Alicia Keys reigns in the New Year in red on the cover of Essence Magazine’s January 2013 Issue. Setting fire to the music scene yet again with a fifth studio album that is already projected to hit number one on the Billboard charts, Keys has a lot to celebrate and discuss â her new music, motherhood, and married life.
The 14-time Grammy winner has learned and grown a lot in the past few years, which is evident in her latest release Girl on Fire. Songs like “Brand New Me” reaffirm her attitude to embrace growth. She’s embraced a more confident, assertive self and has realized imperfection is not failure. “It’s okay if I can’t do every single ting. I finally understand that it doesn’t make me a lesser artist or human being.” she tells the magazine.
A born and bred New Yorker, Keys still resides in her hometown. Living in Soho with her husband, music producer Swizz Beatz and their 2-year-old son Egypt, her and her family, like many New Yorkers, were unable to avoid the chaos recently caused by Hurricane Sandy. The Aids activist talked to the magazine about being unprepared for the wrath of Sandy. “After the third or fourth tuna fish sandwich, and after we learned we’d be without power for a week, I called my mother, who lives Uptown. She was okay and hadn’t lost any power, so we ended up going to her house. We were pretty lucky.”
For more on the cover girl, the January issue of Essence will hit stands on December 7th.
