Kelly Rowland

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Kelly: [00:00:00] I remember the first time walking into my mama T's home. I was like, Whoa, for me, it was a black woman can own a home this size. And that house was the beginning of so many possibilities for me.

Jeremiah: Welcome back to ideas of order a California closets podcast dedicated to answering the question. What does home mean to you? I'll be connecting with friends and creators to talk about All about the memories and practices that mean the most to us and the spaces that have held us through it all. I'm Jeremiah Brent, and today I am.

Incredibly excited to welcome someone who has been a part of the soundtrack of my life for many years now. She is a dedicated mother, a philanthropist, a Grammy winner, and dare I say the love of my life. Don't say anything to my husband. Please join me in welcoming the one and only Kelly Rowland.

Do you remember when we met our first, our first time meeting?

Kelly: It wasn't at the school. Was it at the school?

Jeremiah: Yeah, it was at the assembly.

Kelly: I remember.

Jeremiah: Do you remember that that new kid that orientation day and we're all sitting in the bleachers and we're like, what the hell is going on? You looked equally as devastated as I did about the fact that We were both just in full like a flop sweat that we were going to send our kids away Yes, and they weren't going away either by the way Just for anybody listening the school had like this crazy process where you like sat for two weeks Remember you like watched them every day and you slowly walked away.

I knew all poppy was like goodbye You By

Kelly: the way, Titan was like, bye mom. I said, oh, oh, this is, this is what we're doing. But I'm, I'm so happy because I talked to a friend of mine who's a, John psychologist. She says, Oh my gosh, you should be so proud because that means that they were like ready to conquer the world.

You set them up to be that confident. I said, Oh,

Jeremiah: no, I'm selfish. I'm selfish. No, I know. I'm like, I want your independence to come when I'm ready for it. Not before.

Kelly: Exactly.

Jeremiah: But it was, I remember that time and that particular class, especially. Um, like there's, I feel like we're all still friends. The people that met at that school, at that particular time, like everybody got really close and never changed.

And then I obviously was obsessed with you. I call you the love of my life to everybody who listens, like a complete creep.

Kelly: No, it's not. You're not a creep by, by far. If anything, I would have tried to steal you from your husband.

Jeremiah: Well, I'm available. So, you just let me know. He's a great first marriage.

Hilarious. So today, I want to just jump into a bunch of stuff about home, um, your life. Because we've talked about a lot of this and I think it's so fascinating, obviously, your perspective and your journey and like where you've been. But I wanted to kind of just start by going, you know, back. You know, you were born, obviously, in Atlanta.

Um, you moved to Houston with your mom when you were what, eight years old?

Kelly: Yes.

Jeremiah: What was that like? What was that move like? What was your childhood like?

Kelly: Um, childhood was a, uh, you know, I'm, I'm still in therapy for my childhood.

Jeremiah: I mean, get in line. But the part,

Kelly: right? But the childhood that I remember, like the, the really amazing moments were, um, in particular to moving from Atlanta to Houston with my mom, of course, I was nervous.

I didn't know what to expect. Um, and I thought that everybody walked around in Houston, Texas on, uh, horses and were cowboy hats and cowboy boots. So when I got there and it was just like this, Lovely city. That's just, you know, moving and thriving. And when you do see a cowboy hat, it's like, Oh, okay. You know, but there was like huge cowboy stores, you know what I mean?

Where you can get all this stuff. And I remember my first Halloween, I was a cowgirl

Jeremiah: cause

Kelly: I thought that's what you were supposed to be. Cause we just moved there, I think in August and I was starting school and it was just, you know, You know, it was fun, you know, when I got there and I wasn't, I was happy that I had a mother who was just like, look, we're moving to Houston.

We're going to get a, a new start, a cool start. Like, we'll see what happens. It was almost like an adventure. And I'm grateful to her for that because when I moved to Houston, that's when my life started to kind of like, take these. Really interesting steps, you know, to meeting one of the ladies, uh, a part of the group back then to, uh, you know, meeting everyone else in the group and then having all these setups to my future.

So Houston was really like the, what do you call that? Like the runway for the rest of my life.

Jeremiah: Like the beginning of the ripple. Do you consider Houston home or Atlanta?

Kelly: Well, I always say Atlanta birthed me, Houston raised me.

Jeremiah: [00:05:00] Oh, I love that.

Kelly: Yeah. So I'm a Southern girl through and through. And I love that Atlanta birthed me because I love the qualities of the South in particular to Atlanta and the fact that my, you know, family is there.

