Alicia Keys Stirs Up a Quiet Storm on Complex Cover

Alicia Keys channels her seductive side on the cover of Complex magazine's December/January issue. The R&B songstress, whose prepping the release of her forthcoming fifth album, 'Girl on Fire,' not only shows off her bare legs in an inviting pose, she captivates with her gaze and the words she shares during her interview, titled 'Unlocking Alicia.'

She opens up on many topics in the course of conversation, with self-dissection, life changes and motherhood among them. When it comes to competition, Keys is looking at the woman in the mirror. "I don’t wanna be like her or him," she explains. "I want to be my best.”

Change comes in the form of a song, 'Brand New Me,' which sits on her new LP. Keys penned the effort after realizing certain individuals in her life just weren't ready to accept her new sense of self. “Becoming my new self, some people didn’t understand me anymore," she states. "Some people who I knew for years—we couldn’t be on the same page anymore. That’s OK because that’s part of growing, too... I love that song so much. It’s so freaking real.”

And motherhood seems to be treating Alicia Keys right; she's ever-glowing in photos and in public when caught with her song Egypt and husband Swizz Beatz. Being a new mom helped her "clean house" and focus on the positive aspects of her life. "Motherhood was a big part of me breaking free," Keys admits. "Before I gave birth to Egypt, there was a certain energy of wanting to fix things. Women want to clean stuff up before the baby comes. I refused to be in any circumstance that would give negative energy to this.

"That was what pushed me over the edge. It was becoming a woman. I was a girl, and now I’m a woman.”

Check out this changed woman's new opus, 'Girl on Fire,' featuring 'Not Even the King' and 'Tears Always Win,' when it arrives Nov. 27.

Complex