Alicia Keys Bonds With Estranged Father Over Son
Alicia Keys' family life has changed with a new marriage and baby in the last two years but now the 31-year-old singer, songwriter and philanthropist is reconciling things with the father who left her at two years old.
Keys, born Alicia Cook, recently revealed the reason for reuniting with her father Craig Cook in an interview with Britain's You magazine.
"The process started when my [paternal] grandmother became ill. You realize what's important when you see a person you love dearly and you're not going to have them for long. It was important to her," Keys said. "And I saw [my father's] love for her. I realized he wasn't an evil person so I said, 'Can we start from this point on? Can we be friends? I can start to understand you and you can start to understand me."
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Although the Grammy Award-winning singer admitted that she once had resentment for her father when he left her mother as a single parent to raise the budding entertainer, she told the publication that letting go of her anger toward him is a part of growing up.
"My father and I are fine now. I would say in the process of growing up, you realize you've been holding on to anger," Keys told You. "I was angry then and am sure I had the right to be angry, but if you hold on to all this anger the only person you're hurting is you."
The singer said that she has began to bond with her father over her two-year-old son Egypt.
"I feel both me and my father have grown up. I think something happens when you become a grandparent," Keys said in the magazine. "You have a different mind-set. There's less pressure on the relationship, so maybe it's closer. He was with Egypt last week and he loved it."
Keys' fifth studio album is slated for a Nov 27 release.
