Source: Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com / WENN
Alicia Keys considered terminating her second pregnancy as a result of mounting pressure connected to the release of her sixth studio album and her husband Swizz Beatz’s acceptance to Harvard Business School. The 39-year-old recounts the experience in her forthcoming memoir, More Myself: A Journey.
In 2014, Alicia was surprised to learn that she was four months pregnant with her second child. At the time, she was juggling raising her then-toddler son, Egypt, and finalizing an album. Additionally, the singer noted that she had been drinking heavily prior to learning of her pregnancy.
“I wasn’t ready for this, which is what I told the doctor,” Alicia wrote in an excerpt released to People. “‘This is the worst time ever. I’m working on my next album. My husband just got into Harvard Business School. And I’ve been drinking—a lot.’ I left her office feeling so torn.”
She went on to admit that her professional music career felt more important than anything else at the time.
“The music I was creating felt more important and urgent than just about everything,” she wrote. “I’d have to put off its release for at least a year if I chose to have the baby.”
A turning point came for the “No One” singer during a studio session.
“While I was struggling over my choice, I went into the studio one evening and began listening to ‘More Than We Know,’ a song Swizz and I had written,” she recalled. “The lyrics are about how we’re capable of so much more than we can ever imagine. My eyes filled with tears. How could I take away the potential for this beautiful child, this light that could touch others in ways I couldn’t dream of. For me, the song was a powerful message that I should go on with the pregnancy.”
The couple welcomed their second son, Genesis, in December of that same year. Ironically, Alicia’s mom, Teresa Augello, was faced with the same decision after learning that she was pregnant with the singer. Alicia admits that the shared experience has definitely made her feel closer to her mom.
“It wasn’t until writing this that I realized, ‘Oh s—, she chose me’, even through all the difficulties,” Alicia told People. “How would she ever know what I was brought here to do? In a way we are parallel, but I didn’t even know that.”
More Myself: A Journey is slated for release at the end of this month.
