about.com