At 20 years old, Keke Palmer doesn’t exhibit the kind of behavior TMZ would gobble up. Thanks to a tireless work ethic, a hardworking momager and enough star power to grab FaceTime on Lifetime, the lead as Chilli in VH1’s TLC biopic CrazySexyCool, a horror flick with Eve and a film under Queen Latifah’s creative company, the songstress/ actress shows no signs of slowing down for anyone.
Still, Vixen wondered if there was anything she hadn’t done…in a while. In this edition of “Back to Basics,” Keke reveals the troubled child star stereotype doesn’t phase her, but that grocery shopping may be a problem.
—Adelle Platon @adelleplaton
Photo Courtesy of Artist
VIBE Vixen: When was the last time you went grocery shopping?
Keke Palmer: Oh my goodness, eight months ago.
Do you remember what you bought?
No. I don’t know how to grocery shop. My mom is like, ‘That’s a real big issue.’ When she comes to my house, there’s nothing in the refrigerator. I just got a roommate so she cooks a lot for me. I be like “Ooh, thank you girl.” I never go grocery shopping. Ever.
Last time you bought your own makeup.
Everyday practically. I love makeup. I don’t need to buy makeup everyday but it’s often. Like every two weeks, I’ll buy something new for my kit because I like makeup.
What’s the last product you can remember?
I bought some Dior eye shadow and I bought some Smash Box primer. .I don’t like Dior as much because it’s doesn’t show up as much. It’s a little too sheer. I want it to have more pigment.
What color was it?
It had two different colors. But I just got some Lancôme and I prefer the Lancôme actually because the colors show up more.
Last time you drove yourself.
Oh every time. Well, not all the time. My parents drive me sometimes when I have early auditions but I’m usually drive myself anywhere.
What kind of car do you drive?
A Mercedes, an SUV. Not the bigger one, the smaller one. The MLK. I drive myself everywhere and really, I just got to say, whenever I miss home, I always think of myself driving because that’s where I get my little vibe.
What do you have on your cruising playlist?
Oh everything. Lots of R Kelly.
Well, we’re going to have a White Panties album next.
Isn’t that crazy?! Ya boy is out of this world. I definitely have a lot of R Kelly. I got the new Black Panties album, the Justin Beiber album which I really love, I have that on my playlist. Always have some Rihanna, Drake—always got some Drake, a lot of people. Drake is definitely like a cruzing type of artist. I could listen to his cool Nothing Was The Same album driving, I just did it one too many times so now I got to take a break. I listen to a lot Sleep Wood Mac and a lot of Stevie Nicks. She just puts me in a deep, deep thing. Her voice is amazing.
Last time you used public transportation.
Never in California. I mean, maybe Uber a few times. That would kind of be considered a type of public transportation.
Last time you paid to get into the club.
Never. Only because I don’t go to the club I think. It’s just so boring to me. There are events that my friends have and I’ll go but generally, I prefer a house party over a club any day because it’s more personal. A lot of times, LA clubs are very exclusive and I’m not an exclusive person so I don’t like anything that’s excluding, that’s too out the hood. I don’t like that type of vibe. A lot of times, the LA clubs are very much so like that. If they’re about dancing and having fun, I’ll go. But the clubs are too much like popping bottles. I don’t got the money. I don’t like that type of stuff.
So then, you may not have not an answer for this. Have you ever been turned away from VIP?
No, I’ve never been turned away from VIP only because I’ve never really been to the clubs.
Last time you had a celebrity Stan moment, like the last time you turned into a fan girl around somebody?
I’m real honest when I like people…I’m trying to think of the last time this happened. I haven’t been super nervous in a long time. But I consider a fan girl being just excited. I was just at the Instyle party and I was talking to Regina Hall and Gabrielle Union. Even though we know each other, I was still really excited to see them and to have that time to hang out with them because I love them both so that might be like a fan girl moment. The last time I was really like “Oooh” was probably like 14 or so, like when I met Brandy and then when I met Rihanna I was really like “Oh my God.”
Last time you deleted a social media post.
I delete them a lot on Twitter because I’m a perfectionist. I’m a Virgo. So whenever I make a typo, I just delete it and put the second one. So, I do it often on Twitter but it’s just because I don’t like to make typos.
Last time you checked your bank account balance.
Oh all the time because, you know, I don’t use cash a lot but I always use my card so every now and then, I’m like “Wait a minute, do I have money in there?” Because I don’t put all my money in one account so it’s like let me see if I do have the money and then I check. I’m like “I got to make sure I ain’t running out of cash.”
Last time you spoke to your mom or dad.
Everyday. Even though I don’t live with them, I talk to my mom every single day even if it’s not about much. A lot of the times, it’s about work because my mom’s involved in my work stuff. So, a lot times it’s not like ‘Hey, how’s your day going?’ A lot of times, it’s like ‘Look, you got to be here by 5. You got to be here by 6.’ A lot of stuff like that.
Okay, last questions: last time you were hung over?
It’s so funny because I think people don’t realize how open and honest I am with my parents and how much we really talk about. I went to Mardi Gras weekend with my best friend just a little while ago and I had my firstdrinking/ hangover experience. I literally woke up and was like, ‘Mom I think I’m getting sick my head hurt a little bit and I also drank a little bit last night. Do you think that’s what the headache is from?’ I’ve heard how a hangover is but I didn’t know how it really was. People just act like it gives you a big headache but they didn’t say that it makes you feel like you have the flu.
The funny thing about it was, my dad drinks, so I was like maybe I have a high tolerance because I was acting normal the night of. I remember everything but how I felt in the morning you would think that I was acting nuts but I was walking normal like, ‘Girl, I don’t feel nothing from this drink.’ But then I wake up the next morning and I was like, ‘Oh hell.’
So my parents and my sister told me things to do, like drink a little Sprite because you might need to settle your stomach, sip some OJ and then you also need to eat something. It was such a casual conversation between my parents and I, and I appreciate those moments so much. At the end it was like ‘Oh, and by the way y’all, drinking is not for your girl!’ My parents are real cool like that and I really appreciate that because it makes me feel so good to be able to talk to them about that type of stuff.
As long as it doesn’t get you on the front page of TMZ, you’re good.
That’s what I feel like. My grounded relationship with my parents is what keeps me focused and keeps me from acting all crazy.