Alicia Keys Opens Up About Having a Blended Family

Alicia Keys is on the cover of Essence‘s June 2019 issue, out now.

Here’s what the 38-year-old “Girl On Fire” singer had to say…

On having a blended family with Swizz Beatz: ” There are plenty of people who have new families and are then able to bring their entire families together. Whatever’s natural, you know? It’s just a natural vibe. You can get to know each other and actually create sisterhood, create understanding. I just don’t think we get to see it a lot, or at least it’s not featured, even in the media. You do something superpositive and the media’s not paying attention to that. It’s wild, wack. We are really proud of it. Our kids are flourishing. They’re beautiful. And it’s a constant process for us. We talk. We support one another. We build.”

On when she realized she was a grown woman: “The thing that comes to my mind is when I gave birth to Egypt, my first son. I went to visit my mama and my ‘auntie,’ who has known my mother for a billion years. I was introducing her to the baby, and I’ll never forget the first thing she said to me: ‘Oh, you got your big-girl panties on now.’ She was right. Prior to that moment, I would have definitely not had my big-girl panties on. I remember it was like a real transition.”

On her dreams: “First I want to be healthy. I want to be healthy, like for real, like spiritually healthy, emotionally healthy. I want my family to be healthy. I want it to be ingrained in all of us, our power and richness and potential. I really want that in the same way I want to feel fulfilled. Not because I have a lot of things or because something went the way I wished it would, but because I’m genuinely fulfilled. So that’s a big wish for me.”

For more from Alicia, head to Essence.com.