She still brought all the boys to the yard, though! Kelis, who shot to mainstream stardom in 2003 with the release of her song “Milkshake,” told the Guardian that she has never actually made the blended ice cream beverage that inspired her hit single.
“I don’t think I’ve ever made a milkshake,” the 36-year-old singer said in an interview, published on Monday, May 23, when asked what ingredients might go into a “Kelis milkshake.”
For fans of the sexually charged, hip-hop infused pop anthem — which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart and made an indelible impact on millennials’ associations with the sweet treat — this revelation might come as a shock.
However, she is experienced when it comes to whipping up a healthier alternative. “I made a smoothie the other day that was really good – protein powder, spinach, orange, and crushed ice with a little bit of honey and coconut water,” she said, before joking to the Guardian’s Rich Pelley: “I’ll make you a Kelis smoothie next time you come over.”
The former hitmaker, a self-proclaimed food enthusiast who put her music career on pause to attend culinary school between 2006 and 2010 and to have a baby, son Knight, now 6, with now-ex-husband Nas, dropped an album in 2014 called Food. The LP, inspired by her education at Boston’s prestigious Le Cordon Bleu institute, featured songs such as “Breakfast,” “Jerk Ribs” and “Biscuits n’ Gravy.”
That same year, Kelis starred on the Cooking Channel’s Saucy & Sweet series, and in 2015, she released a cookbook titled My Life on a Plate: Recipes From Around the World.
Next up for the musician-chef? Aside from learning how to make a milkshake, the New York City native is set to perform at several British music festivals this summer.
Relive the magic of “Milkshake” by watching the video above.
