Friday, 14 December 2007

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Alicia Keys talks about her ups and downs

Singer battles with depression

A little secrecy can be a good thing in guarding one's love life, says Alicia Keys – but not such a good thing when it comes to dealing with depression.

Asked by Giant magazine about a rumored romance with her producer, the singer replies, "That's what they've been saying for a while now, but I don't usually address that question. Oprah told me never to tell – and I can't disobey Oprah!"

Keys, 26, has been getting that a lot lately. On Tuesday, Uma Thurman offered similar advice to Keys when a personal question slipped through at a press conference for the Nobel Peace Prize concert.

She will admit this much about her love life: "I definitely found my partner. I know he is somebody who will always be special to me and that we're always going to be in each other's lives."

Keys says she even tends to be secretive within a relationship – at least at first. "It's my nature to let them show me who they are first before I show them who I am," she says. "But once I'm in love with somebody, I'm the best girlfriend you could ever have."

There have been times, though, when her tendency to hold back was emotionally draining – when she battled depression.

"I was feeling so sad all the time, and I couldn't shake it," she says. "I started burying my feelings, and it got to a point where I couldn't even tell my family or my friends, 'I'm twisted,' or 'I'm exhausted,' or 'I'm so angry.' ... I became a master of putting up the wall so that I was unreadable."

Keys recently told Uptown Magazine that she "had to learn to let go" to overcome her depression.

Tim Nudd