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.
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.
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.”