73 Questions With Alicia Keys | Vogue

hey Alicia what's up how are you good how you feeling I'm good thanks so much for having me by for somebody through lutely I'm glad you can make it okay now I know how busy you are so let's get this thing done okay so on average how many hours of sleep do you get every single night I think I mean about five hours a night and what's the first thing on your mind every morning when I wake up in the morning I'm thinking about I'm usually thinking about how do I get time to meditate so that I can set my you know set my day off right gonna start your day with peace of mind right now do you feel most creative in the morning or at night I've got really creative at night when it's quiet I wish it let me tell you how much I love your beautiful home thank you I love it it's gorgeous we've been here maybe five or six years and this definitely feels so good and how would you describe your home I describe it as a big ball of love vibes and loudness because there's always a lot of people here running in and out we have really good time here do you have a favorite room in the house um I do but I'm not taking there yet Oh give me a second obvious question but is there a piano here um not that wrong but there's another one can't wait to see it should we have some tea oh I love tea I'm like a fan I think I'm okay thank you though um who's your favorite composer um I think my favorite composer is Chopin I love how soulful and like deep and dark it feels I'm a fan what do you listen for when you listen to music when I'm listening to music I'm listening for that you know that energy that just kind of Rises the arms the hair on your arms and you just makes you you know that thing that you're like oh yeah that looks about it it's a vibe so what's the first album that you've ever bought the first album I ever bought was BBD poison yeah I must warn you you're taking it way back that's right it's kind of going back but that's my first one else do you want I read somewhere that you were actually part of a girl group when you were 13 that was hot um I wasn't part of a girl group I was a part of a few girl groups and but the one that I think you're talking about is what's called ambition that's right EMB is hu and we were trying to cute uh how old were you and you wrote your first song first song I was real good song I was 14 first song I was 11 and what was it about it was about my grandfather passing away and that was actually the beginning of why I started writing to like Express I'm just caught I'm all alone and you remember the lyrics it was I sit here I was 11 so anyway I sit here all alone and I wonder what is wrong why are there so many deaths so many lost sir by hmm that's really beautiful so I was thinking about do you remember what your mother was playing on the speakers when you were young my mother played about a Bobby Caldwell and she loves but they won't do do ya Lisa singing to me I'm loving it and what's one thing your mom said that left a lasting impression she always said she you know the Golden Rule she was I treat people how you want to be treated and that is always how I think about it what is the biggest lesson you learned from the women who raised you biggest lesson I learned yeah the women I raised me really taught me how to beat bad asses like really strong just don't take any mess say what you want be direct be clear have to know what you want to say and how you're gonna say it and just deliver it yeah that's powerful stuff and you grew up in Hell's Kitchen in the 90s you've even called it the harshest of the harsh when you think about that time in New York City what's the first thing that comes to mind when I think about Hell's Kitchen New York City I'm thinking about at that at that time and the 90s I'm thinking about you know a lot of Darkness a lot of drugs prostitution it was like the place where all the people who didn't belong anywhere else would go which is why lighthouse kitchen was so fitting so it's definitely a is a deep experience do you feel that that experience from out there affected your music definitely affected definitely affected my music just gave me that love for hip-hop a soul for blues for truth for poetry for the dark soulfulness it definitely added to that mixture so what do you think is the harshest thing in Hell's Kitchen today Mickey Mouse cuz it's Disney so these days when you return to New York where's the first place you go when you touch down here I'm always trying to go straight home and quick as I can now what's your favorite place to dance my banjo oh we should there are kids watching this out of all the places in New York City what would you say is the best hidden gem oh I have this really cool it's kind of literal with this really cool gem spot that I go together I love crystals and I'd love to collect them so for me that's what I wanted that's a literally a gem literally how can I show you that Roma tell me about what - all right here it goes so Alicia let's talk about that incredible job you did hosting the Grammys Wow that was definitely a unforgettable moment how long were you prepping for that you know I mean I was prepping for it from the minute that I knew that it was gonna happen which was sometime in the summer but I mean I guess you really start to prep know November December you know