Plenty of artists get called ‘unique’, but Kelis really is one-of-a-kind. In the early 2000s, she gifted us some of the most enduring pop music ever written - from Milkshake to Millionaire -  and collaborated with some of the biggest stars in the world - from hip-hop to dance music . After stopping it all to raise her son and become a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, she released a throwback, food-inspired r&b record produced by Dave Sitek on Ninja Tune. And then she moved to a farm, before deciding in 2025 to relocate to Kenya, where she bought 300 hectares of land outside of Nairobi.

She’s never found the fame that some of her contemporaries found - too alternative, too outspoken, and never quite comfortable playing the game - but today, her catalogue speaks for itself. A multi-dimensional artist in an industry that’s full of flat, personality-free cut-outs, she’s the real deal. With new music on the horizon (her first since 2014), we’re absolutely honoured to have her at Sónar 2026.