Why Alicia Keys Was Hesitant to Collab With Other Artists
There are not many mainstream music artists who are as multifaceted as Alicia Keys. The New York-born singer writes and produces all of her music, and she’s also a talented musician. While she has some major hits as a collaborator with big names like Jay-Z, Keys was a one-woman show at the beginning of her career. She says it was intentional that she did not collaborate with many artists back then.
Alicia Keys says she was scared to collaborate with other artists
Keys came onto the music scene in 2001 with her multiplatinum debut album Songs In a Minor. The singer had just one feature on the album. She wrote, arranged, and produced the majority of the album as well. Additionally, she’s a known skilled pianist, playing her own instruments for her songs.
“It’s so interesting because I never used to be a collaborator,” she said in an interview with The New York Post. “As a kid, I just was terrified about collaborating with different people. I was such a loner, and, you know, for me music is such a private space. And to let people into that space — it’s terrifying. But once I got to a place where I felt more confident in my craft, and I felt more confident in who I am as a woman, I started to open myself up to collaborating.”
Despite not collaborating with but one other person for her first release, the album performed well and was a hit with critics. With the help of singles like “Fallin’,” and “How Come You Don’t Call Me,” the album debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200, selling 236,000 copies in its first week. She also won five Grammy Awards at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, and headlined her first tour named after the album.
She’s collaborated with big names like Beyoncé and says the fellow singer is like a sister to her
Since her debut album, Keys has embraced working with other artists. One of which is the Queen Bey. the two even toured together on Beyoncé’s first solo tour along with Tamia and Missy Elliott. The tour celebrated women in hip hop and R&B, and was titled The Verizon Ladies First Tour.
Since then, Keys and Beyoncé joined forces on the 2010 single “Put It in a Love Song.” In a remix of Beyoncé’s most recent No. 1 hit “Break My Soul,” Keys is one of the iconic Black divas who gets a shout-out from the Carmen star. Keys considers Beyoncé to be a comrade in the business.
“We have known each other since the beginning,” Keys said of the Dreamgirls star. “It’s such a beautiful thing for us to be sisters … having this level of longevity and respect. Shouting out all the different queens that she wanted to shout out — it just felt like such a beautiful sisterhood. That’s what being a queen is all about — embracing the queens around you. So I love it, I’m with it!”
Alicia Keys is now working with her son on music
Keys is currently on a sold-out world tour. This time around, she has a special collaboration: her 11-year-old son, Egypt. He is the oldest of two children she shares with producer-husband Swizz Beatz.
“He got onstage with me and played piano — his own little set that he created — in Mannheim, Germany,” Keys gushed. “I could not believe it. I mean, it was mind-blowing, because he completely arranged it all himself. And then he went out there and performed it with all types of personality and connection with the crowd.”