a little bit closer just so that you can be timely and everything right you know a more serious note had everything that happened that day affected the evening it was definitely crazy you know he lost Kobe that day and it was just hours before the show yeah and it was so sad and Gigi and all the families that were there it changed everything it made everything that we planned for go out the window and just had to go with spirit you know had to go at the genuine feeling of how we were all feeling which was devastating well I mean you handled it beautifully pivoting from from the original plans they're pivoting is I think a really important thing that I have been learning you know you don't always know what is meant for you and sometimes you just have to be well in a flow and that was definitely a Biggie's Appl of the flow yeah beautiful so performing in front of our fellow artists did anyone make you nervous um you know it is a nerve-wracking experience and it can be in kind of a nervous room because it's so filled with everybody but for me I really want to create the calm like I really want to create the good energy I want to welcome people make people feel good many people feel loved make people feel appreciate it so I didn't feel nervous I felt like I was bringing that you know good energy as you always do and do you have any mentors or rituals before you go onstage I'm a big muncher lover I'm a big bitch ooh I love I love tea I love incense candles stones like we said already crystals but I'm big on prayer and I just like really intend for what I'm hoping to come out of the moment do you consider some spiritual person very very spiritual and just very connected - yeah for the universe we're gonna see Elisha Becca for a year three annoyed yeah not talking about it alright fine fine fine now talk to me a little bit about performing new material versus all do you have a preference oh I really love before my new material is this is really exciting because you know you've been working on new songs and new visuals and new ideas and it's really exciting to get everybody in your mix and understand where you're going so you're excited about the music business today yeah I am excited about the music business I think that it's a whole new world it's a wild wild west it's like there's no rules it's this open canvas that you can create exactly what you want and there's an opportunity for so many people it's not it's not so you know no matter who you are where you live you can you can be involved you can express yourself you can put your music out you can be independent I love that it's free like that is there any facet of the industry that you wish you could shine a light on and change anything that I want to change any industry I love I may not we we have an organization called she is the music I'd love to see more women in at that's at the table and that's what we're talking about and what we're creating and you know more women and engineers more women producers and all women in boardrooms you know just more women really creating the world we want got a platform use it now what's a talent of yours that people may be surprised to know you know you might be surprised to know that um I got a little a little flow with me got a little flow it's got a little bit of a flow that's pretty mysterious okay oh you're doing Lucia we're shifting gears we're moving on here we go what's the last book that you read Shalonda and he goes ii Adichie Purple Hibiscus and love her she's so special that's the last book alright alright I read and what's the last place that you visited the last place I visited we were just in Miami yep and Berlin London and and rent cambio I'm shy when I thought you're gonna beat me in air hockey I gotta go soon so yes leave soon all right show it show him show them my head and Jim come on show me what you got this might might or might not be one of my head's going come on Egypt oh good least we got one man hit Mike got a pull shark in the making I promise the Egypt you're gonna okay back to the questions yoga or pilates yoga was her favorite scent my favorite scent is nog chomp oh it's like a an incense it's beautiful now Alicia I heard you secretly wanted to be a party planner I am the most amazing party planner you've ever met yeah birthdays I Rafi agrees with you Alicia anyway you recently said that your kids taught you how to appreciate the magic when it's there which i think was really well said what was the last haven't said oh well very talented um my kids do teach me the magic actually you know I think that even just now you know the the feeling of that mmm genuine you know presence and being present and just appreciating the little things you know they show me that all the time yeah and what's the backstory behind the names Egypt in Genesis Egypt's backstory is I took a really important trip to Egypt that changed my life and I realized that there I realized there's nothing I can't build there's nothing that I can't create and so when I was pregnant I my husband had actually suggested Egypt he also suggested Genesis he said he had a dream in Genesis being kind of like the beginning like renewal it was really really powerful yeah what are they obsessed with at the moment um Dragon Ball Z not really no pokemons now Egypt I hear you're into music huh yeah yeah