Alicia Keys is the cover star of the November issue of Vogue Italia, where she and her husband Swizz Beatz reveal Lovers Rose, their first musical collaboration. The project is due in early 2027.
The interview is by Corinne Corci, with photographs by Szilveszter Makó. It follows Keys‘ performance at Vogue World: Milano, held in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. There she performed Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ in a dress by Francesco Risso for Bureau of Imagination. Of the event, she says: “I loved the connection to the concept of craftsmanship. I think about how a fabric comes into being, the painting on a dress, or the mastery of Roberto Bolle’s classical ballet. Everything celebrated the hands”.
Lovers Rose
Lovers Rose is conceived as a sonic installation, described as a sound the listener can immerse themselves in. The project brings together the couple’s shared love of soul music, Chicano soul and car culture.
Swizz Beatz says: “Working with my wife, who I’m still a huge fan of, is amazing. Being able to be in the same room with her, write together, share ideas and give the audience something they wouldn’t expect from the two of us is incredible.”
Keys describes it this way: “It’s not the typical ‘New York sound.’ There’s a sense of peace, of warmth, a vibe that allows you to relax and disconnect from the chaos of a world that frightens us.”
Italy and New York
Keys speaks about her connection to Italy: “I feel a connection with Italy that goes beyond reason; it’s a genetic, spiritual connection.” Her first surname is Augello, and her Italian roots trace back to Sicily. Recalling an encounter in Italy, she says: “I don’t speak Italian, and she didn’t know English, but when I looked at her, I saw my aunt, I saw my mother. I understood what she was trying to communicate through the way she took care of me. Italy is humanity”.
The interview also covers her upbringing in 1980s Hell’s Kitchen, New York, where she shared a studio apartment with her mother, Terria Joseph, and began studying classical piano as a child. In 2001, aged 20, she released Songs in A Minor. Her career has since taken in 90 million records sold and 17 Grammy Awards.
Swizz Beatz has known Keys since their high school days. He recalls: “She was much ‘tougher’ than me. I remember her as if she were standing right in front of me now. She was wearing an enormously oversized shirt, baggy pants and a winter hat pulled down over her head. I asked her for her phone number, and she didn’t give it to me.” The couple have been married for 16 years and have two children.
Keys also names the places where she feels safe. Alongside the home she and Swizz Beatz call “Dreamland”, she says: “I have two other safe places in the world. The first is Swizz. With him, I can be completely myself, without fear. The second is my children’s bedroom”.
Elsewhere in the issue
The November issue also includes a story on Bureau of Imagination, Francesco Risso’s personal project, and an interview with the American painter Alex Katz, who is 99. It also covers Convivio, the charity market supporting Anlaids Lombardia ETS, which returns to Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan from 5–8 November. Its 17th edition introduces the concept “Giocare in Casa” (Playing at Home).
The full interview is available on Vogue Italia.