Kelis Gets Bossy

In Outs June issue we caught up with Kelis in the studio while she put the finishing touches on her new album, Kelis Was Here, due out June 13. Heres the rest of the interview. Is your new glammed-up image reflected in the music on Kelis Was Here? I dont know that its necessarily a new glammed-up image. I dont go out very much and people dont often get to see this side of me, but fashion has always been a huge part of my world. I wanted to bring that forward. Im older now, so I hope that this album is more sophisticated, but still young and fun. Kanye West recently denounced homophobia in hip hop. Where do you stand on the issue? I dont really have a stand on homophobia in particular, aside from thinking that any phobia of people is wrong. Is it difficult to sing with a grille in your mouth? It depends. If the grille is done properly, its easy to speak and sing with it in. For two years I was wearing it all the time, but if you stop wearing it, it takes a little time to remember how to speak with it in. Who are the producers youve been working with for this album? Will.I.Am, Linda Perry, Raphael Sadiq, Cee-Lo No Neptunes, though, because Im not on Star Trak anymore. Too Short is on Bossy. Who are some of the other guests on the record? Will.I.Am and Cee-lo, who I worked with, are on there, but Im not big on featuring other people on my records, because its my time to shine. You only have 12 songs to tell a complete story, so you have to maintain your focus. When you write a diary, you dont have someone else write pieces in there too. Do you boss your husband, Nas, around? People are getting that a little confused. Bossy is not about bossing someone around. Its about being my own boss. So you didnt tell Nas to get that tattoo [of Kelis, naked, on his arm]? No, absolutely not, that was all him.