Met Alicia on Sunday night after the concert in Hong Kong. She said that she had a great tour of Asia and thought that China was amazing performing at the Great Wall of China.

Her performance in Hong Kong was about 1 1/2 hrs with tunes from the latest and previous album including flawless performances on the piano and in her singing.

Alicia Keys will be headlining the UrbanAids benefit in Toronto at Ricoh Coliseum November 29th. Other artists set to perform are Keshia Chante and K-OS. Don’t know when tickets go on sale but I’ll keep ya posted. If you’re in the GTA listen to Flow 93.5 they’ll give away tickets for sure.

A ya Alicia’s episode of the Cosby Show will be appearing tonight at 10:30 PM thats eastern time. Dont know what time for everybody else. Dont forget to watch it.

NOTES FROM THE ROAD by Alicia Keys

Jazzed up on Montreux (published October 3rd 2004)

The Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, ahh…what an experience!

Going to Switzerland was a nice change because the sun was there to welcome us. (For some reason, no matter what time of year it is, there are certain parts of Europe that always seem to be freezing cold.) The way the mountains and water met each other all along the street was so much like a painting - it was beautiful. The streets were electric with people excited about the festivities. And me, I was just hanging out of my window entranced, thinking about how many incredible people and artists had been here before me. As I gazed out onto the streets, I wondered how people must have looked and dressed and seemed to somebody like Miles Davis when he played here.

We were invited up to the house (or chateau, as it is know here) of Claude Nobs, who founded the festival in 1967. He lives in the mountains and, if the view was incredible from my hotel room down below, I can’t even begin to explain the view from up above.

The mountains were immense. The sun was so warm, and every single chair and hammock was turned to face the vast view, forcing you to reflect as you looked out onto the water and hills. Everywhere you turned looked like a painting, as if you were merely a vision by an artist from above. (Which we are, but you really felt it here!) It made me see how differently you can view life, depending on how you live it. Up there, I felt the beauty of the world and the way it can clear your mind. That’s only some of the point, the rest is what it left me feeling…I don’t know, let me try to explain.

Mr. Nobs has an unbelievable archive of all the people who have ever performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival. It’s incredible! For every person that has ever graced the stage, from Miles Davis to Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles to Nina Simone (and that’s just to name a few), he has historic footage that you will never see anywhere else. He played us Aretha Franklin’s 1971 performance, and it was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen. She had to be about 23 years old. She was a baby, and singing and playing the piano with all her heart. You felt her spirit leap off the screen into your lap.

Spirit of ‘76
But for me, the most amazing performance was Nina Simone’s in 1976. She had just come back from Africa, and you could feel her anger and intense feelings about the way musicians, especially black musicians, were treated. She obviously felt ambivalence about the way people in general were treated during that time and all that was going on in America. You could tell she felt as if she didn’t really belong anywhere. But her playing…oh, my goodness, her playing! She played the piano as if her life depended on it. Her fluidity was incredible. Her expression was genuine and real and deep, and it was something that ripped through my whole core! I couldn’t catch my breath. All the times I wished I could have seen some of my favorite artists who are no longer here, to see the way they did it, what their approach was - that day, I was looking directly at it. I was mesmerized and inspired beyond belief.

It got me thinking about artists back then, how serious they were about their craft. How artists like Nina Simone, James Baldwin and Langston Hughes thought. They had things to say and opinions about what was going on around them, about things that others were afraid to discuss. They embraced the challenge and said what the people were thinking but never had the voice to express. They were the leaders of a generation that needed to be heard. They were unafraid and unfazed by fame or money, caring only for the message and standing their ground, creating their own freedom.
The quest within

Switzerland that day was like a revelation to me. It affected me in such a deep way. It made me want to be remembered for things like that. Important things. I am still finding my way like we all are, but want to search deeper and be remembered for being different, for being unafraid to be vocal and active. For being strong and standing for something that endures. I went back to my hotel and played my piano like I never had before!

In Montreux, I experienced a whole new world, a historic world I’ll never forget, and, in my own way, I can now say I’m now a part of. Of all the places I’ve been, it is one of the most beautiful. The painting that is Switzerland is glorious - what a world to discover.

Thx 2 youroldestfan!

