Kelis

Kelis

Kelis in 2003, photo by Prphotos

Birth Name: Kelis Rogers

Place of Birth: Harlem, New York City, New York, U.S.

Date of Birth: August 21, 1979

Ethnicity:
*father – African-American
*mother – Chinese, Puerto Rican

Kelis is an American singer, songwriter, and chef. In an interview, Kelis stated:

I consider myself black, although technically my mother is half-Chinese and half-Puerto Rican. My father is black.

Her name Kelis is a combination of her parents’ names, Kenneth and Iveliss. Her mother is a fashion designer and her father was a professor, jazz musician, and Pentecostal minister.

Kelis was married to photographer Mike Mora, until his death. She has a son with her former husband, recording artist, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur Nas; and two children with Mike.

Kelis’ maternal family name is Maldonado.

ethnic

Curious about ethnicity

87 Responses

  1. transemacabre says:

    Her mother married her father under the name Iveliss (not Eveliss) Maldonado in 1973.

    Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017.

  2. savanna says:

    according to wikipedia:

    “Her first name is a portmanteau of her father’s name, Kenneth (1944–2000) and her mother’s name, Eveliss. Her father Kenneth was an African-American jazz musician and Pentecostal minister and was formerly a professor at Wesleyan University. Her mother Eveliss is a Chinese-Puerto Rican fashion designer who inspired Kelis to pursue her singing career.”

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