The 'Milkshake' singer insists it is acceptable for her to make mistakes with her sound because she is not a "pop star".
She explained: "There's a difference between a pop star and an artist. Pop stars have to be perfect all the time; an artist is allowed, on occasion, to suck. And I put myself in that category because I sometimes suck. I'm not trying to please the masses. It's not going to happen so I don't try."
Kelis - who has a 13-month-old son Knight with ex-husband Nas - also admitted she is not the most talented artist around but thinks she is successful because she brings "an honesty to music."
She said: "There are prettier chicks, better dancers and lots of people out there could probably sing better than me. I'm just the only me there is.
And that's what makes it worth something. I don't think I'm the best at anything. It's just there's no one else like me - and somehow it works."
The 31-year-old singer doesn't care about cultivating an image to go along with her music.
She said: "Everyone is trying so hard to be different that it's contrived and unnatural. I find it hard to appreciate."