Um, but Houston just started to like, Do all these twists and turns. And it was the, the, the space and place that grew me up. And I, you know, understood community and, and people and started meeting so many different dynamic women. You know what I mean? That like, you know, gave me so much, um, just encouragement and, um, love and poured into me.

So, yeah.

Jeremiah: How long were you in Houston for?

Kelly: Ooh, until about 2021.

Jeremiah: Wow.

Kelly: Yeah.

Jeremiah: So it was home.

Kelly: It was. Oh, definitely home. I bought my first home in Houston.

Jeremiah: No. What was it like? Describe it for me. What'd you fall in love with it? Like what, what made it be the first one?

Kelly: So when I bought my first home, I, first of all, I remember it was like, do I get a condo?

Or do I get like a house and you know, when, uh, when you first come up on some money, you're like, I'm going to get a house and it's going to be five bedrooms.

Jeremiah: Ooh, I'm going to have

Kelly: two car garage. Exactly. It's going to be everything I don't need to be honest. You know what I mean?

Jeremiah: Yes, exactly. Everywhere.

I'm not going to spend time in.

Kelly: Exactly. So, But I got this house. It was so beautiful. It was in Sugarland, Texas, and it was five bedrooms. It was actually on MTV Cribs. Like I showed my house on MTV Cribs. Oh my God. And I had all this space and it was, what was the style of this house? It's like a traditional home.

With a slight castle kind of flair to it. Um, I had a pool in the backyard. It was, like I said, it was everything that I never had.

Jeremiah: Fancy.

Kelly: Exactly. And, um, didn't know how to furnish it. So according to what I liked was how I furnished.

Jeremiah: That's beautiful.

Kelly: I remember there was this furniture store in Houston called Noel.

I don't know if you've ever heard of it. No, but

Jeremiah: I can imagine.

Kelly: Yeah. So it's all this big, clunky. Fly yeah furniture, and it's my first understanding of like what a sprawling bed looks like you know what I mean with yeah Beautiful like thick columns. You know what I mean, and it was really pretty I had the two side tables to go with it the armoire to go with that the

Jeremiah: whole set

Kelly: the whole set

Jeremiah: So

Kelly: I did that for my bedroom and it was carpet in my bedroom.

Jeremiah: Yeah, but that's a big deal to buy a house. You were young.

Kelly: It was a big deal to buy a house, but you know, like now, of course, in retrospect, I'm like, Oh, I wish I would have bought a condo right there on a Wilshire corridor. Then probably for whatever price that is, it, you know,

Jeremiah: I know. Can you believe, I still wonder who the hell lives there.

there. I don't understand. Every time I drive through, I'm like, who lives here? I don't understand. Can I ask you, so you bought this house, but what was home like growing up for you? You know, like, I mean, I didn't grow up with money. Um, and my mother worked three jobs, but there was a way that our house felt and it looked that really made an impact on me, whether it was the light or the smell, like what was life in your childhood home?

Like, like, what did home feel like?

Kelly: Well, God bless my mom. She, um, was really trying to find her footing, especially for me and her. So we were kind of like moving around a lot, to be honest. So it was like from my grandmother's house to my aunt's house, from my aunt's house to My grandmother's house again, from my grandma's house to my mom's friend's house to another friend's house.

So I saw all these different dynamics of homes before like 8, and then after 8, it was where my mom was a live in nanny, so I was able to see how her boss had their home. When I tell you, Jeremiah, This woman had so much style and yes, so much style. So when we moved to the house in Houston or their house in Houston, I remember seeing this house.

It was a one story house to this day. I still want a one story house. I just want it. Me

Jeremiah: too. Oh my gosh. One story is going. Just going, right? See you tomorrow.

Kelly: I know, right? She had this one story house. It was one, two, three, three or four bedrooms. It was this beautiful playroom in the back and it was a pool right in the middle.

It was kind of like shaped like the letter U, you know what I mean? Or like a C shape. Yeah. She had a piano in the house. Um, these beautiful Oriental robes, the front room at that time was like this, uh, burgundy kind of like burnt red kind of color with this really nice couch, a

Jeremiah: real mood.

Kelly: It was a real mood.

And her kitchen was like, White and blue. And she liked the kitchen or blue within the kitchen because of [00:10:00] whatever reason and the family room. And then the area off of the family room was the play area. So she could see everything, just how she viewed, how she wanted her house laid out. I took that on.

Jeremiah: That's so interesting. Mm

Kelly: hmm.

Jeremiah: Do you think that was like the first space that you ever like loved?

Kelly: Absolutely.

Jeremiah: Wow.

Kelly: Absolutely. So much to where literally a week ago, maybe two weeks ago now, I drove past that same house. It's now painted white and I still recognize the layout of this house.

