Kelis Talks Advice for New Artists, Protecting Her Peace During the Pandemic on The Estelle Show

Contrary to popular belief, Estelle is so much more than just an accomplished actress and Grammy Award-winning singer. These days, she also hosts The Estelle Show, where she delves into the songs and timeless musical influences that excite her.

Her show also features a weekly segment called “Love on a Wednesday,” where she explores self-love, self-care and wellness. And this week, she was joined by fellow songstress Kelis, who dished on feeling at peace while stuck at home during the pandemic and advice she has for new artists looking to break into the entertainment industry.

Being in the public eye comes with a tremendous amount of scrutiny. So the “Milkshake” singer learned early on that in order to protect her peace, tuning out the noise was a must.

“I think that I learned early and from the beginning that I cannot allow myself to be affected, good or bad, by all the noise,” she said. “I don’t read stuff about myself. I don’t watch anything that I’ve filmed. It could be the best review of all time. […] It can be great. It can be awful. It really doesn’t make a difference. I’m not going to read it. I’m not going to know about it. […] I’m able to be creative and bold and all those things, because I’m not governed by what people are going to say or not say. My goal is not to get attention.”

This pandemic has been a challenging time for all of us. But instead of allowing this difficult period to steal her joy, the Cooking With Cannabis host has opted to focus on the positives.

“I was just having this talk with my husband the other day. I’m like, ‘Yo, this is the longest I’ve been in one city for 20 years,’” Kelis said. “Real talk. It hit me the other day. I was like, ‘Damn, I have not been anywhere all year.’ I’m like, ‘That hasn’t happened since 1998.’”

She continued, “That’s a long time. This was crazy. And I didn’t even start to think about it up until really a couple of weeks ago, just being comfortable in the schedule and in the mundane, and it’s okay. I’ve worked so hard, I’ve made my life what I want it to be and I wake up in the morning, and we work on the farm and there’s so much to do, and I’ve got three kids now. There’s a lot and I feel such a sense of joy and peace about it.”

As an industry veteran with her own cookbook, six albums and over twenty years in the game, Kelis is frequently asked what advice she has for new artists eager to follow in her footsteps. Her answer might surprise you.

“People ask me all the time, ‘What advice do you have for a young artist?’ I don’t have no advice,” she said. “If you have to ask it’s probably not for you. Because this is one of those things, people don’t realize how hard it is and what sacrifices [you have to make].”

The Estelle Show is available Monday through Friday, only on Apple Music Hits.