Kelis

Her debut album, Kaleidoscope, was a landmark record of psychedelic sci-fi soul that moved in an orbit all its own. When you take the generosity of spirit and higher love of vintage Stevie Wonder, give it the space age treatment of production superheroes The Neptunes, and add a born superstar barely out of her teens, you've got something very special indeed.

Kelis' search began in Harlem, New York in 1980. The daughter of Pentecostal Minister Kenneth, and children's clothes designer Iveliss (hence Ke-lis), Kelis Rogers was always as individual as her name. The youngest of three daughters, she began travelling across America with her father (also a jazz saxophonist) to sing at his sermons, while soaking up the classic soul her mother played.

In the many months since Kelis’ distinct image made the world do a double take, this multi-talented phenom has certainly remained busy. "There are a lot of things that have happened, but I don't even know where to start," she laughs. “It's all one big blur. But this year things have finally settled down. Now it's more about dealing with situations rather than being surprised by them."

And of course, there’s Wanderland. The album was recorded at her house in Virginia Beach with The Neptunes. And while the duo was credited with writing most of Kaleidoscope, this time Kelis took the song writing reins. "It was inevitable," she explains. "It's like you start off at a job, and the next year you get a promotion, you know what I mean? I wasn't ready last time, but (now) I had a much clearer idea of what I wanted to do."

This makes Wanderland a much more autobiographical record than its predecessor. “Easy Come Easy Go,” which features Korn's Fieldy on bass, tackles men’s responses to Kelis since she became famous. “Digital World” deals with the toll that last year’s touring schedule took on her love life. “Star Wars,” meanwhile, is a comic book-inspired anthem for the Star Trak clique, the collective of rappers and singers that she and The Neptunes have assembled. Apart from Fieldy and No Doubt (who play on “Perfect Day”), they're the only guest musicians on the album -- a refreshing change from the usual big name bombardment. "They're big names,” Kelis states as a matter of fact. “The people that I know are incredibly talented, so why go outside when you've got it at home?"