Jeremiah: You're kidding.

Kelly: I'm so serious. And they had the shutters. I still like shutter windows, but I said I wouldn't want Something like shutters on my home unless I'm like by a beach somewhere to be honest

Jeremiah: I get it

Kelly: But yeah They had shutters and it was so easy to just walk through the house that I just watched her Wake up in the morning and open all the shutters of her house move the drapes open It was like she was letting in this energy was almost like What do you call that?

Like a,

Jeremiah: like the ceremony? Yes. Like a practical, yeah. Yes. The ritual, the

Kelly: ceremony and the ri Thank you. The ritual of waking up in the morning and it was just so nice. And I remember the smell of Oscar de la Rent was her perfume. Wow. And the house kind of like everywhere she walked, it kind of trailed with Oscar REOs really.

Jeremiah: It's so funny because when I started doing this exercise and I asked that question, I had to like think about myself, like what space really mattered to me. And it was actually my grandmother's kitchen and had nothing to do with how beautiful everything was, but it was the ceremony and the ritual that I watched her do.

And the house that made such a huge impact on me. Do you think about a house, um, or the way you grew up has had, have you brought any of that into your home now or the things about your experience growing up, things that you've wanted to keep the same or change, you know, how has it influenced home now?

Kelly: Absolutely. Before my mom. Moved jobs before we moved to Texas. There was another family and I remember their home was so beautiful as well. It was them, the family that we moved to Houston with. And it was also, um, of course, my mama, Tina, whose homes I saw. And two of these women were like business women.

You know what I mean? Like I'm talking about Tina in particular, who owned her own salon and took care of her kids like she did not mess around. It was the way they navigated in their homes, the way they knew the layout of their homes, how they wanted them specifically run. And those homes in particular really honed in on exactly what I wanted in a home.

Jeremiah: My home was growing up for transactional because they're in between things. And, and then you meet somebody who really owned a home and owned their space and it was personalized everything. And it told the story is a completely different way to move through a home.

Kelly: Absolutely. It's like, I remember the first time walking into my mama T's home.

I was like, Whoa, for me, it was a black woman can own a home this size. And This is incredible. Like I, that was a big, it's a big deal and you come in and the stairs are going up and they circle around and she's got art and beautiful rugs and this cool couch and there's so many rooms. You know what I mean?

I was like, this is incredible. So that house on McGregor in Houston was the biggest Beginning of so many possibilities, you know what I mean? For me.

Jeremiah: Yeah. Do you find yourself now as an adult not wanting to move around a lot? Are you open to moving or do you like want to stay in the same spot? Because I kind of I battle with this all the time.

Kelly: I like to move like when I'm home. I'm home. But if I'm home to here's my thing if I'm home too long,

Jeremiah: but you always have one eye open.

Kelly: I know, but if I'm home too long, I start to do this and then I want to change shit up. And I'm like, no, no, no, Kel, don't do that. Like we're good. It is dangerous. Like right now our floors are this strange color.

Yeah. I'm like, okay, I want to get the floors lightened. There's so many things like this. I feel like the house is still this work in progress. You know what I mean? It never continues to evolve because there's people we're continuing to evolve.

Jeremiah: This actually is a great segue because I want to talk about.

The actual love of your life as much as it pains me to admit our sweet sweet Tim How did you guys meet the two of you?

Kelly: So we met through My group member, Michelle, Michelle. Yes. Yes. When Michelle was just coming into this moving train, that was destiny's child, you know, we, um, we're going through member changes.

She came in and Tim was always with her. He was literally like her. best friend. I had

Jeremiah: no idea.

Kelly: Yeah. Like Tim says, I remember seeing Michelle when she was a baby because Tim and Michelle's brother, big brother were [00:15:00] best friends. Yeah. So, you know, he, he's also like very savvy in music and was a manager

Jeremiah: the best.

Kelly: Yes. And so he was like right there with her to just. You support her at that time. It was such a crazy time. Like I said, she was going onto a movie train. So he was there to support at every step of the way. And it wasn't until like, what, two, three years later that I was, Actually looking at him like, Oh, he's got nice shoulders.

Got

Jeremiah: the shoulders.

Kelly: I know, I know. Those shoulders was nice and broad. And I was like, Gentlemen, if you're listening,

Jeremiah: just make sure your posture is right.

Kelly: Exactly. And, and he had this great sense of humor. And I remember he would overhear me and the girls talk about like dating and this and that all the time.

