Alicia Keys doesn’t need to prove much to anyone with 14 Grammy awards under her belt. The talented writer, singer and pianist often allows her raw emotions — good and bad — pour into her lyrics.
After doing a photo shoot for her new single In Common, she had a realization and wrote an honest, refreshing essay for Lenny Letter.
Upon arrival, Keys was clean-faced and coming from the gym, rushing to get to the shoot on time. When photographer Paola Kudacki saw her, she asked the singer for the shoot to take place without makeup or fancy fixing of any kind.
“Now? Like right now? I want to be real, but this might be too real!” the 35-year-old said. Keys needed a moment to think, but ultimately agreed.
The shoot led to her writing the essay, saying, “My face was totally raw. I had on a sweatshirt! As far as I was concerned, this was my quick run-to-the-shoot-so-I-can-get-ready look, not the actual photo-shoot look.”
She also wrote what inspired her new album, adding, “Before I started my new album, I wrote a list of all the things that I was sick of, and one was how much women are brainwashed into feeling like we have to be skinny, or sexy, or desirable, or perfect.”
This became Keys’ new look, with several appearances and the video showing her wearing minimal or no makeup.
“I don’t want to cover up anymore. Not my face, not my mind, not my soul, not my thoughts, not my dreams, not my struggles, not my emotional growth. Nothing,” the singer stated.