Alicia Keys is reflecting on the people, places and creative experiences that have shaped her life in a new interview with Vogue Italia, following her appearance at Vogue World: Milano. Featured in the magazine’s November issue, the singer speaks to Corinne Corci about her connection to Italy, her New York upbringing, her marriage to Swizz Beatz and an upcoming musical collaboration with her husband.

Photographed by Szilveszter Makó, the feature captures a more personal side of Keys, whose career has spanned more than two decades and earned her 17 Grammy Awards.

Her appearance at Vogue World: Milano provided the perfect introduction to the conversation. Set inside Milan’s iconic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the event brought together fashion, music, art and Italian craftsmanship. Keys performed Donna Summer’s I Feel Love in a striking creation by Francesco Risso for Bureau of Imagination, a dress made from different fragments, materials and memories.

The focus on craftsmanship was something that particularly resonated with the singer. Speaking to Vogue Italia, Keys explained that she appreciated how the event celebrated the people behind creative work, from the hands that bring fabrics to life to the skill involved in painting a dress or performing classical ballet.

Her relationship with Italy, however, goes beyond fashion and music. Keys describes feeling a deep connection to the country, one she struggles to explain but associates with both her Italian heritage and the warmth of its people. Her surname, Augello, reflects her Sicilian roots, and she says it is the human connections she makes there that leave the strongest impression.

Recalling an encounter with an Italian woman despite their language barrier, Keys explained that the woman's kindness reminded her of her own mother and aunt. For her, the experience captured what makes the country special. As she puts it, “Italy is humanity”.

From Hell’s Kitchen to global success

The interview also looks back at the early years of Keys' life in New York, the city that helped shape her identity and musical career. Growing up in 1980s Hell’s Kitchen, she shared a studio apartment with her mother, Terria Joseph, and began learning classical piano at a young age.

Her life changed in 2001 with the release of Songs in A Minor. At just 20 years old, Keys became a major star, launching a career that has since seen her sell around 90 million records worldwide.

Looking back, she remembers a New York filled with contrasts. Bright lights and people from different cultures existed alongside dirty streets and the dangers of her neighbourhood. Yet, even in those challenging surroundings, she saw opportunity and hope.

Her memories paint a picture of a young girl finding her way through the city, with a piano at the centre of everything. It was a beginning that would eventually take her far beyond the streets where she grew up.

A love story that continues to inspire

Away from the stage, Keys' relationship with her husband, producer Swizz Beatz, remains an important part of her life. The pair first met during their high school years, long before they became one of music's best-known couples.

Swizz Beatz remembers Keys as confident and tough when they first crossed paths. He even recalls asking for her phone number and being turned down. Today, the couple have been married for 16 years and share two children.

Their relationship is now entering another creative chapter with the announcement of Lovers Rose, their first musical collaboration together, revealed exclusively in the Vogue Italia feature.

The project is being conceived as a sonic installation, designed to immerse listeners in a particular atmosphere rather than simply offer a conventional musical release. Drawing on their shared love of soul music, Chicano soul and car culture, the collaboration promises something different from what fans might expect from the pair.

The project is scheduled to debut in early 2027, giving audiences a new way to experience the couple's creative connection.

For Swizz Beatz, working alongside his wife is an opportunity to share ideas with someone he continues to admire as an artist. He describes the experience as being able to create together and give listeners something unexpected.

Keys sees the project as an escape from the noise of everyday life. Rather than following the familiar sound associated with New York, Lovers Rose aims to create a feeling of warmth, peace and relaxation.

She hopes the music will offer listeners a chance to disconnect from a world that can often feel overwhelming, making the project as much about emotion and atmosphere as it is about sound.

Finding happiness in the people who matter most

Despite her international success, Keys' reflections return to something much simpler than fame or professional achievement. She believes people ultimately want the same things: security, respect, the freedom to pursue their dreams and, above all, love.

That sense of belonging is reflected in the life she has built with Swizz Beatz and their children. The couple call their home Dreamland, but Keys says her greatest sense of safety comes from the people closest to her.

She describes her husband as a place where she can be entirely herself, without fear or the need to hide any part of who she is. Her children's bedroom is another refuge, offering the kind of comfort that success and public recognition cannot replace.

It is a fitting conclusion to an interview that moves between music, heritage, creativity and family. For Keys, the things that matter most are not necessarily the biggest moments of her career, but the relationships and experiences that make her feel understood and at home.

The November issue of Vogue Italia also features Francesco Risso's Bureau of Imagination project and an interview with American painter Alex Katz, who continues to work prolifically at 99.

Elsewhere, the magazine highlights Convivio, the charity market supporting Anlaids Lombardia ETS, which returns to Milan's Fabbrica del Vapore from November 5 to 8. Its 17th edition introduces “Giocare in Casa”, or “Playing at Home”, expanding into interior design and living spaces while bringing together fashion, art, design and creativity in support of solidarity.

Together, the issue explores the people and ideas shaping culture today, with Keys' story offering a reminder that behind even the most celebrated careers, the search for connection, comfort and love remains universal.

Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and chief editor of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.