Like if I said something like, and this guy, and he did such and such and Tim would be like, Oh, no way. Well, I can be better. You know what I mean? He would throw these little jabs in there. And so finally I was in this relationship and I, uh, he was out on the road wherever we were and I talked to him and I just kept talking to him and I loved talking to him and we hadn't stopped talking since then.

Jeremiah: You know what the funny thing is, is I know I, I always like give him shit, but he is like one of the most dynamic, intelligent, charismatic, he's like, He's the man. Like, you know what I mean? He's so sweet. It's from the second I met him. He's, he always is like very nurturing. He's just a good man, um, which makes me happy because you deserve nothing less.

But

Kelly: you see

Jeremiah: me, you decide you're going to move in together. We'll fast forward. You've owned homes. You've been on your own. He's been on his own. What was it like coming together and living together?

Kelly: Okay. So catch this. So after Houston, I, um, of course I, um, I sold my place in Houston and then I moved to Miami.

Jeremiah: Oh, what a chapter.

Kelly: Yeah. So I moved to Miami and, um, me and Tim started dating and I got these two huge closets, right? And so I used to keep like one side summer and the other side fall clothes. Oh my gosh.

Jeremiah: Love that for you. I know, right?

Kelly: So then I was like, I really vibe with him. I want him around. So he visited me one time and my clothes were still in this one closet And then like we hung out this one time Like just in miami, and I remember he said he was gonna come back.

I was like, oh perfect. I would love for you, too Jeremiah, I cleared that damn closet so fast.

Jeremiah: Really? How'd you know right away?

Kelly: I just knew. I just knew. Well, you knew him

Jeremiah: too on like a personal level.

Kelly: I did. And so I cleared the closet. And so when he came back, he was like, Why is this closet empty? I said, so you can leave your stuff as you'd like.

I said, that drawer's empty. That drawer's empty. This whole space is yours if you, if you want. Wow. And he said, I do. I was like, so you can just leave stuff here. Because when he first met me, I was getting flowers delivered to my house, like every day from different shoes.

Jeremiah: Yeah. I was one of them.

Kelly: So I was like, let me let him know.

Like, yeah, it's all about him.

Jeremiah: When you guys moved in together, does he have like a really different style? Do you have a lot of opinions stylistically? Or did he just kind of roll with what you had? Or is he just easy with everything?

Kelly: He's so easy to be honest, like, I

Jeremiah: mean, don't marry a small decorator.

That's a real twist.

Kelly: No, by the way, I totally would just to be able to know what's quiet and what's not, because if you walked into this place in Miami, you'd be like, Oh my gosh, I'm divorcing her immediately between the velvet drapes that I had in my room. I wanted it all burgundy. It was this. That's right.

Dejanay's color.

Jeremiah: That was a big color though. Everybody wanted burgundy, everything. Walls, red slate tile. Like it was a moment.

Kelly: Yes. Yes. So I'd gotten in the building before it was finished. So I was able to do my floors and pick a marble. And I didn't know at that time what a luxury that was. So instead of having like a you by my side and say, don't you do that.

Okay. Don't you do, don't do that. You know what I mean? I, it was just as tacky as possible and thank God I was able to sell it. I'm sure they probably got it and picked up the floors immediately.

Jeremiah: That is so funny.

Kelly: Yeah. Cause I had like this really ridiculous grand marble entrance that I didn't even like vibe with later.

And I had this huge table, got to remember I was bringing my furniture from Texas, that huge furniture from Texas instead of starting from scratch. So anyway, it looked nuts.

Jeremiah: It's so funny too, because I don't know if he did this, but I was actually talking to another friend about this and she said, you know, [00:20:00]every home that I designed, I designed it for what I thought other people liked and what I was supposed to look like for other people.

And I always wonder, you know, how much that impacts people's taste. Did you stay in Miami for long?

Kelly: I stayed there for seven years. I was there when the, yeah, I was there when the economy crashed. So it was wild to see so many empty buildings and I was, There and a space in which I bought for so much money went down to literally less than half of what I bought it for.

And then when it came back up, I was able to sell it for even more than what I bought it for. So it was just like such a learning experience from America, but yeah.

Jeremiah: Yeah. So everybody better get out there and vote, get out there and vote. Immediately.

Kelly: Okay,

Jeremiah: Kelly, I want to talk about arguably two of your biggest accomplishments, your boys, Titan and Noah. They're nine and three now.

Kelly: Yes. Nine is probably the hardest year ever. Yeah. Tell

Jeremiah: me why for you.

Kelly: Because. I know that he wants to be independent. I just want to help him along the way. And so the fight back and forth of that, which I, I totally get a friend of mine.

