Alicia Keys’ 5-year-old son photographed his mom for InStyle cover
Parents have been finding lots of creative activities to do with their kids during lockdown, but Alicia Keys took things to the next level: her sons photographed her for a national magazine!
Keys graces the July cover of InStyle, and her gorgeous cover photo was shot by her 5-year-old son, Genesis.
Her 9-year-old son, Egypt, and her husband, Swizz Beatz, also snapped photos for her InStyle feature.
In her interview, which InStyle notes took place in early May, before the global protests surrounding George Floyd’s death, Keys opened up about kindness and the importance of remaining hopeful.
“You know, we do a really good job of judging each other and assuming who people are when we don’t even know them,” she said. “To me, the most important thing we can do right now is take a second to see and appreciate each other as we are. I really believe that we are it — we are what we’re waiting for, what we’re looking for. The way we raise our kids, the way we choose to be with each other, the way we face the world — that is how things will start to shift.”
The singer, whose new album, “ALICIA,” has been postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis, also talked about how being kind to herself has changed her relationships with others.
“I’m coming to the place now where I’m able to live more fully in my skin, my imperfections, my feelings, which are so hard to access, because we want to protect our heart, right? That’s what we’re all doing in some way,” she said. “And I think my ability to access that place has brought a deeper connection to other people.”
With all the confidence and wisdom she has gained over the years, Keys said she would never want to return to her 20s.
“I swear, I wouldn’t go back to being 20 if somebody paid me — it was literally the worst time ever,” she said. “I wanted to fit in so desperately. I was so blind, so dependent on everybody else’s opinions, so uncomfortable, so unclear.”
On a different note, Keys revealed that like much of the country, she’s been keeping things casual while quarantining at home.
“The amount of sweatpants I’ve been wearing has been amazing. And unfortunately, we’ve been doing a lot of baking," she said. "Cookies have been happening a whole lot.”
The July issue of InStyle is available on newsstands, on Amazon and for digital download June 12.