R&B prodigy, 23-year-old Alicia Keys, who won five Grammy Awards with her debut album, will perform for the first time in Korea, at the Millennium Hall Central City, Gangnam, Seoul at 8 p.m. on Oct. 13. Her first album, released in 2001, sold more than seven million copies worldwide and her second album, which came out last year, has already sold three million in the U.S. alone.

Alicia Keys, who was born in Manhattan, entered music school at the age of five, began writing songs at fourteen and went on to the Columbia University at sixteen. She dropped out to make music professionally. Her live performances self-accompanied on the piano have received popular acclaim. Prior to her Asia tour, she sat down for a telephone interview with the Chosun Ilbo at her home in Los Angeles.

When asked if it was too early to become a star with the overnight success of her first album, Alicia answered that she was twenty then and everything was incredible. She is still grateful and surprised by the Grammy and her popularity.

Did your early music education help you a lot? My mother gave me lots of things to learn, even when I was very young. She gave me everything that she could give to me. I think I was very lucky.

People say that your live performances are perfect. Is there a secret? Nothing is perfect. Practice is the best method. If you sing more, you know more. You would know when to stop, when to sing and how to control breathing. In particular, controlling breathing can be modulated by practice. Practice is the only way to strengthen vocals.

I’ve heard that you like jazz and hip hop as well. I think that it is important to take any genre of music to heart. It does not matter if it is jazz, hip hop, soul, R&B or even it is classical music. Soul, in particular, I regard as music that comes from the human spirit.”

Some people say that you are another Aretha Franklin. It is an inadequate comparison. How can I be compared to such a great singer like her. I really love her as well. I want to be like her but it is just an unbelievable compliment.”

Do you plan to play the piano in your performance in Korea? Of course. The performance will be a fun show with a mixture of songs and various styles. It will be a tingling, magical experience, sort of a journey.”

Thx 2 KatyM218

Thx 2 ching

KUALA LUMPUR: Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys provided the rhythm that thrilled thousands of her fans at her Absolute R&B concert at Stadium Negara last night.

Throughout the hour-long show, she had the crowd singing along with her hits from her 2001 debut album, the Grammy-winning Songs In ‘A’ Minor, and those from her latest album, Diary of Alicia Keys.

The concert opened with local R&B talent Reshmonu rendering his famous numbers such as It’s You That Matters and Like This.

The crowd was all ready when Keys took over the stage.

The 23-year-old songwriter and producer sang and played the piano as well.

Some of the crowd’s favourite hits were 2001 Song of the Year Fallin’, A Woman’s Worth, You Don’t Know My Name and If I Ain’t Got You.

The fans broke into wild cheers when she sang Fallin’ and If I Ain’t Got You.

Keys flew here on Thursday for the concert, part of the Asian leg of her worldwide tour.

She will also be performing in Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Thailand and the Philippines.

In an interview with The Star earlier, Keys said having to be on the go all the time has not affected her much.

“It’s all about living in the moment for me nowadays. I’ve learnt how to pace myself properly, take things step by step,” she said.

“There were many times when I felt I couldn’t go on any more, when I dread the thought of having to do interviews and photo shoots,” she said.

Thx 2 Giu!!

R&B sensation Alicia Keys goes on her first major South-East Asian tour and this Friday, she hits Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur. ZACK YUSOF gets on the long distance line with the diva.

GRAMMY award-winning producer, songwriter and R&B artiste Alicia Keys is certainly a very busy young lady these days but hectic is just how she likes the pace of her life to be.

At the moment, the 23-year-old from Manhattan, New York, is working flat out. In between appearing at award ceremonies (she performed at the MTV Music Awards in Miami in late August with Lenny Kravitz and Stevie Wonder), Keys has been on the go – proof-reading her first book of poetry (Tears for Water) to be released at the end of the year, preparing for her big screen debut in a biopic about the life and times of little-known concert pianist Philippa Schuyler co-produced by Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry, working as a roving travel correspondent for the New York Daily News, and fine tuning the details of her forthcoming MTV unplugged album slated for a Christmas release.

ALICIA KEYS: I’m a person who lives by the music and the creation of it and I want it to be honest and truthful to who I am and represent what I do.
In the midst of this flurry of activity, Keys has also been on the road promoting her sophomore album Diary Of Alicia Keys, which went triple platinum in a mere six months in the United States, bringing her worldwide sales to nearly five million. After the amazing success of her debut Songs In ‘A’ Minor (2001) whose inspired blend of soul, hip-hop and even a fifth of Beethoven emerged as a worldwide smash hit – all eyes were on Keys to come up with more of the same magic.