Who's a therapist. It's like Kelly. He's going through that phase. He was like, that's so good that you raised a son that wants to be independent. It'd be different if he did. And I was like, yeah, but you can't choose when to be independent and when not to. He said, you can when you're nine and you're figuring it out.

Yeah. And I said, OK. And then he tells me to remember that his brain is this big and my brain is fully developed and the rest all of this shit, which I totally get. The only thing is, is that. She's a boy and proper defiant, so. Yeah, he's definitely nine. And then Noah is three and wants all of my attention and he is a straight momma boy.

Oh,

Jeremiah: I'm so jealous.

Kelly: He is a mama's boy. So he wants to be right next to me all the time, all the time. And I love it.

Jeremiah: Do you think you're different since having them?

Kelly: Yes, I know I am.

Jeremiah: How so?

Kelly: I'm way more patient. This was like the patient's part of parenting was a thing. I remember I told you I was afraid of.

Jeremiah: Yeah, we talked about it.

Kelly: Because I didn't think I had enough. And.

Jeremiah: Oh, I remember you saying that.

Kelly: Yes. And I remember. Just like not having a mother with that much patience. So that's the only example I can have. So it's learning it all over again. So when I feel like my top is about to explode, I just literally leave the room because I'm like, I don't want that part of my ancestry.

That's what I mean. I don't want that part of my ancestry.

Jeremiah: Listen, Kelly, you may leave the room, but you're always in the house. That's the difference. I'm serious. You know what I mean? You're always there. Do you, um, are you different parents than you thought you would be?

Kelly: Yes, I didn't, I actually didn't know what kind of parent I would be.

And I thought that parenting would be like, Oh, they listen. And they, you know what I mean? Cause I had God kids, but that was like a joke. It's a huge joke. And so now I'm in this place where I just, I learned something new about my kids and myself. So. And the way me and Tim parent every day.

Jeremiah: Yeah. Or you're a good team though.

Aren't you?

Kelly: Yeah. We have learned that when we like team together, we got a whole like plan.

Jeremiah: Yep.

Kelly: Oh. They can't do anything. Cause I'm like, well, dad said,

Jeremiah: that's the trick.

Kelly: It is.

Jeremiah: I know

Kelly: it is.

Jeremiah: Do you think that the, like having the kids and the house now being full with little footsteps, do you think it's affected your relationship with space and surroundings?

Like, has it changed, um, what you want out of your house?

Kelly: Oh, yes. You know, I, I think when I was growing up and you see all these like, uh, television shows with like a house full of kids. Like I remember I said, I want five kids. No,

Jeremiah: that's what I wanted. I wanted a big family. Yeah.

Kelly: I wanted a big family. I was like, I want like five kids.

And then when I had one, I was like, all right, we're going to just, you know, two and through and two was done. And then When there was a thought of a third, it was like, what do I actually have the capacity for? You know what I mean? Because I like things a certain way. I like the way everything is flowing and I really risk respected that.

And I listened to it [00:25:00] and I'm very happy with how things are going in the house right now.

Jeremiah: Yeah, I know. I, I just last week was like, I think I could do it again. Like, I really think I could have a third one again, but I don't feel incomplete.

Kelly: Right. You know, our family,

Jeremiah: our family doesn't feel incomplete to me.

It's just, I'm just mourning the fact that I loved having. Like the chaos and the babies and I don't know. I loved that part of it Um, and so i'm out of it now. My kids are six and nine They're not, you know, we're not anywhere and you've at least you've got a three year old. I mean I'd kill for that

Kelly: I'm watch by the way Just the next time you over or next time we're in New York,

Jeremiah: that's fine.

I'm perfect babysitter. He

Kelly: would literally be like, okay Bye, man

Jeremiah: Take good care of that. I promise

Kelly: Yes, I know you would

Jeremiah: yeah, it's a win win for both of us.

Kelly: I know you

Jeremiah: would yeah Have the kids affected by the style of the house and like what you bring in and what you won't like furniture and stuff?

Because with two boys, I feel like I don't want to sound super heteronormative here But I feel like shit can get messy with two little boys.

Kelly: Let me tell you something. I have repainted my house twice. No,

Jeremiah: no, no

Kelly: Yes, yes, why

Jeremiah: what are they doing

Kelly: because in particular downstairs because that's where like the family area space is I wish I would have like thought To know that the, what is that, the island in the kitchen, it's the base of it should have been made of like, not cement, but like really sturdy wood, right?

Because the trucks, the, you know what I mean? The chairs, all of that, like, like there was this one time there was this like car that, Somebody bought, uh, Noah and he ran it into the perfect spot of the baseboard. That whole bottom baseboard came out. I just took a walk around the block and literally the next day, Tim had somebody here to fix it because he was like, that's going to drive my wife crazy because that's the thing.

