When Alicia Keys rose to fame, she was just a teenager – and she was soon thrust into a spotlight she wasn’t quite ready for.
It was in 2001 when Keys released her debut album Songs in minorand the album was a huge hit, hitting No. 1 like “Fallin'” and earning the star the first five of her 16 Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist.
But Keys, now 44, tells PEOPLE in the latest digital cover story that she found it difficult to navigate the entertainment world, especially as she struggled with constant acne breakouts.
“I always felt like I was a young girl just breaking into the music business, doing research and being on TV and performing under hot lights and sweating and just [being] in a whole new universe — it was like an alien universe,” she says. “I didn’t feel like myself. I felt like I had to conform to everyone’s expectations of what they thought I was or should be.”
She continues: “It really took me a lot of discipline and a lot of time before I got to the point where I realized that I don’t have to be that person, that I don’t have to fulfill other people’s dreams about me. I might actually just be who I am.”
Alicia Keys is all heart (and soul)
Alicia Keys performs in Santa Monica in August 2001.
Kevin Winter/Getty
Embracing her identity is a lesson that has served her well. In late 2020, Keys launched Keys Soulcare with dermatologist Dr. Renée Snyder, as a way to help people honor the connection between skin and soul and be their best.
“It’s hard to be [yourself]. Who are you? Who are you really, most of the time? It is difficult, especially at the very beginning,” she says. “You’re trying to fit in. You want people to like what you do, you want positive feedback. And when you don’t get it, it feels unnerving and definitely uncomfortable.”
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Keys, whose brand recently partnered with Amazon Premium Beauty, says her relationship with beauty ultimately helped her understand herself better and realize that what she calls “toxic energy” isn’t good for her.
“I didn’t understand that I had to check in with myself and say, ‘What makes you happy? What will bring you joy? How can you release things that don’t serve you?’ ” she says.
For more on Alicia Keys, check out the latest PEOPLE digital cover.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education