ALICIA KEYS OPENS UP IN COMPLEX MAGAZINE

Alicia Keys covers the December/January issue of COMPLEX Magazine where she discusses her evolution as an artist, how motherhood has changed her and the impact of Frank Ocean. Here are some highlights: On becoming her "new" self: “Becoming my new self, some people didn’t understand me anymore. Some people who I knew for years—we couldn’t be on the same page anymore. That’s OK because that’s part of growing, too. The hardest thing is to trust yourself, to know that what you’re feeling is valid. A lot of times we dismiss our feelings. I realized that I can trust myself and say, ‘No, I’m not comfortable with that.’ That was the toughest part. When I finally had the bravery to do that, that’s when I started to feel on fire.” On how motherhood changed her: Motherhood was a big part of me breaking free. Before I gave birth to Egypt, there was a certain energy of wanting to fix things. Women want to clean stuff up before the baby comes. I refused to be in any circumstance that would give negative energy to this. That was what pushed me over the edge. It was becoming a woman. I was a girl, and now I’m a woman. On not getting too personal with her songwriting: The whole freaking world is looking at your s**t. It’s scary. I didn’t want to say every single thing because you don’t want people to know that. There’s personal and there’s public, and I deserve the right to have a personal space.

AMA’S ADDED HOT ARTIST TO TRIBUTE DICK CLARK

The 40th Anniversary American Music Awards just got better. Dick Clark Productions announced today that Stevie Wonder, music icon and eleven-time American Music Award-winner will perform a tribute to world-renowned Dick Clark who created the American Music Awards in 1973.  Stevie will be one of many performers for the evening. Others on the roster include Christina Aguilera, Justin Bieber, Kelly Clarkson, Carly Rae Jepsen, Carrie Underwood, Ke$ha, Linkin Park, Nicki Minaj, No Doubt, P!nk, Pitbull, Psy, Taylor Swift, Usher, The Wanted and Swizz Beatz featuring Chris Brown and Ludacris. Wonder’s tribute will be highly appropriate since he won the award for the Favorite Soul/R&B Single for “Supersitition,” and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist during the inaugural telecast of the American Music Awards.  This year’s show will be broadcast live from NOKIA Theater L.A. Sunday, November 18 (8-11 p.m. ET/PT) on ABC so mark it in your calendars!

CELEBRITY QUICKIES

Swizz Beatz is brushing off reports that he has fallen behind on his taxes, insisting he has the documents to prove he is up to date with his payments. Reports surfaced on Monday suggesting New York authorities were chasing the producer for failing to pay $98,246 in unpaid taxes from 2010. He was also accused of owing $2.6 million to the Internal Revenue Service for federal tax debts.  “I don’t have no tax issues,” he said on BET’s 106 & Park. “And if I have $100,000 tax issues then I’m in serious trouble. At this time I will feel no need to speak… but the people who put it out there, they’re going to have to retract that due to the facts

50 Cent has been unveiled as the new ambassador for an autism charity in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The rapper signed on last month following a private visit to the Dubai Autism Center, where he met with children diagnosed with the condition. To show his dedication to the organization, the music mogul is handing over a percentage of proceeds from sales of his SMS Audio headphones line in the UAE during the month of November He says, “It’s not just about donating money. It’s about donating hope, and lending a hand to show we care. Every child deserves the chance to reach for his or her dreams.”

Ginuwine’s mega hit “Pony” went down in history as one of the most popular 90s R&B jams. It looks like Rihanna is going to take it for another ride on the charts, with a track titled “Jump” on her Unapologetic album, which samples “Pony.” Ginuwine responded to the news with excitement and anticipation. “When I heard that she wanted to do it, I immediately said ‘OK.’ I signed on board…I’m anxious to hear what she’s done to it and at the same time appreciative of her to consider that song from me. Hopefully it does a wonderful job for her like it did for me,” he told MTV News. “If anybody in the business can capture the spirit of ‘Pony,’ it would have to be Rihanna,” he said.