After getting her start pushing the boundaries in hiphop and r&b world, Kelis has expanded her sound into the electronic dance music realm. Working with people like Timo Maas, Richard X, Bjork and Basement Jaxx, Kelis has shown that her unique style can fit any beat. For her new album ‘Fleshtone,’ she worked with producers like David Guetta, Benny Benassi, Burns, DJ Ammo, Free School, and Boys Noize to create nine strong tracks that combine to make a strong artistic statement.
DJ Ron Slomowicz: We love this new Fleshtone CD and how you seemed to be going in a real electronic music direction. Was that a conscious decision?
Kelis: No, it really just turned out that way.
RS: Were you listening to music that inspired you?
Kelis: It was really just life, what happens. Life was just happening around me, I was pregnant and it just was a good time.
RS: And so partying while you're pregnant?
Kelis: Well not too much partying but I was just at home, cooking, and working. It just sort of came out that way.
RS: What’s your son’s favorite song on the album?
Kelis: I don't know, I think it might be “4th of July” though. Maybe it’s because he hears it so much right now, but he definitely does a little like bop to it and he doesn’t like anyone laughing. He's like, ‘don't laugh at me, don't, don't.’
RS: How did you choose the producers you worked with?
Kelis: It was really the music that dictated. I was just listening to stuff that I loved and writing to it. I would then double-back then and look to see who produced it. That’s how I picked the producers.
RS: Because I was so amazed when I heard the “4th of July” track and you used that Pilotpriest sample. I was thinking, how did Kelis find this record?
Kelis: I'm a music lover, you'll be surprised.
RS: What about that track spoke to you, of all the songs out there why that sample?
Kelis: It just feels really good. I try to pick all my music to grab the feeling and then a vibe and it goes. I go from there.
RS: So when you work with someone like Burns, do you actually meet him in the studio or are there tracks sent back and forth?
Kelis: Actually Burns is managed by my manager in Europe and that all started because he's just a really great friend of mine. He was sending me over music and I fell in love with the stuff that Burns had done, and so it just went from there.
RS: So would he send you a track and you'd write to it and send it back to him?
Kelis: Yes, or there might be an idea that I have and would say ‘can you give me something like that.’ It’s all different, sometimes I would have a melody and start from there. For example, the song “Brave” was based on a feeling that I had. I came up with the idea, recorded it, and sent over an acoustic version to Benny Benassi. He put the beat to it and then we kind of went back and forth like that.
RS: I've got to ask you a question about the CD artwork. There's a picture of you where you're like half-human/half-animal, and I was wondering if that's like a response to all the PETA drama regarding your wardrobe choices.
Kelis: Oh no, not at all. I don't really care that much about them at all. I’d done that way before I’d even thought about before that even happened.
RS: So what does the picture mean to you?
Kelis: I just think it’s really powerful. We're all animals, and we forget that there’s a food chain. It’s also like a sphinx and which is very regal. Or you could look at it like it’s a bitch or I'm that bitch, so it depends on how you interpret it.
RS: That works. Talking about women in charge, you're touring with Robyn on the All Hearts tour, how did the two of you meet up?
Kelis: Well, we're on the same label and I just think she's great. I love her and I think she's fantastic. So it was an easy collaboration, because she was going on the road and I was like- that sounds like a really fun tour. She was like ‘hey, why don't you come with me?, and I said ‘you know what, I will.’ Easy breezy.
RS: All throughout your career you've always had the most amazing videos – “Young Fresh and New,” “Get Along Without You,” “Little Star.” You always had so many wonderful videos. What were the inspirations for the “Acapella” and the “4th of July” videos?
Kelis: Thank you. I just wanted the visuals to be as strong as the way it felt to me. It was really important to get that feeling across, so I did whatever I could to kind of make that happen.
