Verve First Look: Alicia Keys is Givenchy’s Golden Girl

As Givenchy releases its ad campaign for Dahlia Divin, the Empire State of Mind singer, Alicia Keys, happens to be the perfect face for the fragrance. The couture house brings together fashion and fragrance, with hints of gold and bouts of aspiration. Made for the urban achiever, this refreshing new fragrance reminds us of Alicia’s deep voice singing, ‘These streets will make you feel brand new, these lights will inspire you….’

In a quick téte-â-téte, the singer-songwriter lets us in on her beauty secrets, narrates fond memories and expresses her love for the golden fragrance. Read it first on Verve below:

1. On being the face of Dahlia Divin “We all remember that moment when we’re little girls and we put our mother’s perfume on for the first time— we felt beautiful and strong. To be the muse of Dahlia Divin is so special because I still feel the same way I did as a little girl.”

2. Favourite accord “Dahlia Divin is full and sensual with three distinct notes, mirabelle plum, jasmine and sandalwood. Sandalwood is one of my favorites! I even burn sandalwood incense when I write.”

3. Favourite perfume memory “I think every girl has that memory of her mother or grandmother wearing perfume and how certain scents evoke comfort and familiarity. My grandmother’s scent was gardenia, and my mother’s was white musk — even now they fill me with love and good memories.”

4. Concept behind the ad campaign “The story which is about a woman being boxed in, is something I think a lot of women can relate to in life. We’re told to be this, or that and we just want to be free, to be who we are: beautiful, bold, passionate, sensual human beings. I was drawn to that concept and especially the part about breaking out of our boxes.”

5. On composing the music for the film “The music starts off gentle and delicate, almost dreamy and then builds into a powerful and soulful crescendo which matches up with the visuals. Most of all, it’s meant to be alive and radiant like Dahlia Divin and the mixture of delicate and strong that every woman is.”

6. When looking for inspiration, you… “Look into my son’s eyes, and I see so much joy and so many possibilities. I draw a lot of inspiration from my husband because of his electricity and creativity. Life is a huge inspiration for me — full of endless perspectives and lessons!”

7. Favourite musicians “Nina Simone, Prince, Patrice Rushen, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Erik Satie, Chopin, Marian McPartland…I can go on and on.”

8. Beauty rituals “I’m a big believer in getting exercise to rejuvenate the mind and body. It sounds cliché, but I do believe beauty comes from within and if you take care of yourself, then your natural self is far better than anything else.”

9. Upcoming projects “I’m so excited I’m working on a new album right now and that has captured a lot of my focus these days. I’m really looking forward to share this new music with the world in the coming months. It’s craazzzyy and my favorite yet!”

Watch the ad campaign here: