32 year-old R&B singer Alicia Keys is the new cover girl for UK's Marie Claire Magazine July 2013 new issue, and opens up about her initial dislike for her husband and rapper Swizz Beatz when they first met.

The singer, who has a two-year-old son Egypt with Swizz, opened up about their long journey to romance during a sit down with the magazine and says she found Swizz to be annoying at first.

Here's the highlights:

On meeting the rapper:

"Honestly, I didn't really like him that much. I thought he was ostentatious. He'll drive the fastest, brightest car, wear the biggest jewelry, the loudest jacket; everything with him is really over the top."

On her thoughts about Swizz:

"I was like, he is so annoying," she said, reminiscing about when she saw him drive past a restaurant in a huge white Rolls-Royce Phantom."

But after years of getting to know each other, and not quite managing to work together, the couple found themselves in the recording studio and a relationship soon followed. A relationship that turned controversial all because  Swizz was already married to his now ex-wife Mashonda.
The Grammy-award winner then tells the magazine, 'I fought tooth and nail because I didn't want to work with him. Finally though, we did it and we had a ball."

"I think we've taught each other a lot. And he's taught me how to live more fully and I've taught him how to live more deeply."

The singer also admitted that she struggled with negative attitudes of people close to her during her rise to fame, "there might have been people in my life who, now, when I look back, I realize were kind of insulting or abusive-verbally or emotionally- or just not supportive."
Now, check out the "Girl On Fire" singer posing in a number of breath-taking gowns for the shoot below: