Alicia Keys' Teen Son Egypt Is Growing Up To Be His Mom's Twin
Alicia Keys' son Egypt is growing up fast, and he's basically his mother's twin. When the "Fallin'" singer was pregnant with her first son and contemplating baby names, her husband Swizz Beatz suggested she name him Egypt because Keys had a life-defining trip to the country years earlier.
Given that his parents are a renowned singer and a music producer, it was only a matter of time before Egypt began to showcase his own musical prowess. When Egypt was only 6 years old, Swizz uploaded an Instagram video of the youngster playing an original song. A couple of years later, young Egypt was collaborating with his mom. In May 2018, Swizz uploaded another video of his son tickling the ivories to the song "Lean On Me" while Keys sang the vocals. By April 2021, Keys was demoted to backup singer in a video she shared of Egypt playing and singing the '80s hit "Sweet Dreams," writing, "I love being a part of his practice and I love being his background singer!"
Keys once again gushed over her son on Instagram when he became a teenager in October 2023. "This can't be real!! You can't be 13!!!! You are a dream come true!!" she wrote alongside a carousel of pics. Not only does Egypt bear a striking resemblance to his mom, but the two have also shared a stage.
Egypt's impressive performances with Alicia Keys
When Alicia Keys performed at the 2019 iHeart Music Awards, she surprised the crowd by bringing her son, Egypt, out as a special guest performer. He sat down and played the piano as Keys sang while seated beside him. A few years later, the "Show Me Love" artist reflected on the emotional collaboration. "That moment was the first time that he performed with me on stage, and I remember being completely so wrapped up in him being okay because I asked him to do it," Keys said in her 2021 docu-series "Noted: Alicia Keys the Untold Story." She added, "I was so nervous for him that I remember at midnight the night before the show, I realized I hadn't even practiced." That may have been their first time sharing the stage, but it was not their last.
Keys and Egypt made their show an international affair when he took the stage during her performance in Germany in June 2022. "This guy gets on the stage as if there wasn't 17,000 people out there and just smashes!!" the proud mother wrote in the caption of an Instagram video capturing the show. Fans were blown away by Egypt's chops. "[R]eminder that egypt is the son of swizz beatz and alicia keys ... so basically he's music incarnate," one fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, after seeing the footage.
Keys is not the only famous musician Egypt has collaborated with.
Why Egypt may not follow in Alicia Keys's footsteps
Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz's son Egypt collaborated on a track with Kendrick Lamar at a young age. During a joint interview with his son on "The Jennifer Hudson Show" in April 2023, Swizz recalled Egypt spending time with Lamar at an event. The producer noted that he was worried his son was bothering the rap star. "He said, 'No, Swizz, I had writer's block, and what Egypt is telling me is helping me deal with something,'" he recalled. "To this day, I still don't know what he was helping him deal with," he added. "The Recipe" rapper even gave the youngster a producing credit on his song "Untitled 07 | 2014–2016," which appeared on his 2016 "Untitled Unmastered" compilation album. "This is the best Dad moment everrrrr!!! Congrats to my son Egypt for producing his 1st track on this amazing Kendrick Album ... he's only 5yrs old wowwwwwww," Swizz wrote in the caption of an Instagram post celebrating the song's release.
Swizz and Keys have marveled at how Egypt's musical ability has progressed. "This boy is turning into something else," the producer wrote in a July 2023 Instagram video showing his son's piano-playing prowess. Despite his promising skillset, Egypt has said he does not want to play music professionally. "Well, I love music — but I don't want to be a musician. I want to be a basketball player," he revealed on "The Jennifer Hudson Show" alongside his dad.