Kelis' 3 Kids: All About Her Sons Knight and Shepherd and Daughter Galilee

Mar. 15, 2025

Kelis skiing with her sons Knight and Shepherd in February 2021.Photo:Kelis/ Instagram

Kelis skiing with her sons Knight and Shepherd in February 2021.

Kelis/ Instagram

Keliswears many hats — musician, chef, farmer and entrepreneur — but her favorite role is being a devoted mom to her three children.

The singer, best known for her 2003 hit “Milkshake,” first became a mom in 2009 when she welcomed her son Knight, whom she shares with rapperNas. She went on to have another son, Shepherd, and a daughter, Galilee, with her late husbandMike Mora, who died of stomach cancer in 2022.

Kelis and her family moved to a farm in Temecula, Calif., the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, where they grow all their own food and have over 30 animals. In a June 2021 interview withHarper’s Bazaar, the mom of three shared what she hopes her kids will gain from this experience. “To be able to say: ‘I belong here. I own this. It’s mine,’ ” she told the outlet. “I want them to have the proper understanding of what wealth is.”

Kelis is private when it comes to her kids, and she has never shown their faces on social media. She does, however, share glimpses into their life on the farm. As a trained chef (she studied at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu), Kelis also frequently posts about the food she prepares for Knight, Shepherd and Galilee.

In a July 2022Instagram video, she offered her followers tips for getting kids to eat healthy, including “presenting stuff in a way that makes sense to them.” Of the food her own kids eat, she noted in the post’s caption: “No kids menus in my house, fam. If you want your kids to eat well, you have to start them off early - here’s how 🥦🥗.”

While speaking at the 2015 Los Angeles Women’s Expo, Kelis reflected on how becoming a mom changed her. “[Motherhood] enhances you,” she said,perEssence. “I don’t know if it really changes you. I think it just enhances who you already are. It makes the things that you do make sense. You’re more poignant and more focused.”

Keep reading for everything there is to know about Kelis’ three children.

Knight

Kelis cooking Moroccan food with her son Knight.Kelis/ Instagram

Kelis cooking traditional Moroccan food with her son Knight.

As a kid, Knight was passionate about drawing and superheroes. Kelis frequently shared photos of his artwork on Instagram, and he even had his own account dedicated to his drawings, called @KnightandShining. The account, inactive since late 2019, has a bio that reads: “I am a 10-year-old artist and visionary 🎨.”

More recently, the teen has helped his mom out around the farm, along with his little brother. “Arise and shine, the boys love collecting eggs on the farm in the morning,” Kelis captioned anOctober 2020 photoof Knight and Shepherd holding a basket of freshly gathered eggs.

Singer Kelis and her son attend the Vans x Yo Gabba Gabba! shoe launch held at Kitson Kids on October 20, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.Getty

Singer Kelis and her son attend the Vans x Yo Gabba Gabba! shoe launch held at Kitson Kids on October 20, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

Getty

Knight also lends a hand to his mom in the kitchen. In April 2022, Kelis posted avideoof herself and her eldest preparing a Moroccan-style lamb dish, noting in the caption that Knight, who was wearing a Spider-Man mask to conceal his face, wanted to help. “If it was live it would be paying for a very expensive massage,” Knight joked during the video as Kelis massaged a marinade into the lamb.

The “Trick Me” singer also creates and sells her own natural skincare products, and she’s passing down the importance of self-care to her kids. In May 2022, Kelis posted avideoon Instagram that showed herself and Knight doing their skincare routines together. “Teaching my Knight how to take care of his skin,” she wrote in the caption. “Pre teens and teenagers their breakouts are just part of growing up. But it’s important to start good habits now.”

Shepherd

Kelis poses with her son Shepherd during spring break 2021.Kelis/ Instagram

Kelis poses with her son Shepherd during spring break 2021.

Kelis welcomed her second son, Shepherd, in November 2015, with husband Mike Mora, whom she had married the year prior.

The singer provided her followers with a rare glimpse into Shepherd’s bond with his older brother on National Siblings Day in 2019. “Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero ! 🦸🏾‍♂️🦸🏽‍♂️☄️,” she captioned aphoto of Shepherd and Knightworking alongside each other on the farm.

Shepherd is always ready to assist his mom in the garden as well, and she has shared photos of his efforts on Instagram in the past. “Shep worked hard in the garden with me this morning and we had much success… my guy is getting so big! Now time for a fresh salad,” Kelis captioned a2021 photoof Shepherd holding a large bowl of cherry tomatoes.

Kelis' son Shepherd riding an ATV in December 2021.

For Shepherd’s sixth birthday, Kelis set up a dig site at the farm, noting in an Instagramvideothat he and Knight want to be paleontologists or archaeologists when they grow up. In the caption, the mom of three penned a touching message about motherhood.

“I love being a mom , I always knew I wanted little ones but I wasn’t the kind of woman to pine over it,” she wrote. “Now I look at my giant who’s 12 and Shep who just turned 6 and little miss muffet now 1 and I think how did I not do this earlier … There is nothing like the joy a mom gets from Making it happen for your little guys. It’s for them but it’s for us too. I just love it.”

Galilee

Kelis shares a photo holding the hand of her baby daughter Galilee.

“She’s just the sweetest little thing,” Kelis wrote alongside aphotoshe posted the following day of the newborn holding her thumb.

Just 17 days after Galilee’s birth, Mora wasdiagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer. The photographerdied two years lateron March 15, 2022, at age 37.

The singer added: “We were able to spend the time that we needed to, as much as we were given, the best way that we could.”

source: people.com