Her first proper venture into music was in a girl group called BLU, which although didn't last long, procured the ears of hip-hop producer Goldfinghaz, who gave her a spot on the second album by RZA side project, Gravediggaz.

Leaving home at 16, she struck out on her own, and two years later she met Virginia Beach production duo Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, aka the Neptunes, and subsequently landed a deal with Virgin Records.

Her first foray into the music world's centre stage was on Ol' Dirty Bastard's delirious hit "Got Your Money," a single which turned out to be the anthem of its time, and set the stage for her own debut album.

In 1999 Kelis made a huge impact when she debuted with her first single "Caught Out There", screaming at the top of her lungs a tale of a woman scorned: "I hate you so much right now". Delivering her words over punctuating Neptunes beats, Kelis established herself as a stylish, transcendent pop star at the tender age of only 19.

The attendant album, "Kaleidoscope" was a similarly strident, and lavishly styled collection of R&B, funk, soul and hip-hop. Blending live musicianship with clipped, deceptively simple beats, by the fantastic production team the Neptunes. The album also secured three Top 40 hits, and cleaned up on the awards circuit, scooping the Brit for "Best International Newcomer," the Q award for "Best video" and the NME gong for best "R&B Singer."

In 2001 Kelis reunited with the Neptunes to record a follow-up album, "Wanderland", which was only released in Europe. It featured a duet with Gwen Stefani called "Perfect Day" and the song "Popular Thug," which was later re-recorded and included on "The Neptunes Present ...Clones" compilation. Even more fearless than Kaleidoscope, it again flings the purest soul to the furthest sonic reaches, with Pharrell Williams describing it as "Retro-pop. Year 3000".

And now she is returning to the game with "Tasty", her second worldwide album release. The first single, "Milkshake," is gaining a buzz on the streets and radio with its idiosyncratic funk and Kelis' sexy, euphemistic playground rap, and if the rest of the album is as good, then we're sure she'll once again take the charts by storm.

So join us as we all hail the return of Kelis by naming her our MTV Artist Of The Week

HH