Alicia Keys Explains Why She's Glad She's Past Her Twenties

Alicia Keys is on the cover of InStyle‘s July 2020 issue, available on newsstands and for digital download on June 19.

Here’s what the 39-year-old “Girl on Fire” singer had to say…

On why she’s glad she’s past her twenties: “I swear, I wouldn’t go back to being 20 if somebody paid me—it was literally the worst time ever. I wanted to fit in so desperately. I was so blind, so dependent on everybody else’s opinions, so uncomfortable, so unclear.”

On the direct link between being kind to others and being kind to herself: “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. And I think my ability to access that place has brought a deeper connection to other people.”

On remaining hopeful when it seems harder than ever: “You know, we do a really good job of judging each other and assuming who people are when we don’t even know them. 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.”

She recently shared this inspiring message for the Class of 2020.

For more from Alicia, head to InStyle.com.