Alicia Keys put her music career on hold to care for her dying grandmother.
The R'n'B singer revealed she delayed work on her upcoming album 'As I Am' last year to become a full-time carer for her grandmother, who has since died of cancer.
Alicia said: "If I hadn't devoted all my time and energies to my grandmother I would be a terribly messed up person right now. I would be full of regret and really down on myself for that.
"I was able to spend some of the most precious time with her ever. The experience really made me grow up. I learnt a lot - about family, about who is there for me, who is not."
The 27-year-old star believes the experience completely changed her as a person.
She said: "It was a whole different lifestyle for me. Before I was like, 'Oh, I have to go to Miami? OK, I'm just going to hop on a plane tomorrow,' but things had to completely change.
"It was stressful and it was very hard on my spirit. So it was hard and it was joyful. It was bittersweet."
Alicia has since finished recording her third studio album 'As I Am', which will hit shelves on November 19.
