Kelis’ chart-topping Tasty is a more commercial-sounding and less adventurous album than its predecessors, and its wide acceptance is testament to that, but she insisted that she hasn’t changed her sound to suit the market.

“I do what I like,” she told The Age. “Yeah, you got to do what you feel, because you’re the one who has to sit there and talk about it for the next few years. Otherwise it’s really hard to stand by.”

Nor will she be sticking with any magical pop formula in the future.

“The sound is always changing,” Kelis said. “It’s always evolving, hopefully to bigger and better things. I love music and I want to help it take on a new life.”