and Alicia how does it make you feel having a son that's producing and releasing music yeah it's just really awesome he plays piano he practices really hard and he produces he produced a pre produced for Kendrick and actually a few of our songs are really musical so KJ nas Egypt Nicole we have a kind of a musical family here you're on your way and what's your favorite thing to do together as a family I think we really like to roller skate roller skate is a nice little tradition for the family OBO goe it's a roller rinks is a more street oh yeah yeah we were all escape there and we also roller skate in our gallery sometimes that's pretty crazy I could show you that room later who would love to see it sounds good and whoa look at the ceiling this is incredible isn't is so so beautiful I love this so much this this world just in transports you oh he's trying to beat me here we go see there we go wait Alicia what's the most rewarding thing about being a mother the most rewarding thing about being a mother is oh when they beat you oh when they're better than you it's really really reward school and when they took competition he does it let me show you the gallery so describe Swizz his parents style in three words so is his parenting style is hard as nails no I'm just kidding he's actually really sweet and he's definitely you know he's like he's he's not viously not as cuddly as mama is but he's really really beautiful and he's honest very honest and what have you and him taught each other he's taught me about the magic like allowing space for the magic allowing room for there to be magic and I've taught him about kind of coming a little bit down out of your clouds a little bit just a tiny bit I think where do you feel like you're at your most personal best I'm not my personal best when you know when I have a nice balance between my family my work my creativity my dreams my self what is the hardest challenge that you've ever had to overcome hardest challenge I've ever had to overcome is probably just really recognizing that the power that I was looking for or the answers that I was looking for are inside of me as opposed to looking outside of me all the time and allowing other people to maybe control the outcome Alysha everywhere I look has the most amazing art I've ever seen in my life this is amazing Hindi Wylie yeah this oh my gosh this is such a beautiful room I we love it and what can you tell me about this artist Hyundai is very very special I mean I can t this is his largest piece and we are so blessed to own it and this is a cause piece that is also very iconic and if you went down there I mean it looks huge here but if you went down it's like massive and we actually had to remove the whole side of the house to get him in here it was a crazy well there's certainly no lack of inspiration with this art right it really is beautiful now you have a new album coming out yeah and its self-titled Alicia Alicia the album want me to go with that name now who is that person anyway I'm actually trying to figure out what can I expect to hear on it you're gonna hear heat rocks you're gonna hear that timeless music that's gonna be with you forever in your heart and you're definitely gonna hear different sides of Alicia because I think there's so much that makes us who we are and we don't get a chance to always express all the sides so that's what I'm looking that's what I'm doing and why was releasing underdog so important to you underdog just feels like such a story at such a moment I think we're at a time where we more than ever just need to know that we're going to figure it out and we're gonna make it through um I think that just for me I always need to hear those words because sometimes things feel kind of dark so underdog feels triumphant so this is a great time to talk about your new book hmm more my sense it's a theme Alicia more myself is definitely a theme other place from really understanding more about how to become my authentic self and I wanted to share some of those journeys with you because I think we're all looking for like the truth and the realness in our lives absolutely Alicia thank you are you leaving no I'm not going anywhere how's a scan agent feels leaving sorry hey so what was your process writing a book like that's really really uh deep crazy interesting is so much different than writing music you know it's like music is these short moments but you have to tell these stories in these short moments this is the book is just so much more in-depth so much more memories and also therapeutic cuz you start to realize even the things you did to create these moments and how do you undo them so it was very it was it was really amazing but hard and see and which process was harder songwriting or memoir I think the I think the journey cuz I'm calling the book a journey the journey is definitely the heart of things right maybe because I just don't do it often and songs I write more often so I'm more familiar with how to get it all done can I have a hug hey I'll see you at the airport I mean I know I know our hugs standard issue here and I love hugs and need them so is there anything that you were nervous about sharing with everyone in your book I mean I think you get so personal you get so vulnerable you get so you get so kind of for me it was more about the process