I have OCD. I know you do too. So it's when something is broken in my house. It's a trigger for me emotionally, you know what I mean? Oh, yeah. I don't like anything to be broken in my house because and, and I don't like things on my like floor, like crumbs and stuff. Mom. And I remember my mom telling me years ago, a lady keeps her kitchen clean.

At night,

Jeremiah: at night,

Kelly: absolutely. She said, make sure every night before you go to bed, your kitchen is clean. If not, you will have this and that going like rodents. And I was like, Oh, so literally every night. I like teaching the kids now, clean up after yourself, put your plate in the sink, wash your dish. Noah, even at three, when you're done, take your plate to the sink.

If you made a mess on the floor, you better pick every crumb up.

Jeremiah: Kids are crazy and everybody's environment is different. But when you see children that don't respect the space that they're a part of, that's the part that drives me crazy. And we didn't have any money growing up at all and nothing was nice, but God damn, if you didn't clean up and vacuum the staircase every week and you didn't wash the dishes, you were in.

Big trouble. You had to respect the space that you were a part of.

Kelly: So, we just had a situation where Titan had a friend over.

Jeremiah: And so, they're in the already. I hate the kid already. I hate them. So, they're

Kelly: in the back, and I let them, I'd send them to this place up the street, burger spot, call heavy handed, Titan calls me, Mom, can I have, you know, a soda?

I rarely let him have soda. So I said, yes, sure. So he brings his soda back. He's still drinking it for whatever reason. Of

Jeremiah: course. Why? He's going to take it, take his sweet time with that. Are you kidding?

Kelly: Yes. Right. He's no dummy. So he brings it home and his friend brings his home and they have it in the backyard.

And I'm like, I'm not going to make them put it in the, on the table. I'm just going to let them do their thing. Sure enough. Him and the friend leave it outside. It spilled all over my back porch and Tim is Tim's Tim's like a Clean freak to is his pet peeve like do not leave anything back there So it's sticky and I look back there and I said Titan And I asked him to come outside.

I said, let me tell you something. Me and your father worked so hard to make sure that this is all a nice, stable, beautiful home, a clean home for you and your brother. I just want you to understand how much we respect this house and how much we would like for you to have enough respect for your home that if someone comes over, you tell them, yo, man, you better pick your cup up.

My mom ain't gonna like that. My dad is not gonna like that. Put the cup away or put your plate away. Like you have to respect your house. And when people see you respect your house, they respect your house. Period.

Jeremiah: What did he say? He's like, yes, mom.

Kelly: Yes, mom. [00:30:00]

Jeremiah: Well, I think about it all the time because I feel like you have been, you've been in the spotlight for pretty, for your entire adult life and much of your childhood.

So your home, like, where do you find, like, where do you go to hide? Like, where do you go to recharge, you know, like, I can't imagine because you give so much, like, where do you go to fill up again? That must be why home is so important to you, I imagine.

Kelly: It's so important to me, but not even just that, but like, this was my dream.

You know what I mean? Like, this was my dream. If I've gone from, you know, pillar to post, you know what I mean? For, for most of my life, early part of my life, when I finally was able to have my own, this was my dream to have my own home and pull a car into the garage to locking my own door. Like, this was something that I dreamed of.

Dreamed of and because I feel so blessed to have it I'm gonna respect it every step of the way every whatever it is I need to clean whatever tax it is. I need to pay whatever I want everything to be done on time like I just I I don't take it for granted I don't

Jeremiah: know. I know you don't.

Kelly: So I love it that I want to continue to so into it like just this view that I have of my front yard right now.

It just makes me so happy.

Jeremiah: It's so good.

Kelly: It just makes me so happy. It's mine. And I and I work my butt off for this. So yeah,

Jeremiah: you sure do. You sure do.

Kelly: Yeah.

Jeremiah: I was going to ask you, I know that faith has played such a huge role in your life. You were a soloist and your church choir, um, to obviously, you know, a member in a very small popular music group, which I'll remain nameless.

Um, how does faith play a role in your home? Like, do you do things like spiritually in your space? Do you have ceremonies or rituals? Like, I'm always just kind of interested how it manifests in your home.

Kelly: It was so funny. In the, the neighborhood that we're in, we absolutely love, um, and when we got here and we saw the home, I remember calling the girlfriend of mine and she said, if Titan walks into the house, like he owns the house.

