Alicia Keys showcases glowing skin and gushes over her 'beautiful blended family' in Essence
The leader of the 'No Makeup Movement' - Alicia Keys - broke her rule and had her make-up artist Dotti apply Dior cosmetics to her face for an ethereal new spread shot by photographer JD Barnes.
The 38-year-old Calma songstress - who glowed on the June cover of Essence - famously declared she didn't 'want to cover up anymore' in a 2016 Lenny Letter essay.
The 15-time Grammy winner glammed up in a bejeweled durag by Cheyenne Kimora and a metallic Rolen Mouret gown selected by Essence fashion director Marielle Bobo.
Sunset stunner: The leader of the 'No Makeup Movement' - Alicia Keys - broke her rule and had her make-up artist Dotti apply Dior cosmetics to her face for an ethereal new spread
Alicia said becoming a mother to sons Egypt Daoud, 8; and Genesis Ali, 4; with husband Swizz Beatz 'taught me so much about life.'
'I remember clearly wanting to remove the negative energy around me quickly, and prior to that, I didn't feel so drawn to do that for myself,' Keys told Essence's Yes, Girl! podcast.
Share this article
'But doing it for this new soul made sense to me. And then that evolved into realizing that if it's not really feeling like the right thing for me…if it's not feeling really good, I'm not going to do that. I used to say yes to everything.'
The native New Yorker and the 40-year-old Grammy winner (born Kasseem Dean) - who knew each other as teenagers - will celebrate their ninth wedding anniversary on July 31.
On newsstands Friday! The 38-year-old Calma songstress - who glowed on the June cover of Essence - declared she didn't 'want to cover up anymore' in a 2016 Lenny Letter essay
'Into the light': The 15-time Grammy winner glammed up in a bejeweled durag by Cheyenne Kimora and a metallic Rolen Mouret gown selected by Essence fashion director Marielle Bobo
The former piano prodigy is also stepmother to the Poison rapper's three older children (by three different women) - son Prince Nasir, 18; son Kasseem Dean, Jr., 12; and daughter Nicole, 11.
'We are a beautiful blended family...I'm definitely, definitely proud of where we are and where we're going, you know? Our kids are dope!' Alicia gushed.
'There are plenty of people who have new families and are then able to bring their entire families together...You can get to know each other and actually create sisterhood, create understanding...
'Our kids are flourishing. They're beautiful. And it's a constant process for us. We talk. We support one another. We build. Sometimes we're like, "Man, what about this? How are you handling this? How are you handling that over there? Is that going like this?" You know? And we're connecting, so it's a beautiful thing.'
'I used to say yes to everything': Alicia said becoming a mother to sons Egypt Daoud (L), 8; and Genesis Ali (R), 4; with husband Swizz Beatz 'taught me so much about life'
Keys told Essence's Yes, Girl! podcast: 'I remember clearly wanting to remove the negative energy around me quickly, and prior to that, I didn't feel so drawn to do that for myself. But doing it for this new soul made sense to me. And then that evolved into realizing that if it's not really feeling like the right thing for me…if it's not feeling really good, I'm not going to do that'
Knew each other as teens: The native New Yorker and the 40-year-old Grammy winner (born Kasseem Dean) will celebrate their ninth wedding anniversary on July 31 (pictured last Friday)
'We are a beautiful blended family': The former piano prodigy is also stepmother to the Poison rapper's three older children (by three different women) - son Prince Nasir (L), 18; son Kasseem Dean, Jr. (M), 12; and daughter Nicole (R), 11
Keys was raised in Hell's Kitchen by her paralegal mother Teresa Augello after her flight attendant father Craig Cook left when she was 2.
'She is a single mom and she's a bada** woman,' the biracial R&B belter said.
'She is so strong. I don't even know how she's as strong as she is, and I'm so proud of her. I'm proud of what she's given to me, and she has always kept it 100 percent funky with me. She gave me a certain sense of groundedness that stuck with me my whole life.'
Career-wise, the Raise a Man singer teased 'new music on the way' and she's penning a memoir titled More Myself: A Journey on Oprah Winfrey's publishing print, An Oprah Book.
'She is a single mom and she's a bada** woman': The biracial R&B belter was raised in Hell's Kitchen by her paralegal mother Teresa Augello (R) after her flight attendant father Craig Cook left when she was 2
In the works: Career-wise, Keys teased 'new music on the way' and she's penning a memoir titled More Myself: A Journey on Oprah Winfrey's publishing print (pictured May 2)
