Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz's relationship timeline

Alicia Keys has fallen even more in love with her husband, Swizz Beatzwith each decade, but she didn't connect with her partner right away.

Keys first crossed paths with Beatz (real name Kasseem Daoud Dean) in the '90s, when they were both teenagers living in New York. “We talked about nothing in depth for a minute, and as I walked away he asked if we could exchange numbers,” Keys revealed in her 2020 memoir: More myself. “I thought, 'No, I'm fine. I just see you when I see you. ''

In the mid-2000s, the couple began working on music together before becoming romantically linked, and in 2010 they married. Keys and Beatz have now welcomed two sons and learned each other's rhythm.

“We understand each other and we communicate,” Beatz said exclusively We weekly in June 2019 about the couple's secret to a happy marriage. “We are simply the best king.”

Scroll down to see Keys and Beatz's relationship from the beginning:

Mid 1990s

Keys revealed in her 2020 memoir: More myselfthat she met Beatz when she was 14 and he was 16. The pair had mutual friends in the Bronx.

2008

The couple ran in the same circles for years before their relationship turned romantic. Keys and Beatz started dating after he broke up Mashonda Tifrere in 2008. (Beatz and Tifrere, who share son Kasseem Jr., finalized their divorce in 2010. Beatz also shares son Prince with ex Nicole Levy and daughter Nicole with ex Jahna Sebastian.)

January 2009

Beatz proposed to Keys on her birthday.

July 2010

The musicians got married in an intimate ceremony overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Keys was pregnant with her and Beatz's first child when they said, “I do.”

October 2010

The couple welcomed their first son, Egypt.

July 2013

The singer of 'Girl on Fire' made this known Marie Claire UK that it wasn't love at first sight between her and Beatz. “Honestly, I didn't like him that much,” Keys said of their first meeting. “I thought it was too flashy.”

She explained: 'Swizz will have the fastest car, the biggest jewelry and the loudest jacket. Everything about him is really over the top. I always saw him and thought, 'He's so annoying.'” I

Over time, she warmed up to Beatz and the pair began working together before becoming a couple.

December 2014

Keys gave birth to her and Beatz's second son, Genesis.

August 2017

“We've been married 7 years today and I'm like ???????? **So excited!!!!!?? We are even more in love, even more full of potential and even more excited about our future,” Keys wrote via Instagram, in tribute to her husband. “We look at each other with the wonder of a child and I am in awe of us every day!”

She continued: “I am proud of the love we radiate and share with everyone we are connected to and I can't wait for every day of the rest of our lives!! Thank you for showing me what freedom in love feels like. Here's to endless blessings, growth, communication and bliss! ??? #deananniversary #7 #love #loveuniverse.”

June 2019

“I think my wife has inspired me to become a better artist just by giving me my freedom,” Beatz said Us. “We let each other have our freedom, we don't own each other and we just let things flow. We have fun and support each other's passions. Honestly, I think that's the key to happiness.”

He added: “We help each other grow and that's where people work together. It is to help each other grow.”

August 2020

When Keys became “the most certified female R&B artist of the millennium,” Beatz couldn't help but be excited about her achievement.

“This is serious! The best-selling female R&B artist of the decade, 16 million worldwide, beating everyone – everyone,” he said in an Instagram video, and joked about how Keys was celebrating. “And you're just going to walk around the house, do the dishes, don't say anything about that?” After laughing with his wife, Beatz added, “That's big. Congratulations honey.”

October 2021

Keys dedicated her song “Best of Me” to her husband, including him in the romantic music video. “This song still gives me chills. Just like you @therealswizzz 😍😍😍,” she revealed through social media.

January 2022

When Beatz won GQs Man of the Year, his wife joined him at the awards ceremony for the ultimate date night. Keys later flowed, “He is EVERY YEAR'S MAN 🏆🏆🏆🏆😤😤😤😤💯💯💯💯 seriously, this king is literally like no one I've ever known!!! I am constantly in awe of you!! Me, I got you swizzzzyyyyyyy!!!!!!”

September 2023

Keys toasted her husband's birthday by throwing a lavish party in his honor. “My love! There are no words to describe this special year and how special YOU are!! What an evening,” the singer wrote an Instagram video from the affair. “What a blessing to be with our family in places none of us could have ever imagined.”

Keys continued, “The most amazing thing about you to me is that you give SO much, ALWAYS, to SO many. The way everyone celebrated you and shared their stories of how you transformed and touched their lives made it the most authentic and unforgettable evening!”

She thanked everyone who came to celebrate and added that she loves Beatz with “all my heart.”

January 2024

“It's a real Queen BDAY 🎉January 25th never felt so blessed,” Beatz wrote via his Instagram tribute to Keys. “Wishing you many more blessings on your amazing journey 🤍 We love you and send you the utmost love, Queen AK.”

February 2024

Keys and Beatz teamed up with the Brooklyn Museum to showcase their private art collection for a new exhibit called “Giants.” Their curated pieces feature the work of nearly 40 Black artists and will be on view in person until July 2024.

“This is part of our collection that we have collected over the last twenty years,” Keys explained during a joint appearance on the Today show. Beatz added: “We collect from our hearts. It is not a transactional activity for us. All the artists who live there, who appear in the show, are actually friends. They come to our house and stay with us.”