“Empire State Of Mind” was Jay-Z’s anthemic ode to his New York City hometown, and he slotted in fellow NYC-native Alicia Keys for the chorus because, well, Jigga can’t sing. The Gold single was hailed as a highlight from Hova’s “The Blueprint 3″ joint. For her new disc “The Element Of Freedom”, Keys makes the track hers by further singing the City That Never Sleep’s virtues on this solo track. Which is nice of her, because as we all know New Yorkers tend to have an inferiority complex.

by Mark Emge

After recording her third studio album, “As I Am”, Alicia Keys began to “find the way to totally be myself and what that meant”. She describes the upcoming LP “The Element Of Freedom” as diverse, but noted that there is a “balance”. “One side is strong and one side is vulnerable,” she explains. “The way that the songs progress [on the album] are gonna take you on a natural high.” Keys will perform “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart” and other songs from the disc at the Cayman Island Jazz Festival on 5 December.

by Mark Emge

R&B dynamo Alicia Keys is world famous for her stirring vocals and delicate piano ballads, but she got her first show-biz taste in a walk-on part at age four on the US sitcom “The Cosby Show”. After the millions of records and multiple Grammys, Keys returned to acting with her big-screen debut as an assassin in the ‘06 action film “Smokin’ Aces” (trust us, you didn’t miss much). Now bitten, Keys and manager Jeff Robinson have signed a film production deal with Disney, and their first film will be a remake of the 1958 comedy “Bell, Book and Candle” (witches!). “Doesn’t Mean Anything” is off her upcoming fourth solo disc.

by Mark Emge

Alicia Keys has stated that her latest single, “Superwoman”, is her favorite track on her album, “As I Am”. The song has also received added publicity in the US, as it is the opening song on broadcasts of basketball games for the WNBA. Keys tried to send a message on the song’s video, saying: “It represents all kinds of superwomen and the exciting part is, not only am I able to be myself in the video, but I’m able to play all of these other women as well. The song is just very inspirational, because I wrote it when I really needed to hear some words that said to me that, even when you’re not perfect, you’re still a superwoman.” For the latest on Alicia Keys, check out www.aliciakeys.com.

by Martín Wagmaister