The Poetry Of Alicia Keys

Grammy Winner Publishes Book Of Poems 'Tears For Water'

(CBS)  Alicia Keys has established herself as one of the hottest musical artists around. She has sold more than 14 million CDs and earned a shelf full of Grammy awards.

Her music combines her classical training with an old-school sensibility and today's mix of hip-hop and R&B.

Now, she's adding "author" to her growing list of accomplishments. Her new book, "Tears for Water," is a combination of poems and lyrics inspired by her life experiences.

The 23-year-old tells The Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen that the title of her book comes from one of her poems, "Love and Chains," that has a line: "I don't mind drinking my tears for water."

Keys says, "And when I read that, it resonated in me because I said, 'Wow, I realized at that moment that all of the songs I write, all of the poetry that I write, every way that I express myself comes from some form of my tears, my pain, my happiness, my joy, my frustration, my confusion.' And I drink them for water to be nourished and to survive, in a way."

She says she battles with low self-esteem. "There's plenty of times I've written a song just to encourage myself and say, 'You're worth it, and you're incredible, and you're a woman, and you deserve it,' you know?"