So how do you follow up a worldwide smash hit? By going back to the future in order to move forwards of course. Listening to The Diary Of Alicia Keys, it appears that Keys has been “vibing” on plenty of old soul and R&B classics for inspiration, judging by the starry-eyed glaze of wah-wah’s, honeyed choirs and heavenly melodies. Seductive first single You Don’t Know My Name boasts a vintage Issac Hayes string-laden 1970s sound while Heartburn melds Timbaland’s electro beats with Keys’s authentic soul croon. Elsewhere, Keys unites Gladys Knight’s 1970s classic If I was Your Woman with Hayes’ epic version of the Burt Bacharach classic Walk On By.

“I would describe my new record as a good representative of who I am as an artiste right now,” said Keys in a recent phone interview from Beijing where she was due to perform at the Great Wall of China as part of the Wall of Hope – China 2004 concert (Keys played the Wall of Hope concert to 10,000 fans last Saturday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the wall’s restoration project).

“I really love my record and I feel that it is a really honest record. It’s a truthful record that challenges my inner spirit. It’s a beautiful sounding record and I look forward to growing from there,” she added.

Having scored such a massive hit with Songs In ‘A’ Minor, the general consensus in the music industry was that the heat on Keys to top or at least emulate its achievements with her sophomore release would be intense but according to the level-headed singer, she did not feel any pressure at all and that her only concern was to deliver an equally good sounding record musically.

“I’m sure people around me felt pressure, in regards to people who live by dollars and cents, but me, I’m a person who lives by the music and the creation of it and I want it to be honest and truthful to who I am and represent what I do,” stated Keys firmly. “I feel like I am 10 times better than I was on ‘A’ Minor and in few years time, I’m going to be 10 times better than I am now so …”

With a title like Diary Of Alicia Keys, one can literally expect Keys to bare her soul in her current album’s lyrics. But while it remains a personal record, the lyrics are not as open as one would expect on first impression.

“I think that you have to know my mind to know how personal it is,” explained Keys about her record’s lyrical content. “If you don’t really know me, than you wouldn’t really know how personal it is. Each person should really take it for how it affects them – it’s going to be different for every single individual. Every part of my life that means something to me is why I write and in essence all my songs are part of my diary.”

Musically, the record was party to a wide range of influences as Keys sought to incorporate a wider, more expansive sound.

“I listened to things that had a lot of meaningful lyrics. A lot of my favourite soul stuff from the 1960s and 1970s, a lot of Sly Stone, a bit of the Rolling Stones. The record does reflect my tastes. It wasn’t my intention to have a specific sound or anything. It was until the end of the record that I realised that it (her musical tastes) all connects in a way that I realised how important soul music, music that really comes from that special place inside, was to me. It was until after I had made the record that I sat down and went, ‘Wow, I see it.’ ’’

In the pipeline at the moment are plans to release an unplugged version of Diary, tentatively at the end of the year. It is a project that Keys is really excited about, given her love for live performances.

“My live shows are very much a huge part of me.The project gave the opportunity to do a version of the show that is more stripped down and raw which is a major part of my essence. That was something that definitely appeals to me – to do a whole album like that.”

Travelling around the world and playing live is something that Keys enjoys immensely and according to her, a lot of it is down to her excellent crew who make the whole process of touring a lot of fun.

“I’m very lucky that I have a great crew around me. We’ve developed a great family essence and I have to say that I love to travel and I love the way that I can see different countries and cultures and all our likenesses. I can see the ways that we are all very similar. I enjoy that and it’s kind of like a humanity study for us in a way. And the way the music gets this great reaction around the world, it just leaves me in awe.”

Next on the agenda for the ever-busy R&B songstress is her forthcoming show at Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur this Friday. And what can Malaysians expect from the show?

“Well, everybody can expect the unexpected, you know? Every show is very different. It all depends on the audience but you are definitely going to get a nice compilation of my two albums and you are going to be able to take a journey with me on the highs and the lows and everything in between.

“It’s going to be an action-packed hour and a half of what I know will be an unforgettable show. I’m so honoured to be invited, it’s going to be great and we are going to rock the road,” Keys promised before saying her goodbyes on the phone.

Thx 2 Giu!!

