When we heard that Kelis was going to come to the Middle East we were very excited to see her. Not only have we been reeling off of her records since we saw her blue-fro on “Good Stuff,” but we can safely say we have every single recording she put out ever. She is one of the few artists that have continued to keep us entertained and dancing no matter what turn she takes. Kaleidoscope, Wanderland, Tasty, Kelis Was Here and Flesh Tone were all classics in our book.

This was not a regular concert, it was the opening weekend of Blue Marlin Ibiza in the UAE. The setting was by the beach and it included many acts including Axwell and Danny Avila. Kelis was the closer for the event. Girl, it sealed the party shut good. She put all the naysayers there to a quick halt!

Kelis came on after a host of DJ’s played all day and took the small platform stage wearing a sequin cocktail dress that reflected every light on the man-made beach. She started a non-stop set of her hits including “22nd Century,” “Acapella,” “4th Of July (Fireworks),” “Trick Me” and her collaboration with Calvin Harris “Bounce.” The crowd went really wild when she performed a mash-up version of her hit “Milkshake” with Madonna’s “Holiday.” The tiny, intoxicated and sun-tanned crowd could not take their eyes off of her.

After the amazing show, we went over to her section on the decks where the press were. We went over and we were introduced to her. She was cordial and extremely nice. She didn’t mind the camera flashes while being asked questions nor did she seem to have her entourage intrude on the questions.

We told her about LOFT965.com and gave her our business card. We mentioned how we covered her album Flesh Tone heavily and how her debut album Kaleidoscope carried one of our all-time favorite pop sleeves. She said we might have enjoyed it but she had struggled during the photo shoot for it. Apparently, she had to sit tight for 8 hours with paint on her to get the shot for the monumental cover.

Then we went on to address the latest leaked track. A new song snippet by the name of “Kids” leaked earlier this year. We asked her if it was part of the new album recordings, but she confirmed that the track was a rip from previous sessions and that she had totally forgotten about recording the song. So, this is the first confirmation that the track is, in fact, not on the new album.

Then we went on to the new album which she had promised on Twitter to deliver to the fans by early 2012 and it still hasn’t surfaced. She said she is definitely planning an album for this year, she is still working on it and will hopefully deliver it soon. No word yet on when it will actually drop. We reminded her that she has abandoned her Twitter account for a while now and she should keep us up to date, to which she agreed and explained that she will get to it sometime.

Then we went on to talk about Kuwait and the Gulf countries and her fan base demographic here. She seemed really interested and loving her trip in Arabia.

It was a great night filled with major tunes. We are glad we finally met Kelis as we truly love her music and have followed her every move when it comes to her career from “Caught Out There” to “Kids.” She seemed impressed with our dedication and she remarked that she will inform us should any news pop up with regards to the new album.  Good times!

Lastly, we high-fived. Now, strut…