Alicia Keys’s Ridiculously High Side Ponytail Is Taking Me Back to Elementary School — See Photo

May 08, 2023

By Gabi Thorne

Alicia Keys's 2001 debut album, Songs in A Minor, was one of my most played CDs as a kid. I equally appreciated her music, piano skills, and intricately beaded cornrows, which became her signature look. Two decades later, Keys still wears plenty of similar braids as well as other creative protective styles. Her latest look is reminding me of those elementary school days because her twists were piled into the highest ponytail you've ever seen.

Her brunette hair was twisted into several jumbo Senegalese twists, likely using kanekalon hair. They were tied up on the top of her head with the twists falling over the side of her face. The tips of her hair grazed her chest, which probably means the twists fall around hip length when they're not pulled up.

On the same day, she also gave her Instagram fans a glance at her Senegalese twists fully down. Keys captioned the short video "my energy today" with an emoji kissing face. The ends fell out of frame, so it's not clear how long they are, but since the updo falls past her chest, I'm sticking with my hypothesis.

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On June 3, Keys's hair was braided into a stunning layered style full of beads in blue, black, clear, and white — that's just one of the many unique styles Keys has had in 2023. Typically, those styles have braids rather than twists, but maybe we'll see more twisted styles from her. In the meantime, I'll be over here listening to Songs in A Minor.

Read more stories about braided hairstyles:

28 Dope Ways to Style Your Box Braids

How to Keep Your Box Braids Looking Fresh, Not Fuzzy, at Home

A Guide to Washing Box Braids and Cornrows

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