Alicia Keys fell in love with Swizz Beatz's mind

R&B star ALICIA KEYS never imagined herself dating SWIZZ BEATZ until she started learning all about his love and appreciation for art and design because the producer was too flashy for her liking.

The conservative Girl on Fire hitmaker had known Beatz for years before they started dating in 2008 and she insists it really was his mind that she fell in love with.

She tells talk show host Wendy Williams, "He's actually kind of a little too ostentatious for my tastes. He likes to wear a T with like, 16 chains and not just a regular car, it has to be the craziest car of all time, so I was like, 'I don't know...'

"I think what happened was he really got me when I saw how far his mind went. He's really really intelligent and knows so many interesting things... He taught me about this artist called Erte, I remember that was one of the first things we talked about, who was alive in the '30s and used to draw outfits for the theater and I had no idea."

The pair wed in 2010 and Keys also credits Beatz with helping to bring her out of her shell in public.

She adds, "He loves to live life; I think he really showed me how to live life in a beautiful way."