Alicia Keys Reveals 2016 No Makeup Decision Was 'Rebellious Moment'

Alicia Keys has opened up about her famous years-long choice to quit wearing makeup.

In a recent in-depth interview for a magazine's cover story, the classically trained pianist disclosed that the life-altering resolution was born from a "rebellious" phase. The singer-songwriter has avoided using cosmetics since 2016, opting to keep her face in its natural condition regardless of whether she is home or attending a big-profile event.

Nearly three years after she admitted to getting "addicted" to makeup, Keys — real name Alicia Augello Cook — has shed more light on her cosmetics-free journey. The "No One" hitmaker addressed the issue during her chat with InStyle magazine for the publication's June 2023 cover story on Thursday.

"When I had my rebellious moment, which obviously the world witnessed with me, I was just getting to know myself," the "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart" songstress said to the publication's director Madeline Hirsch. 

She added that she went through her "own experience of really feeling rebellious" about what individuals "were telling me, what the world, society was telling me, what I was supposed to look like because I fell into that, I subscribed to it."

The mother-of-two further shared that her cosmetics-free choice was about getting to know herself and rejecting society's beauty standards. Ultimately, the Grammy Awards winner had to analyze what she had been taught concerning how she should act and look, so she could build a new set of values based on her thoughts and feelings. She expressed:

"As I started to get more into that personal relationship with myself, that's when I started realizing, 'Okay, it's not about anything specific.' It's not about makeup or no makeup. It's not about mascara or no mascara. It's not about lipstick or no lipstick."

Explaining further, Keys stated, "What it's about is how do you want to express yourself and what space do you want to claim for yourself. And what boundaries do you want for yourself?"

As it turned out, figuring herself out led her to create her own lifestyle brand, Keys Soulcare, in 2020. The line targets customers who want to "nurture" themselves through various products ranging from makeup to body care to candles. While promoting her InStyle interview on Instagram, the MTV Video Music Awards recipient penned to her millions of followers:

"The world is so…. physical. You know, you're not really taught about the spiritual, the soulful, you're not really taught about how important it is to be a full person on the inside. My skin didn't begin to change until I changed the energy around me, and within me."

In November 2021, The Blast detailed that Keys spent her younger days with her mom, Terria Joseph, in New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. She began taking piano lessons at seven after falling in love with the musical instrument.

Her unique singing voice encouraged her to write songs as she progressed, ultimately preparing her to become a trendsetter in her music career. The Billboard Music Award winner's life turned when she met music manager Jeff Robinson, who loved her raw talent and took her under his wings.

Robinson helped her to create a slew of demos and songs, which she showed off to music labels until she landed a gig with Columbia Records at age 15. However, the "Empire State of Mind" collaborator's relationship with the label swiftly ended due to a difference in both parties' artistic vision.

She then briefly joined A&R at Arista Records before moving to J Records, where there were no restrictions on her creative abilities, and she released her debut studio album. "Songs Of A Minor. The project, like her other works including "A Woman's Worth," "The Diary of Alicia Keys," "Unplugged," "As I Am," and "Girl on Fire," was highly acclaimed by the public.

Today, Keys has earned a spot amongst the music industry's highest-grossing artists in the United States. In fact, the luxury home she shares with her husband of almost 13 years, Swizz Beatz, highlights her booming net worth. As of 2013, the New Jersey estate, which has 32 rooms, was estimated at $12.1 million.