Skip to content

Kelis Net Worth – How Much Is Her Fortune?

Kelis net worth sits at $4 million after more than two decades in music. The 42-year old American singer and songwriter Kelis has earned her net worth from her long career in the music industry. Kelis had her debut performance as a backup vocalist on Fairytalez – an album track by an American hip hop group known as Gravediggaz.

Singer,Kelis,Performs,On,Stage,During,The,One,Music,Festival

Image Credit: Jamie Lamor Thompson/Shutterstock.com

For Kelis, the path to fame and career success is a story of passion and focus. Although she has always been passionate about music right from high school, she had to scale a few hurdles to get started in the music industry.

Who is Kelis

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kelis Rogers (@kelisr)

There’s so much story and talent in the black American community. For starters, a sizeable part of the US rap industry is dominated by black Americans. Undoubtedly, the black American community contributes significantly to the American music industry. Kelis is one of such black American music icons, and she boasts of a net worth of $4 million.

Although she goes by Kelis Rogers, the celebrity singer and songwriter is known mainly by her first name Kelis. Right from a tender age, Kelis has always been smitten by music. Asides from scribbling a few lyrics in her younger years, Kelis took singing as a hobby. Her passion for music ultimately led her into the Florello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.

While it may seem as though Kelis had a straight path in life, there were certain twists and turns in her life. For starters, the only straight path Kelis seemingly had was that she went to a Music and Arts High School in line with her dream of going into music. Graduating from high school, however, had other tales for Kelis.

Kelis Rogers was working several jobs before securing an opportunity to continue in music. While the chance of being a backup vocalist on Fairytalez wasn’t grand, it set the pace for her music career.

Kelis’s life was full of music, from playing saxophone to earning her place in the Girls’ Choir of Harlem. Thankfully in 1998, she got her first major break when she signed with Virgin Records. Kelis stands out as a bold and beautiful singer. Her signature style in music and fashion defines her as an artist in a class of her own. Besides being an epic singer and songwriter, Kelis is likewise a pro chef in her rights.


Recommended Reading

Adam Silver Net Worth – How Much Is He Worth?


Kelis Net Worth Estimate

Kelis,At,Mtv,Video,Music,Awards,Vma's,2006,-,Arrivals,

With a long-standing career, it’s no surprise that Kelis net worth sits at $4 million. From 1998 till date, Kelis has spent at least two decades in the music industry. Thanks to her collaborations and personal music hits, Kelis’s net worth has risen consistently over the years. It all boils down to the fact that passion ultimately pays great dividends.

It’s a no-brainer figuring out how Kelis’s net worth has grown to an impeccable sum over the years. Kelis tried out multiple music gigs in her earlier years while still trying to break into the music industry. Ultimately, signing into Virgin Records in 1998 served as the launchpad for her music career.

It’s a no-brainer figuring out how Kelis’s net worth has grown to an impeccable sum over the years. Kelis tried out multiple music gigs in her earlier years while still trying to break into the music industry. Ultimately, her being signed into Virgin Records in 1998 served as the launchpad for her music career.

Kelis’ debut album, Kaleidoscope, was recorded in the same year under Virgin Records. With the release of Kaleidoscope in 1999, the album sold out over 200,000 copies in the United States alone. However, while Kaleidoscope peaked at number 144 on the US Billboard 200, it fared better on the UK Albums Chart.

Kaleidoscope peaked at number 43 on the UK Albums Chart with hit singles such as “Caught Out There” and “Good Stuff,” peaking at numbers 4 and 19 on the UK Albums Chart.

While one would expect that Kelis’s net worth began its rise in 1999 following the release of Kaleidoscope, the story is a little different. In an interview in 2020, Kelis told The Guardian that she hardly earned a penny from the sales of her first two albums. She was “blatantly lied to and tricked” by the production team she’d partnered with.

Undoubtedly, Kelis’s experience is a testament to some of the shadiness in the music industry, especially for teenage rising stars. Although it was a sour experience, it can be said that Kelis’s net worth took an upward turn after her debut album. Undoubtedly, her network’s expansion and fresh opportunities after her debut album aided the rise in Kelis net worth.

Aside’s music, Kelis’s net worth is notably sponsored by other moneymaking ventures that she runs. Kelis is a professional saucier who graduated from Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in 2010. In 2006, Kelis told Ed Lover on Power 105 that she had a step-by-step instructional cookbook in production.

Ultimately, Kelis released her first cookbook, My Life on a Plate, in 2015. Kelis went further to launch her sauce line “Feast” at the Beverly Hills Food & Wine Festival in 2013. The sauce line went on general sale as “Bounty & Full” in 2015. Kelis also runs a fashion line called Cake, specializing in fashion accessories.

Kelis runs a website where she sells customized merchandizes for a cooking course and features some of her musical works. Kelis’s net worth thrives thanks to her passion for music, fashion, and cooking.

Kelis’s Place of Birth and Early Life

The singer-songwriter Kelis was raised and given birth to in the Frederick Douglass Houses on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Christened Kelis Rogers, the name “Kelis,” is a creative blend of Kenneth and Elvis, a fine blend of her father and mother’s names.

Kelis obtained her passion for music from Kenneth, her father, who sang jazz and was a Pentecostal minister. Although her father, Kenneth, inspired her love for music, Kelis’ mom, a fashion designer, inspired her taste and style in fashion.

Although Kelis takes a lot after her father’s African American descent, her mother is of Puerto Rican Chinese origin. Kelis shares her parents’ love with her three sisters; she stands as the third child out of four girls.

