UPTOWN Magazine must be pretty pleased with the cover of their holiday issue.

Alicia Keys dazzles and inspires readers, even before we get to check out the cover story on the inside.

The holiday and December/January 2010 issue lands on newsstands December 8, with Keys discussing her latest album, “The Element of Freedom.”

She also touches on singing her new single “Empire State of Mind” with Jay-Z at Yankee Stadium during the World Series, her new company AK Worldwide, and dealing with “rumors and haters.”

This issue also includes “The Uptown Best Dressed List of 2009”–a look at the those individuals who elevate fashion to an art form.

First Lady Michelle Obama, father-daughter team Lenny & Zoe Kravitz, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Obama Administration Social Secretary, Desiree Rogers, are a few who make the list.