Alicia Keys says she ‘was supposed to end up being a prostitute’
Singer Alicia Keys broke on to the music scene with Falling in 2001, but now we’re finding out that she could have taken a completely different path.
In explaining
the meaning behind her recent track Underdog, Alicia said that she could
have ended up in prostitution.
“I am that
person. The one that wasn’t supposed to make it out of Hell’s Kitchen, who was
supposed to end up being a prostitute, a young mother at 16 years old, or addicted
to drugs. I am the one who was supposed to be in the wrong place at the wrong
time and got injured or killed,” said the singer who grew up in New York.
Alicia also said she started dressing like a tomboy so that she wouldn’t be bothered by men in her community.
“I had to always wear something very baggy, very dark, always had my hair back; I felt like if people saw me, they might try to touch me,” she said. “That’s why I’ve always been such a tomboy – I’ve never been the one in pretty dresses and nails because I could not have nails and hair. And for a lot of girls, it still is a safety risk to walk the streets.”
