15-time Grammy-award winning singer Alicia Keys’ covers the February 2017 issue of Allure magazine, where she speaks wholeheartedly about her no make-up movement, politics, and more.
“I’m not a slave to makeup,” Keys, who is wearing make-up in an editorial photo shoot for the first time since last spring, told Allure. “I’m not a slave to not wearing makeup either. I get to choose at [any] given moment. That’s my right.”
“I think makeup can be self-expression,” she added for anyone who took offense to her personal choice. “I have no intention to shame anyone at all [who chooses to wear it]. No one should be ashamed by the way you choose to express yourself. And that’s exactly the point. However, if you want to do that for yourself, you should do that.”
Keys has always made her voice heard when it comes to social and political issues. During this past election, she used her voice to urge her fans to go out and vote, insisting, “If you care about your life, where we are going, and your children, then vote.” Now that Trump is set to take the highest office in America; she is urging her fans to remain optimistic of the new president.
“The We Are Here Movement [a wide-ranging social-justice organization founded by Keys] will stand in support of Hispanics, refugees, people of color, Muslims, and anyone who feels afraid in the upcoming Trump era,” she said. “I have a hope that President Trump, as a New Yorker, will have more liberal views than his campaign rhetoric suggests and that in the end our system of justice will prevail. But it does hurt that racism was not a deal breaker for millions in the election. However, as an artist, I expect to continue to use my voice for things that matter, as I have since the beginning of my career. That won’t change. As an activist, I will continue to fight for what’s right. That won’t change, either. It’s time for all of us to be engaged. As a mother, I am a lioness.”
Click next to view photos from the cover shoot and check out the full cover story with Allure here!

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