Alicia Keys has come a long way since her 2001 debut songs in A minor. A decade later, the wife and mother reminisces about her seminal album in a new interview and photo shoot for fashion magazine W. She strikes a bold pose in an Alexander McQueen jacket in one of the portraits by Mario Sorrenti.
“I just wanted to be who I was, which was like so many other girls I knew,” Alicia tells the magazine. “We grew up in the city, had a hard edge and obstacles to overcome, but we were still young and beautiful. I didn’t want to be all dressed up, all made up—I wanted to be myself, which hadn’t been done before.”
Songs, which earned her five Grammys and sold 11 million copies worldwide, will be re-released as a 10th anniversary edition with bonus tracks, demos, live performances, and more on June 28.