of expressing the way that it happened and and so I didn't feel nervous about it but it definitely just feels vulnerable and who are some of the people that you thanked in the book definitely thank Oprah the first book on her imprint I'm super proud of her and so excited that her mentorship and sisterhood Life brings us back together like this what do you hope people will take away from the story I really hope people take away the conversation that I'd love for us to continue having like how do we all create our own destiny as opposed to the expectations that are put on us by other people and sometimes we live out those expectations because we were trying to be the good girl or the good boy and I would love for us to challenge that and talk about how do we just how do we find our own truth what does feminism mean to you feminism to me just means the power of a woman and honoring it and cherishing it and really lifting it up and revering it I like that and what values do you feel are the most important to instill in your kids I want my kids to to know what it no kindness you know no empathy I definitely want them to understand their blessings be grateful gratitude I want them to understand how to speak to people clearly and communicate in a way that it helps them get across their point of view there's so much to connect and teach them what would you say is the toughest thing about raising kids in 2020 toughest thing about raising sons in 2020 is you know I think that I think the world is could be a very dangerous place for men and especially young black men and I think that just to continuously teach them and show them how to stand in their kingliness is really important so they're already well on their way dough they are on their way now Alicia I believe I was promised a certain oh I think I was gonna show you my room with my piano my other favorite room so what does me time look like for Alicia me time is you know my meditations me time for sure me time is also you know a special you know a special spa moment just for myself it's it's a moment with my girls my home girls we get to just hang out my husband obviously when I guess you know that's still with other people but it it still fills me up you know and I think that's what it is like how do you feel your sofa what's two words to describe your style tomboy chic there's the piano looking good who's most stylish person alive Alicia the same Billy Porter what are three wardrobe staples every woman should have three wardrobe staples I think you should have a white tee a fire fedora and a black leather rates across braids so this is where you write your music this is where comes the line I love it yeah it's amazing and you said that you don't have a traditional or strategic or formulaic approach to writing music is that right yeah I don't you know I just go with the heart for music I don't get scientific with music I get more just what it feels like you know that's the most important and what's the most difficult song that you are you've ever read it's so interesting because the the hardest song I've ever created is also the easiest song I've ever written if I ain't got you is the easiest song to write but the hardest song to put in the form that you hear in cuz it just took so long to figure out how to produce it right and create that right genuine energy so that's a that's it's enfold and what would you say is the most beautiful song you've ever in most beautiful song yeah what is it I don't like favorite songs it's God not even the king and me just talks about no matter how much money you have nothing is more important than love no words truer than that Alicia I do have to apologize because I didn't come prepared to play your piano oh that's okay but no but what tips do you have for all those watching starting to play I would say anyone is just starting to play just keep playing just practice and keep trying different styles and um you know just especially figure out who you are and what what special thing you have and you collaborated with so many legends in your career who's left on the wish list I still haven't I realized that I didn't get to collaborate with Prince before he passed away and I I'm so sad about that and I still haven't collaborated with Lauryn Hill or a hill like that needs to have it needs to happen Alicia besides piano what else can you what else can you play I play all keyboards play a little bit of guitar but my mainstay is all key words so any type of piano any type of keyboard I'm I'm messing with it and your piano sound is so soulful it's a very spiritual very just connected - yes Barrett yeah and what's your attitude in life in 2020 my attitude in life in 2020 is no holding back no them in the light and complete clarity well Lucia it's time for clarity of the keys chef Haysom please do [Music] I feel me yeah what good is an interview if I'm not gonna you gonna get back I'm not gonna do a duet with you come on okay let's get it [Music] yeah we did that yeah I'm I'm really good

Channel: Vogue

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Id: AwZjWigTTHM

Length: 23min 38sec (1418 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 30 2020

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[u/infrapinkish]

The fact that the lighting in her entire house is super flattering ...