In her younger years, Kelis was a vibrant minister in the choir in church, where she learned to play several musical instruments. Asides from the saxophone, Kelis can also play the violin and piano. Kelis learned to enjoy music and play the piano from her father. Kelis attended the Country School in Manhattan.

With teenage age comes the ecstatic and seemingly rebellious phase. Kelis made a remarkable decision when she was 13 by cutting off all her hair. She has so far maintained a signature short-haired look since then.

At 16, Kelis had several verbal clashes with her mother. She revealed that her sixteenth year was intense when Roche Charlotte interviewed her. She was sent out of the house due to her bad behavior when she was sixteen.

Kelis persisted in her studies at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Kelis established the trio group of (Black Ladies United) BLU during high school and earned a spot on the Girls’ Choir of Harlem.

Besides being supported through school by her parents, Kelis worked a few jobs in high school. Kelis was a a sales associate at a clothing store and served at the bar until her graduation in 1997.

After graduating from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, Kelis was introduced to The Neptunes. The Neptunes, which was operated by Pharrell Williams and strongly supported Kelis in her music career. Through The Neptunes, Kelis secured an amazing in1988 by Virgin Records.


Recommended Reading

Jesse Watters Net Worth – How Much Does He Make?


Kelis’s Career

Singer,Kelis,Performs,On,Stage,During,The,One,Music,Festival

Image Credit: Jamie Lamor Thompson/Shutterstock.com

Kelis’s career is a story of passion and growth across the years. After performing locally in a handful of music gigs, Kelis secured a deal with The Neptunes and was ultimately signed into Virgin Records.

Not long after joining Virgin Records in 1998, Kelis recorded her first studio album, Kaleidoscope. Kelis’s first album by Kaleidoscope, a product of the Neptune, which Virgin Records later released in 1999, peaked as the 144th on the US Billboard 200.

The total sales of copies of the Kaleidoscope album as of 2006 were pegged at almost 250,000 copies. Although it didn’t gain much traction in the US music charts, Kaleidoscope pulled in higher ranking internationally. For instance, the lead single “Caught Out There” peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart.

In the same vein, “Caught Out There” was listed as one of the top ten Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs charts and was pegged at number 54 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In addition, the British Phonographic Industry gave a gold ranking to Kaleidoscope for selling over 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom. Around this time, Kelis was featured on the hit single “Got Your Money” by Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

For her debut album, Kaleidoscope performed sufficiently well on both the local US and the international European scenes. However, Kaleidoscope enjoyed greater success in the UK compared to the US and other European music.

With the massive success of Kaleidoscope in the UK, Kelis bagged the Brit Award for International Breakthrough Act in 2001. This was also coupled with the NME Award for Best R&B/Soul Act in the same year. As a fast-rising star, Kelis went on tour with Moby and U2 on the Area: One and Elevation tours. This was followed by hints from The Neptunes about Kelis’ latest R&B developments.

Although Kelis doesn’t consider herself an R&B artist, she believes that the R&B tag was coined for her black heritage. According to her, “if you’re black and you sing in the United States, then you’re R&B.”

Kelis released her second album Wanderland in 2001. Learning from the mild success of the Kaleidoscope album, Wanderland was instead released in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Not long after the release of Wanderland, Kelis ended her contract with Virgin Records. Wanderland failed to record as much success as the first album, but it was well-received by The Guardian and NME.

Although Kelis’ first two albums failed to hit the desired success, her third album made up for the disappointments. Tasty, an album released in 2003, earned Kelis her popularity in the US as it peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard 200 with over 500,000 copies in sales

In addition, Kelis was nominated for the Grammy Award in 2004 for Best Atomic/∆Performance, thanks to her single Milkshake (2003). Across Europe, Tasty was an immediate hit, with over 300,000 copies sold in the UK alone.

Kelis’ career has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, with dented dreams and successful collaborations. While her preliminary albums weren’t as successful, her third and fourth albums were back-to-back hits. The fourth album Kelis Was Here (2006), peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard 200 and earned Kelis a nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the Grammy Awards of 2007.

Kelis enjoyed further successes across her fifth and sixth albums (Flesh Tones (2010) and Food, Pitch Battle (2011 – 2018)). She currently has plans to release a new album, Dirt, later in 2022.

Across her career, Kelis appears to enjoy more success on the European scene compared to her home country, the United States. Nevertheless, Kelis stands firm in her roots and appreciates her fans across the globe.


Recommended Reading

Max Greenfield Net Worth | How Much Does He Make?


Kelis’s Net Worth and Bio Summary

Kelis’s net worth is pegged at $4 million with at least two decades in the music industry. Undoubtedly, the long years in music coupled with each commercial success have earned Kelis a net worth of $4 million. Kelis strikes a balance between her private life and her celebrity status with the long years spent in the music industry.

Kelis shares snippets of her life, cooking, music, and fashion with a teeming base of over 800,000 followers on her Instagram account. Kelis also runs a YouTube channel with over 250,000 subscribers, where she primarily uploads her music videos.

NameKelis
Real NameKelis Rogers
Date of Birth21st August 1979
Place of BirthUpper West Side, Manhattan
Spouse(s)Nas (2005 – 2010) (divorced)
Mike Mora (2014 – 2022) (deceased)
Children3
OccupationSinger, Songwriter, Chef
Associated ActsThe Neptunes
Nas
LabelsVirgin Records
Ninja Tune
BMG
Net Worth Estimate$4 million