FilmMagic
For her upcoming album, the 30-year-old wrote the aptly titled 'I Owe You,' as a tribute to her mother, Terri Augello.
"In the past, I've written mostly from my own perspective. But I just wrote a song for my next album that was inspired by a conversation I had with a man who was expressing how indebted he feels to God," Keys revealed in the latest issue of Essence magazine. "He said, 'I owe God.' Now, what an interesting thought. And as much as I believe in God, for me that translated into how much I owe my mother for who I am. So I went home and I wrote 'I Owe You.' It's dedicated to her."
Augello was a single mother and raised Keys in the Hell's Kitchen area of New York City. She worked as an actress and paralegal, and Keys has credited her mother and grandmother as her "biggest mentors."
The singer has had quite a year, with marrying Swizz Beatz last summer and giving birth a few months later. "I was very closed for a long time," she explains of her life prior to marriage and motherhood. "I feel so open now. To feel open like this means you've found the center in yourself. You're not hiding; you're not worried about anything. Everything's going to be just fine."
Keys has yet to announce a release date for her new album, but will re-release her debut LP, 'Songs In A Minor, on June 28 to commemorate its 10th anniversary.
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