ELLE Interview: Alicia Keys for Kiehl's

Alicia Keys talks to ELLE about her latest collaboration with cult beauty brand Kiehl's.

Alicia Keys has her fingers in a lot of pies. She's a musician, businesswoman, activist, philanthropist, mother and wife. Her charity, Keep a Child Alive, of which she is the co-founder and global ambassador, works to provide medicine to families with HIV and AIDS in Africa has recently teamed up with the incredible do-gooders and notorious HIV/AIDS research and prevention contributors at Kiehl’s to get them on board with her cause.
For a limited time, Kielh’s will be donating the global profits, up to $200,00, from their iconic, skin saving Midnight Recovery Concentrate to support the African families in need. In Australia, Key’s has requested the proceeds go to the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations, her chosen local affiliate. $59 for glowing, radiant skin and a feel-good bonus? Sign us up.
We spoke to the singer/songwriter about being a mother, why she’s so passionate about the cause and how she stays balanced.
What inspires you the most about Keep a Child Alive’s cause?
“We all deserve a chance at life, and we all deserve the chance to dream, no matter where we live or what our economic status is, or surely, whether we're HIV positive or negative—we definitely deserve life. This treatment allows people to have life, and allows little kids who, without treatment, would be predicted to live until two, to live a full, amazing, incredible life.”
How is Kiehl's contributing to this mission through the partnership?
“Kiehl's is donating 100% of the profits of a special edition Midnight Recovery Concentrate to Keep A Child Alive, which is incredible. They're really about being a part of the community, and they’re supportive of things that are going on in the world particularly with HIV/ AIDS. We couldn't be a better fit!”
Do you have any favorite Kiehl's products and if so which ones?
“I am a lip-balm fanatic! I really like theirs a lot, I use it all the time, It’s one of my favourites.”
How does being a mother affect your work with KCA?
“I've always been very empathetic to the whole scenario, and with getting the treatment to people who deserve to live, and everyone deserves to live. When I first met some of these kids I was like 20, and they were 18, 17, 16 and they were watching their parents die because they didn't have access to the medicine that would keep them alive.
[As a mother], that resonates with me even more because these kids are left on their own. They end up becoming the heads of their households, where maybe the oldest sibling is 15, and they’re taking care of 9, 7 and 3 year olds. How aretheygoing to continuetheirlife and learning and education? It's like a vicious cycle, so as a mother that means a lot to me.
One of the things that’s beneficial from receiving anti-retroviral medicine is that the spread of mother to child transmission is able to stop. When I first went to Africa and I met so many mothers, that was one of the things they begged me for because they were pregnant or they just knew that that would be the doom of their child, and how would they feed them? So, being a mother definitely makes me understand the process on a deeper level.”
What is the most important thing you have gained from motherhood?
“Perspective. I have a much better balance in my life because it's important to me to have that in my world —to not just run off and only do things that benefit my music career or something like that. It's about the choices I can make to create a full, important, powerful life that also leaves plentiful time for my family and my son as well as the creative space. That balance actually makes everything better—I'm more creative because I have that time in life. So that perspective is priceless”.
How have you been able to balance your role as a social activist with being a busy artist, mother, and wife?
"Balancing it all is definitely challenging, but when you're passionate and you love what you do and you love every part of it, it is possible. I'm like a scheduling monster-beast! Every day has to have a very compact schedule, and I put in time I need for myself, my family, special things with my son, the time I need to go do things in the business world. Those two things together: passion and schedule, that's my secret.”
What is your secret to looking and feeling beautiful?
“Being happy. And checking in with myself - Meditation is actually very important for me—I've recently implemented that more heavily in my life, and that's really a nice space for my own self too, which is very important; you need time for your own self.”
The limited edition Keep a Child Alive Midnight Revovery Concentrate is available from Kiehl's boutiquest and