(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Kelis thinks its important for pop stars to learn different skills.

The talented musician had had huge international success with her unique blend of hip-hop beats and R&B melodies, as well as her more recent foray into electro and dance.

As well as being a gifted musician, Kelis is also a talented chef. She took a year-long course at the Le Cordon Bleu school in Hollywood, where she mastered the art of fine cuisine, before making her 2010 album Flesh Tone.

Despite it being immensely hard work, Kelis has described the experience as fantastic and insists it was important for her to force herself into learning a new skill.

In my line of work, you can forget how good it is to learn again, she explained.

Kelis has always been attracted to gourmet cooking, as she grew up surrounded by good food. The star is experimental when it comes to sampling new flavours as when she was a youngster her mother had her own catering business, allowing the family to appreciate exotic tastes.

Growing up, my mom fed us whatever she was cooking, so I was never weirded out by food.

She had her own catering business and I helped her when I was a kid. I learnt that food is a beautiful thing, added Kelis. (C) Cover Media