Alicia Keys says her blended family is "beautiful".
Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz
The 38-year-old singer is married to Swizz Beatz - with whom she has sons Egypt, eight, and Genesis, four - and has a close relationship with Swizz's former wife Mashonda, with whom he has 12-year-old Kasseem Jr., as well as Nicole Levy, who is mother to his 18-year-old son Prince, and Jahna Sebastian, with whom he has 11-year-old daughter Nicole.
And Alicia says the women have created a "sisterhood" together and always "support one another" in making sure their kids are "flourishing".
Speaking about her blended family, she said: "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 super positive and the media's not paying attention to that. It's wild, whack. 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."
The 'If I Ain't Got You' hitmaker says she realised she was an adult for the first time when she gave birth to her first child, and says entering motherhood was a "real transition".
Asked when she first discovered she was a grown woman, she said: "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."
For Alicia, the only thing on her mind for the future is to stay "healthy".
When asked by Essence magazine what her dreams are, she said: "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."
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