Alicia Keys: I Have to 'Bust My Ass' To Stay Fit

ET's Christina McLarty caught up with Alicia Keys after her exclusive performance for Citi/AAdvantage credit card members at the Lincoln Center in her hometown New York City. Flaunting a fit figure after giving birth two years ago, she admits that it was a grind to get back in shape.

"[It was] a lot of very difficult, hard, painful work," Keys said of maintaining her figure after giving birth to her son Egypt. "Some people are just like...'I just eat steak and potatoes and bread and I'm fine,' and I'm not that person. I have to really bust my ass."

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As for the music that is produced by that hard-earned fit body, Keys is on the brink of releasing her fifth studio album entitled Girl on Fire on November 27. The Grammy-winning musician revealed the back-story behind the album's theme.

"It's kind of about the journey to becoming a girl on fire because when you're becoming a girl on fire you're going through everything," she said. "You're going through vulnerabilities and insecurities...bouts of fear, and you're unsure of things...Then, you start to find your way and your voice, and that's what I was going through."

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With major events including marriage and giving birth to her son having taken place since she released her last album in 2009, Keys admitted that her life has significantly changed amid the new happenings.

"I find that I feel a lot more secure, a lot more confident," she revealed. "I think that's also just because of the journey itself....Surely, those things had something to do with it, but mostly it's probably just time...I feel like I'm more aware of myself and who I want to be and how to be it. It's a nice feeling."