Songstress Kelly Khumalo has hogged headlines for all sorts of reasons - something she takes in her stride and owns whole heartedly. Why? Because she lives life to the fullest and on her own terms.
In what can be dubbed as a candid yet inspiring interview with TshisaLIVE, Kelly K held nothing back when speaking about staying true to herself no matter the cost.
Over the past 13 years Kelly has faced an incredible amount of backlash and criticism which surrounded her personal life.
Tackling the hate
But the hate has never fazed Kelly and she's not about to start paying attention anytime soon.
"I never pay attention to the negativity unless it is constructive. I've always focused on me and what I'm here for, which I believe is to motivate people through my music," she said.
"I'm not here to live a life where I have to explain myself to people, let alone my family or even my kids. I'm in an industry that is forever under a microscope, which is a place where no human being should be, the last thing I need is scrutiny from my own child or family - let me be. Let me deal with my issues the best way I know," she said.
Living life on her terms
Another thing that Kelly isn't about to change is her dress sense, which has got tongues wagging on numerous occasions.
"I'm a liberated being and I celebrate everything about me, whether it's good or bad. I'll tell you now, I may have the biggest cellulite but I'll still rock those shorts. For me its not about people, its about how I feel as an individual."
I'm not here for people, so I will always be liberated and will dress according to how I feel.
The songstress explained that the one thing that has helped get her through tough situations was that she's remained true to herself "no matter what".
"More than anything I have remained true to myself, no matter what. People will tell you things and try to define who you are but people don't know who you are, so stay true to yourself no matter what the cost is," Kelly tells young women.
Being a mother
When Kelly is not making hits in studio or headlines with her fashion sense the centre of her world are her kids.
Kelly said that when she's not making music or socialising with her friends, she's "goofing around with her kids".
"They love swimming and bully me everyday into going swimming," she said.
Kelly described her son Christian as a "carbon copy" of her. "My son is everything I am character wise - he's very straightforward, stands his ground and will speak the truth whether you like it or not."
While her little girl, Thingo who she had with late soccer star Senzo Meyiwa, has her confused about whether she's growing into her mom or dad.
"She recently surprised me because she got three stars for soccer at school, they get given time to play soccer and she just pulled a fast one on me a couple of days ago. But she also sings beautifully and is musical, so for now I'm confused. There is definitely a bit of both her parents, which is humbling because she will be able to capture who she is taken from her father and taken from me. "
