You sound so different on the new album. I am different. I’ve learned more. I’m a better person. I’m a more focused person. I’m a more honest person. I’m a more easygoing person.
That’s a lot of change. Is your name still Alicia Keys? I’m the new and improved version of her. But vocally, a lot of people say I sound like I drank a lot of whisky.
Speaking of your name, I read your last name isn’t really Keys. It’s a funny story. I got so desperate I went through the dictionary for something that catches my eye. I get to the W’s and I pick Wild. “Alicia Wild, how does that sound, Ma?” She said, “It sounds like you’re a stripper.” But I liked Keys. It’s like the piano keys. And it can open so many doors.
So what is your real name? It’s long. You could look it up.
You don’t want to tell me. Aw, you said that so cute. It’s Augello-Cook.
On the album, you sing with John Mayer. When I interviewed him, he said he was in his underwear. You must have asked him what he was wearing.
I asked no such thing! He’s funny like that.
I also once saw him shopping for jewelry near Madison Avenue. Oh, man. I’m sure he was buying it for me.
You recently went to Egypt? It was my first time. I swam in the Red Sea. I’m a mermaid.
Do you put on fins? Fins and a very sparkly skirt. I’m kidding. But I love the water. I also went to the top of the Pyramids and sang at the top of my lungs.
title: “Alicia Keys” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-28” author: “Lillian Packer”
“It took off and it just didn’t stop,” says Keys of her seemingly overnight success. “I thought I did good work and I hoped people would like it, but it’s been crazy, the attention I’ve been getting. I’m like, ‘Are you sure they want me on Leno?’ or ‘You’re sure Prince wants to meet me?’ It’s bonkers.”
Suddenly Keys seemed to be everywhere, on the covers of Rolling Stone and Seventeen, and chatting up Oprah. She even hit a patriotic note along with George Clooney and Julia Roberts at September’s “America: A Tribute to Heroes” telethon, where she mesmerized the crowd with a rendition of soul legend Donny Hathaway’s “Someday We’ll All Be Free.” Already nominated for five American Music Awards, including best new artist, the singer seems a shoo-in for a host of Grammy nods in January.
But as eventful as the past year has been for Keys, success seems to have had little effect on the Columbia University dropout’s personality. In fact, she seems more like a wide-eyed kid on an extended trip to Disneyland than a diva in training. One of her biggest problems is finding quality time to hang out with her friends. “You try to just keep it the same–your life, your friends, your regular schedule. That keeps you grounded,” says Keys. “I have the same boyfriend, friends, what have you.”
Nonetheless, Keys says, “it’s been a mad, mad ride, and you can’t explain it.” Maybe you can. When you combine cover-girl beauty with an album full of radio-friend-ly, funky grooves and top it off with the promotional muscle of J Records’ president, Clive Davis (the man who discovered Janis and Whitney)–voila!–another star is born. And the timing is right. Over the last few years, neo-soul pioneers such as Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott have opened the door for something a little more cerebral, honest and emotional in music. Keys had no problem walking right through that door and settling in. “I was hearing some good music out there and wanted to join in,” says Keys. “I wasn’t worried that it wasn’t going to be accepted because it was different. I knew people appreciate real music when they hear it.”
Will Smith was so blown away by Keys’s sound that he immediately called J Records to get her music added to the then nearly completed “Ali” soundtrack, which hit the stores on Dec. 1. Her song “Fallin’ " appears as the only contemporary number in a film otherwise laced with ’60s hits by heavyweights like Sam Cooke.
Keys’s long-term goal is to prove that she’s more than just another pretty, one-hit wonder. As she begins work on a new album for release in late 2002, the singer hopes to avoid the sophomore jinx that dogged the likes of Macy Gray and D’Angelo. “It’s tough because the trends change so quickly in music,” Keys says. “But this is what I chose to do. Since I was a kid, even when I wanted to stop taking piano lessons, I kept going because I loved music. You have to walk out on faith.’’ If her fans keep the faith, it should be a nice long walk.
