Kelis has a new album on the way.
The Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter took to Instagram on Nov. 5 to share she’s in the studio at her spacious remote farm in Temecula, California, working on material for her first album in nearly a decade.
Kelis recently finished building the studio on her farm, where she cares for animals. She plans to exclusively take her Instagram subscribers through the process of writing and recording the album with her band. The first episode was shared with subscribers earlier this week.
During a Succeed In The New Year segment on Facebook in December 2021, Kelis announced that her upcoming album would be titled Dirt. The first single, “Midnight Snacks,” was released in the fall accompanied by a music video.
Kelis collaborated with producer FaNaTix on the soundscape for “Midnight Snacks.”
“I heard the beat, thought it was dope, and the first thing that came to mind was ‘Midnight Snacks.’ The FaNaTix were like, what are you talking about? And I was like, it makes you feel like a midnight snack! And that was it,” stated Kelis.
She added, “It’s funny to me, but I like the fact that you can take sex and food, and you can put these two things together, and they’re totally interchangeable. I love that.”
Kelis’ most recent track “Feed Them” was featured on Daily Harvest’s Eat the Solution compilation, released in April 2022 in honor of Earth Month. A supporting visual was also released.
“Midnight Snacks” and “Feed Them” were released on Knight & Shepherd Inc., named after Kelis’ two sons, through a partnership with BMG. It is unclear whether latter track will appear on Dirt or if the album will retain that title.
Kelis’ forthcoming studio album will mark her first since 2014’s Food and sixth overall. Singles such as “Rumble” and “Jerk Ribs” preceded the album.
“I wanted to make an album that I could sing to for a long time. I want people to feel like they’ve grown up with me. And they have,” explained Kelis to Esquire of Food.
“For me right now, this album wasn’t about proving anything, because I’ve proved everything — I’ve far exceeded what I ever thought I needed to accomplish. This album was about wanting to capture something for myself. I wanted it to be something that was honest, that feels good. Music should feel good.”
Food debuted at No. 12 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart. It also entered at No. 73 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Solo music aside, Kelis has collaborated with artists such as Disclosure, Tiana Major9, and Kojey Radical in the past few years.
Aside from her music career, Kelis is also successful in her denim overalls line called Pearly Gates, as well as in her company Bounty & Full, which specializes in producing farm-grown beauty, food, and wellness products.
Bounty & Full will be featured at the inaugural Honeyland Festival in Sugar Land, Texas, on Saturday, Nov. 11.
The segment will showcase a four-course dinner made with organic ingredients, hosted by Kelis and featuring celebrity bartender Saeed “Hawk” House. The meal will be accompanied by craft cocktails specially crafted by House.
Revisit Kelis’ Food album below.