Here’s Alicia’s NY Daily News column that was published on September 12th 2004 (I believe…)

Why we ought to travel even more after 9/11

On that particular day, like any girl who was up too late in the city the night before, I was curled up in a tangle of sheets trying my damnedest to pull myself out of bed.

It was about 9 a.m. and I had been going strong over the last couple of months, so I was tired.

I remember the phone was ringing, that annoying kind of ring, constant and steady and persistent! I knew I had to get out of bed, and I figured it was a wakeup call to double-check I hadn’t overslept. I put my feet on the ground and groggily made my way to the living room. The phone kept ringing, but I wasn’t ready to speak yet. Instead I turned on the TV for some background noise as I was trying to get myself together. Who won’t stop calling? And why?! I sat down on the couch.

The news was everywhere. The planes.

The towers.

The flames.

I know I don’t need to say more, especially to a New Yorker.

I watched in confusion. Stunned, my eyes filling with a pool of helpless tears. Why?! I couldn’t fully register the impact of that moment. Did any of us? I just knew I wasn’t going anywhere that day. None of us was.

I don’t want to go into too much more detail about the actual day or days that followed. The panic, the fury, the beginning of a new world as we know it in many ways. I think we have all gone over it a million times, in a million different ways. We still do.

We always will. All of us, all around the world, experienced that day in a way that will never be erased. Ever! Possibly, it has never been clearer that we were all living through history. I remember feeling vividly closer to understanding the way that life is for people everywhere else, in those far-away places we are told to feel so threatened by.

Blown to dust. Disheveled. Ruined. Destroyed.

That was New York three years ago.

Watching New York unite was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. I’ve lived here my whole life and have always witnessed the dog-eat-dog mentality, the rat race. Even been a part of it. Who hasn’t?

I mean, that’s part of the thrill, the driving force of New York City. It’s part of what makes us completely different from anywhere else in the world. No one seems to be more determined or more focused than New Yorkers. Nobody cares about the glory of success as much as we do. So watching us put that pride to the side and show compassion and sensitivity, sharing tears and memories, making promises of living life more completely was like suddenly, we got it.

What we all share

Traveling the world now, I notice that the places I visit have people with the same faces as me, the same broken hearts over the state of the world, the same hope that we will look past our physical differences and see the power in our unity. I love traveling even more now, because I feel like I can see with my own eyes what’s really going on.

I feel like more than ever, we aren’t so damn different. In fact, we are all very much the same. We are all just people trying to find our way out here, looking to find freedom in its many different forms.

But what about now?

We can’t just sit back and let history happen to us and not be a part of changing it. It’s important that we learn more and question more, that we become more actively involved in our lives, more than just day-to-day work, food and fun and the bubbles of selfishness that we call life. We need to care about a different kind of race — the human race.

To me, that’s what the anniversary of 9/11 means. The numbers represent the emergency, the urgency. One of its effects, I believe, was to make us alert, aware, to wake us up! All of us! From the Middle East to the Mediterranean, from Africa to New York.

We’re awake now. So, what are we going to do about it?

Contrary to popular belief, I feel now it’s even more important to continue to travel. Go where you’ve never been before. Visit the world to see the way different people live, what they think and believe, so we can draw our own conclusions and become closer as a human race. If we stay where it’s “safe,” we’ll fall for what anyone tells us to. I may be a dreamer, but I believe in us. I don’t care what anyone wants me to think, I know now more than ever, we need each other and if we stay together, I have faith in what the future will bring.

Thx 2 EricaN

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30:

You couldn’t have missed her. Despite the light blue silk scarf and a pair of large sunglasses, multiple Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Alicia Keys stood out in her own way despite a low-key arrival at the Shangri-La Hotel here today. Looking radiant in a low-necked white top and faded jeans, Keys arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport from Bali, where she had taken a short break under the sun after her sold-out concert in Beijing, China, last week. She was accompanied by manager Jeff Robinson.

Keys, who popularised the piano-driven hit ballad Fallin’, will be performing in her maiden Alicia Keys World Tour 2004 concert at Stadium Negara tomorrow at 8.30pm. She is expected to belt out a string of hits from her debut album, Songs in A Minor and the sophomore release Diary of Alicia Keys.

Opening for her will be local award-winning R&B crooner Reshmonu. Tickets for the show, which went on sale earlier this month, are sold out. Keys’ next stops will be Hong Kong and Singapore.

Thx 2 Giu