Oprah: There's a great passage about what your vagina is wearing. I came away thinking, "Mine is wearing red patent leather boots." What is yours wearing?

Alicia: A hat and gloves.

Oprah: I thought you'd say a hat and a cane.

Alicia: I like that better! I have a thousand hats that change my mood and add to my personality. I love them.

Oprah: I have a hat room. How was it going on tour with Beyoncé and Missy Elliott last spring?

Alicia: Very good. Ultimately, we did something big and special just by coming together to share a stage. I was proud of that.

Oprah: Is it true that there's competition between you and the other so-called pop divas?

Alicia: There's competition? I've never heard that. What's beautiful is that we all have different styles and thoughts to offer. That's what makes the world interesting.

Oprah: Do you have a significant other?

Alicia: He does exist. He's secure enough not to wonder why I haven't wanted to talk about him. That's part of why I love him. He understands me. We have space and togetherness. We have it all. I'll never tell who he is.

Oprah: You're doing a great job of not being seen publicly with him.

Alicia: Aren't I doing good? Neither of us is a party person.

Oprah: When you're onstage performing at the piano, does it become an otherworldly experience?

Alicia: Many times I feel as if I were away from myself.

Oprah: When you performed on my show, you went to that place. I'm like, "She gone!" I was surprised it could happen so early in the morning.

Alicia: It doesn't always happen. That was a special moment.

Oprah: When you look out at an audience and see your mom there—the same mom who came home from work at 3 in the morning and got up again at 6—what do you feel?

Alicia: I feel so proud of her—so proud of us. In a world that's so unpredictable, she is my solid foundation. Just by looking into her eyes, I can go to that place where I know I am loved and everything is all right.