Kelis Reflects on Her 25-Year-Long Career and Maintaining Positivity Through Grief: 'I'm Grateful'

Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Bai Boost Kelis

Over 25 years in the game, Kelis has crafted a truly one-of-a-kind career.

The musician and food connoisseur recently spoke to PEOPLE before performing a DJ set at Bai Boost's happy hour at Diatree in New York City on Aug. 30 — which marked Kelis' first time returning to her hometown since before the pandemic, during which she moved her family to a farm in Temecula, California, two hours outside of Los Angeles.

"I was walking around last night, and I was just like… 'I'm being yelled at by construction workers. I miss you guys. I love you so much.' It's the best," Kelis tells PEOPLE. "L.A. just doesn't have this vibe. It's not a pedestrian city, so you don't get any of that interaction. I'm an interaction kind of person, so for me, I feed off the city. This city is just alive, so even that, I'll take it, at this point."

The 43-year-old "Milkshake" hitmaker made food and beverages an integral part of her brand long before foraying into farmer life, as she studied culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu following the release of 2006's Kelis Was Here. In 2014, she dropped her fifth and latest studio album Food, featuring songs like "Jerk Ribs" and "Friday Fish Fry." She's since written a cookbook, 2015's My Life on a Plate, hosted multiple cooking shows and begun selling some of her own crops through her Bounty & Full online store.

RELATED: Kelis Lists $1.9 Million L.A. Home and Announces 'We're Buying a Farm'

Last year, she dropped the sultry single "Midnight Snacks," which she's followed up this year with the Kraft Singles partnership song "Square It" as well as "Feed Them," released with meal delivery company Daily Harvest. Her ongoing collaboration with Bai Boost, part of the beverage brand's initiative to support women in music, marks the latest development in her unique career path mixing food and beverages with music.

"It's very organic and very natural for me, because it really is who I am," Kelis says of the combination. "It's funny because it was never the plan. It just works out that way."

RELATED: Kelis' Baked Apple & Cranberry Buckle

Now that she's also a farmer, it only makes sense that her forthcoming sixth album is called Dirt — and that she's creating the project from a newly built studio on the farm. Listeners may notice natural sounds like roosters crowing buried into the music, and Kelis is fine with that. "I'm on the farm, so you're going to hear farm stuff," she says. "I'm always comfortable in the imperfections."

That aspect of the upcoming album's creative process reminds Kelis of recording her second album, 2001's Wanderland, on a tour bus while performing in promotion of 1999's Kaleidoscope. "Everyone was so stressed out about all these sounds, and I was just like, 'I don't understand. Who cares? This is where we're at right now,'" she recalls. "If I'm in a pristine studio, then yes, I want it to sound that way, but I'm not. I'm on a freaking bus. So if you hear stuff, that's what it is."

While Kelis works on the new record, she's also gearing up for a celebratory milestone. Next year marks the 20th anniversary of her third album, 2003's Tasty, which spawned her Grammy-nominated signature hit, "Milkshake." Looking back two decades, some musicians may cringe at their actions, artistic decisions or dated style choices — but not Kelis.

"This is going to sound really cocky and really arrogant, but I saw a picture of myself that someone posted [from the Tasty era] earlier today, and I was like, 'You know what, I was freaking killing it,'" she says. "Sometimes you just need to remind yourself, 'I've been this, and I've been doing it.' It's OK to say that."

In fact, Kelis often feels as though her work was ahead of its time. Aspects of her artistry haven't always been initially understood by those around her, but she's always stuck to her guns. "I used to say, back in the day, when I would sit in front of my label heads, and they'd be like, 'What are you doing?' and I was like, 'Well, I'm consistently inconsistent.' That works now — because I've got over 25 years in the game."

Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Bai Boost Kelis

Writing and recording from the farm nowadays, she only has to please herself, which is exactly why she moved there with her three kids: sons Knight, 13, and Shepherd, 6, as well as daughter Galilee, who was born in September 2020. "I farm because I want to eat a certain way, and I want my kids to grow up a certain way," she says of the ethos behind her relocation. "I want to breathe a certain way. I want to walk a certain way, and I don't want to be told how to do it. It's Kelis Land. It's my space."

RELATED: Kelis Opens Up About Caring for Newborn Daughter at 41: 'It Wasn't the Easiest'

Shortly after Galilee's birth, however, Kelis' husband Mike Mora (who's father to Shepherd and Galilee) was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer. In March, Mora died at 37 years old following a two-year-long health battle.

Leading up to his death, Kelis decided to focus on cherishing every moment of their time together. "It wasn't something that was sudden. We were able to prepare, and love, and say goodbye," she says, noting that the children were "always super aware of" Mora's condition.

"We were able to spend the time that we needed to, as much as we were given, the best way that we could," Kelis continues. "Is it a great situation? No, it's freaking awful, but I am grateful."

Kelis Instagram Mike Mora and Kelis

While the past few months have been difficult for the family, Kelis explains that she's made a conscious choice to "accept" the circumstances. "It was out of our hands from the beginning," she says. "We're just grateful for what we had. It's part of life."

"It doesn't change the fact that I'm heartbroken... but it does change how I choose to approach it," she details. "It reminds you how short time is, and how we don't have any control. I want to control what I can control — how I treat the people around me. I'm really big on celebrating people when they're here. I don't feel like it's as useful when they're gone."

Through the devastating loss, she's maintained an inspiringly positive outlook. "Life is not always what we want it to be, but it's still life," she says before reflecting on the positives in her life, from time spent with family throughout the pandemic to their fruitful farm. "That's something else beautiful that was able to come from an otherwise really tragic and painful time for a lot of people."

"I'm grateful that I have this farm. I'm grateful that I'm able to produce these things there, and I'm able to share them with people," adds Kelis. "It could always be worse."