The room is his she said that's your home. She has the most beautiful connection with God And so sure enough we got to this house and Titan goes I'm gonna let us see where my room is I look at Tim's and I said how much do they vote for yourself? And so we got the home and when we got into it I remember going around every sink like every corner Corner crevice of this property.

And I remember praying over some oil and I asked God to cover this house. And I had some oil. I prayed over it in every part, like the gate, the soil, the side of the other house, the branches, the doors, the windows, the ground. Everything I anointed with oil. And then I finally said a prayer and asked God to cover it.

And then there's this huge tree at the house. So, I imagine angels are that big and they're literally just like sitting up like this. So, if somebody even tried to think about it, they go, DOO! And flick them off. You know what I mean? So, I feel like

Jeremiah: I love that.

Kelly: My house is completely covered. And I actually have this playlist.

And the playlist is like all of me and Tim's favorite songs growing up, whether they be R& B, hip hop, gospel, the shuffle list just gets it right every time. And when we have dinner parties, we always play it. People always ask about it. And the playlist is called where the blessed rest.

Jeremiah: I love that. How long have you guys lived at that house now?

Kelly: Six years.

Jeremiah: Wow. Well, what can I say? You're a terrible person. You've got no depth. There's no depth. Um, you know, I think one thing I want to make sure that I talk about today, that's something that I've always kind of always been in awe of with you, is definitely, obviously you have countless accomplishments, but you are an admirable.

Philanthropist. And it's something that I think really speaks the core of who you are. You're obviously involved in baby to baby, which is a nonprofit that provides children living in poverty with basic necessities. You've advocated for the raising awareness for everything from breast cancer, to reforestation, to the education, empowering of young girls.

But I wanted to talk to you because you're offered housing relief following hurricanes Katrina and Harvey, but most recently you and me had founded the Roland house projects,

Kelly: which.

Jeremiah: is such a big deal. Provides permanent housing for Houston's homeless population. What was the inspiration behind all this?

This is a big full circle. I feel like a big full circle moment for you as a person, but like what is that meant to you?

Kelly: When I first walked into Bread of Life, which is the church home.

Jeremiah: Yeah.

Kelly: That all of this just cultivated from. [00:35:00] It was their awareness of the homeless population in downtown Houston. It was the fact that every Sunday we were in praise and worship with so many different souls, like of so many different backgrounds.

And it were, we would literally be praising and worshiping. You know, God, whether it was Sally who worked the nine to five, somebody who else who is just found their way to God or the homeless guy who just came in from outside and he's just figuring out his way. And so we would hold hands. We would all be praying together.

Like that was, I love the foundation of that because it is, is so powerful. And pastor Rudy and his beautiful wife, uh, pastor Juanita, um, Rasmus. They are just. Incredible people to say the least. And this is the kind of congregation that they had where everybody was supportive of each other. Like our, and you saw the children's church hangouts.

You saw the God pound, like cheering for everybody when they, you know, had a, uh, got a new job or were however many days or years clean and sober, like everyone celebrated each other in this space. And so they. Them and my mama T, Matthew, like put that in us. And so to this day, it's, A wonder and a beauty and a blessing to be able to witness someone find their footing.

You know what I mean? And that's what this home is. It's it's peace and it's finding your footing in this place where you can celebrate yourself by looking around you. You know what I mean? And feeling like I'm good. I'm gonna be fine or I'm fine. And that is a blessing.

Jeremiah: I was trying to explain it to Poppy the other day, and you know, the truth is, I know this because I lived in my car and bounced around and whatever, but you know, you're always one mistake or one tragedy away.

From needing somebody to reach their hand out and to help you. And so it's so important. And I think so important for people to realize how much you care about bettering their community and that was people around you. I mean, you're, like I said, for anybody who meets you, obviously you exude nothing but warmth and grace and kindness.

You do so much and it's always made such an impact on me.

Kelly: Thank you.

Jeremiah: Besides that cute blonde Bob you got right now.

Kelly: Thank you, boo. And I feel the same. I think that we. The reason why we share so, so much love between each other is because when you do share your humble beginnings, like I'm always like, well, and it'll be like very much.

So like, yeah, I remember the night I spent in my mom's car, by the way, Titan does not believe me.

Jeremiah: Oh, I know. Poppy, Poppy can't believe it either. Yes. She's like, you slept in the backseat. I'm like, yes.

Kelly: Yes. I'm like, yes. And when I told Titan and we were having like just this moment and he was like in the car.

I was like, yeah, I was like, man, me and grandma Doris, we slept in the car. He goes, what? Yeah. I said, yes. And then he said, Mommy, how are you? And I told him how old I was. And he was like, Are you okay? I said, yes. I was like, I'm fine. I was like, but I just want you to understand. This is why me and daddy work so hard.

