Labor Day Weekend won’t just be Kelis’ “Milkshake” that brings all the boys to the yard—or, to be more specific, the Parliament House courtyard. Arguably the biggest-name talent to ever grace the resort’s outdoor stage, Kelis will likely draw a capacity crowd not only with her double-entrée ode to the dairy beverage but also with chart-topping hits from her latest CD Flesh Tone.
Thanks to album tracks like “4th of July (Fireworks)” and song-of-the-summer “Acapella,” Kelis—once known solely as a R&B and Hip Hop performer—has now added Dance and Electonica to her repertoire. With “Acapella” Kelis and uber-producer David Guetta—the man behind last summer’s inescapable hit “When Love Takes Over” by former Child of Destiny Kelly Rowland—have conquered radio airwaves, dance floors and the ears of countless new fans in just a few short months.
Like many other American-bred gay divas—think Anastacia, Tina Turner (for a time), and BBC-er John Barrowman—Kelis has found bigger fame and fortune overseas than in her home country. But the critical darling du jour is poised to claim State-side success thanks to “Flesh Tone.” Though she’s performed at several LGBT Pride events around the world, her Parliament House appearance is an exclusive first gay club appearance in the United States. She spoke with Watermark by phone while travelling between gigs in the UK, with the sounds of her one-year-old son Knight in the background.
WATERMARK: We understand you just wrapped a performance at Manchester Pride.
KELIS: Yeah, I’ve been doing gay prides all year, actually. I did LA Pride, I did London Pride…just a bunch of proud people all year! (laughs) Orlando should be a lot of fun.
Are you pride-d out? Are you over the gays already? We can be a lot of work sometimes.
Oh yeah, you’re tons of work. But you know what? So am I, so it’s a match made in heaven. (laughs)
So what are some of the differences you’ve found in performing for LGBT audiences as opposed to the R&B and hip-hop crowds that you’re used to performing for?
Sometimes they can be one and the same, I will say that. I think at the end of the day, it’s really about people wanting to have a good time. People wanna party, you know? As over the top as I can be, gay audiences are just more receptive to me. It’s always a good time, it’s always fun. Everyone’s really just happy. I’s always a good time. Like always. I’ve not had a bad gay club, Pride moment yet. So, like, I’m in! (laughs)
The new CD is incredibly dance-floor friendly. What were some of the thoughts behind making the switch from R&B to something based more in Electronica?
I just wanted to do something to make people dance. From my last record I made people dance, and for the time right now, I want to make people dance.
I don’t know what my next record will be. It’s really just about doing something that I think feels good and sort of where my heart’s at. I think as far as the music scene and the direction that it’s been going has been “too cool for school,” for lack of a better term. It’s been really boring. You want people to go out again, you want people to dance. I think that’s actually a good way to distinguish between a gay audience versus a non-gay audience. I think gays take their shirts off, and literally get down and dirty. It’s funny—all my non-gay friends or the crew that is with me are like, “I literally saw a sea of shirtless men.” (laughs) It’s fun! You really have a good time. People forget—the point of going out to a club is to dance. Not to pose up on the wall, and talk about bottle service, but to dance and have a good time. I think the gays really get that. They’re like, “We wanna dance!” And I’m like, “Yeah, you do!”
You went to culinary school in between recording the last albums. That’s totally different from recording, or is it?
I’m a creative person and I’ve always loved to cook. I love food. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and I figured what better time than now? Instead of putting it off, why not just do it. It was the best thing I’ve ever done. It was so rewarding. I had been involved in my music for so long it was nice to separate myself from it for a little bit.
What’s one of your favorite dishes to prepare?
Anything with sauce is kind of my specialty. I think life in general is better with sauce or gravy. (Laughs)
I read in Entertainment Weekly that you love a basic summer salad, and you went on to describe a 16 bean salad with mint, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. How in the hell is a salad with 16 different beans basic?
Well, I guess it all depends on who you’re talking to! To me, it’s really easy, it’s super light, it’s got all the nutrients that you need, and it’s scrumptious. And it doesn’t require any actual cooking, which I also like for the summer—you don’t want to turn your oven on, you want something easy.
You were on tour earlier this summer with Robyn; how was that?
The tour was great, we had a great time. She’s great, the crowds were awesome. It was really nice to see her fans and my fans having fun together. It was, you know, just this sea of shirtless men for the most part…
You’re loving this shirtless men thing, aren’t you?
I just love it, it’s fabulous! I think it’s wonderful!
Talk to me about some of your musical influences.
I grew up listening to a lot of gospel and jazz, I listen to a lot of gospel now, still. I listen to a lot of Old Soul. Just whatever, it could be anything. It depends on what mod I’m in. I’m a music lover. Music will either assist, or change your mood, or change the course of your day. Whether it’s Massive Attack or Roberta Flack, or Sheryl Crow or The Ting Tings—I just love music. I want to imbed it into my life and how I live it.
Several of the tracks on Flesh Tone were produced by David Guetta. What was that like?
Well, at the end of the day I do everything on my terms. And I’ve been doing this long enough to the point where I can. I recorded my album in my house, so that right there puts me in control. And I was pregnant…
Really, he’s actually lovely. I’ve also known him for over a decade because I met him years ago. I used to hang out in Paris at all the clubs when he was just a DJ. He’s a really easy going guy; it was an easy-breezy situation.
Any thought on next singles from the CD, and how do you feel about remixes? How do you feel about handing one of your songs over to someone else?
It’s always interesting, honestly. It never used to have any bearing on my thought processes at all. Now, it’s kind of exciting. Even as a fan, getting to hear your favorite song revamped, and they do it well, that’s exciting. My next single is going to be “Brave,” and I’m excited about that.
see+hear
Who: Kelis
Where: Parliament House, Orlando
When: Late night, Saturday, Sept. 4
Tickets: ParliamentHouse.com