And I said, why, you know, we just asked the only thing we require in this house is respect.

Jeremiah: That's same with me. I'm like, I want you to be kind. And I want you to be honest, that's it, the rest, you have no expectations, just take it and go. Well, you moved through obviously the world with such intentionality.

What's next for you? What's the next big plan? What are you excited about? What's going on?

Kelly: Oh, gosh, that's offline. I can't wait to talk to you about that.

Jeremiah: Okay. Yeah, I'll schedule drinks, but everything is good. I

Kelly: know. No, honestly, everything is wonderful. And I actually just signed on to do this show, um, that I'm actually leaving for tomorrow or the next day in the UK called building the band.

And it's been so interesting to watch people like want to get behind a group. Recently. So I'm doing that project with Netflix and we film in the UK. So I'm going to be going to do that. Oh my God. So fun. I'm also. In the process of making music again, which feels so good.

Jeremiah: It's about time. Let's go. I know.

I'm ready to hear. I'm ready to dance to it.

Kelly: I know, I know. Um, do you

Jeremiah: have two seconds for some quick questions?

Kelly: Absolutely.

Jeremiah: Okay. This is just fun. Um, okay. What sign are you? Aquarius. I knew that already. I love an Aquarius. Do you have any heirlooms that were passed down to you?

Kelly: You're not going to believe this, but yes, I did.

Jeremiah: Really?

Kelly: Okay. Um, I say did because I, well, no, I have two, three, three. Okay. I had my great on land's favorite ring and I actually went to, I went out of the country. I can't think of where I was and I got a [00:40:00] real Ruby and I put the real Ruby inside of it. And to this day, I cannot find that ring. And it makes me really, really sad.

Emotional every time I think about it. Yes, because she was so proud of it. It was a little silver ring. Anyways,

Jeremiah: okay, fine Watch i'll find it today And

Kelly: then I have my grandmother's hat. She used to wear to all of her parties and she was so fly Yeah,

Jeremiah: I love that. What was her name? Ella may ella may don't mess with ella may

Kelly: Yes,

Jeremiah: um, what's the most interesting place that you've visited recently

Kelly: the most interesting place?

Yeah, I would probably have to say I mean it was last year Year, but late como. Oh, I'm obsessed.

Jeremiah: That trap sounded quite nice,

Kelly: man. It was just. Incredible. I've never been. Oh, you would never come home.

Jeremiah: Yeah. Well that's fine. sounds real cute. Never come home. I like that life. It's

Kelly: beautiful.

Jeremiah: Okay. Like camo.

Yeah. Um, what are you watching right now?

Kelly: What am I watching right now? Uh, good sex

Jeremiah: Um, okay. Who would be at your dream dinner party and where would it be? Just gimme a couple people. It doesn't have to be huge. Top three. Um.

Kelly: The people that I have in my life right now, I would want at this dinner party because I just love them so much. And we have such a great time together and we have the best conversations that we dance to other people to add to that would have to be Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.

Jeremiah: Oh my God. Blast. Okay.

Kelly: Love them. I'm Prince and Prince. Jesus.

Jeremiah: I went to one dinner party with Prince. This is my, my one claim to fame. Um, I was 20. Two years old. I was a guest of a guest. I was at the end of the table. I didn't speak. I probably was such a creep, but I could not believe that I was at the same tape.

It was wild. Anyway, that's another, that's another story.

Kelly: Yes.

Jeremiah: Another time. Um, if you could instantly become an expert in something, what would it be?

Kelly: Instantly become an expert in something. Human behavior.

Jeremiah: I think you're better at it than you're giving yourself credit for.

Kelly: No, human behavior, just like the way the mind works and, you know, body language and how to speak to people and like pick up on like, I pick up on energies, but sometimes like I just, Want to be a little bit more keen or not be as, um, not overanalyzed.

Jeremiah: Yeah. Oh, well, you're an Aquarius. I know. I love it. Well, that wasn't too painful, right? Not at all. You're the best. Thank you for this. I really appreciate it.

Kelly: Of course. Thank you for having me.

Jeremiah: I just want to say a quick thank you to Kelly for taking the time. Um, obviously Kelly is somebody who means the world to me and she has done so much. She gives so much. It's exciting to just see a little bit into her world and what brings her joy. I would love to hear all about the special places and the pivotal moments in your life.

Be sure to post comment or tag us on Instagram at CA closets. A special thanks to the entire team behind the scenes. This episode is produced by Rob Schulte and Rachel Senatore at Sandow Design Group.