For World Refugee Day, Alicia’s cultural movement, We Are Here, has partnered with CARE, Oxfam and War Child on a new campaign to raise awareness and reinvigorate the conversation around the refugee crisis currently affecting millions around the world. As part of the campaign, Alicia stars in a short film debuting today called Let Me In, directed by Jonathan Olinger from Human.
“I was stunned when I learned that there are more refugees living in the world today than at any other point in history, and half of them are children. Creating this film really allowed us to imagine, what if we were the refugees? What if we were the ones torn from the arms of our families and loved ones? How would it feel if this were happening to us?” – Alicia
You can get involved and pledge your support by visiting www.wearehere.com/letmein to make a contribution that will go towards items benefitting refugees around the world. Or, text LET ME IN to the number 80077 to join We Are Here and take action!
The film features a new song, “Hallelujah,” which can be streamed now on Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal and VEVO.
Stand as one with people forced to flee conflict and disaster
Beautiful Family,
Today, June 20th, is World Refugee Day.
I'm not an expert on the refugee crisis, but I am just like you - a human, a woman, a mother, a daughter, and a friend. When I learned that there are more refugees living in the world today than at any other point in history, and half of them are children, it totally took my breath away! It left me to wonder what if this was me? My sons? My family? My life?
I want you to imagine if you were a refugee, if you were the one torn from the arms of your families and loved ones....one of 60 million people displaced with nowhere to call home. What would you do? How would you feel?
These are the questions my new film, Let Me In, seeks to answer. We’ve partnered with Care, Oxfam, and War Child, on a campaign to raise awareness and reinvigorate the conversation around the global refugee crisis.
The film is set to my new song “Hallelujah,” and reimagines the refugee crisis on America’s shores, displacing thousands in the Los Angeles area who must seek safety by crossing the border into Mexico.
Sadly, some seek to fan the flames of division and turn us against our fellow neighbors, but We Are Here to make the case for love and compassion.
Please take a few minutes to watch the film and think about what millions of families are going through around the world. These are people just like us, with families and careers and dreams. Let’s tell them we’re standing with them.
Post by Active Aggressive on Jun 27, 2016 11:32:39 GMT -5
A mark of a true artist. I didn't always know where she was going with that performance but I was constantly engaged and interested. You could tell she was enjoying it, too.
Post by Samsonite Man on Jul 5, 2016 9:30:42 GMT -5
alicia keys fights the power on forthcoming album Hattie Collins | 5 July, 2016
We caught up with the star to discuss everything from climate change to Donald Trump.
In fourteen years of quite an incredible career, Alicia Keys has not only been a multi-million selling songwriter and singer, but a philanthropist, activist and advocate for change, whether recording campaign songs for Obama, raising awareness around HIV and AIDS via Keep a Child Alive, or the recently founded We Are Here Movement. Taking fours years out since Girl On Fire to birth her second child and create her forthcoming sixth album, the New Yorker returned to the red carpet earlier this year devoid of make-up for to launch the South American flavoured single In Common. But the 15-time Grammy winner has more issues to address than beauty, identity and self worth. With a new, "bolder and braver" album on the horizon, i-D talks to the 35 year-old star.
1. Her forthcoming album is the most intentional record she has ever made. "Before I started creating it my long time business partner and manager Erika Rose asked me if I was ready to step into my purpose and be in my truth. It made me really start to think about what that meant, as well as the great artists before me that did that. I realised I was ready to be bolder and braver and make music about the state of the world that we could sing and dance and cry and love to. We even meditated on what the songs should be about, we wrote down what we received from the meditation and those topics became catalysts to the conversations that created the songs. These conversations were such a powerful part of the songwriting process and I hope they will continue to spark dialogues with all who encounter the music. Things didn't really change during the process it just keeps getting stronger and clearer. That's never happened to me before."
2. The creative process began with four people; Alicia, writer and producer Mark Batson, writer and long-time collaborator Harold Lilly, and her producer husband Swizz Beatz. "From the beginning of the creation of the music we wanted to create an intimate group that understood the path that I was on and was really ready to go levels deeper. It was so dope because we all come from such different backgrounds and the combination is really such a powerful sonic and lyrical experience! That continued with Jimmy Napes who wrote and produced some really fantastic songs with me, as well as Illangelo and Billy Walsh. Billy is a poet and Illangelo is a lot like me, a pianist and producer. It has been really powerful to go levels deeper with a diverse but concentrated crew."
3. She's been going through changes and has embraced her true self. "My biggest obvious change was having a baby during the process of the album. It really created time for me to step away and when I came back I was strong and so clear about what needed to happen. But the truth is, that would have never happened if I hadn't taken the time from the beginning of the album to carve out the space to connect with my spirit in a deeper way than ever before. This industry is noisy and a lot of people have a lot of opinions about what I should and shouldn't do, and this go round was really about learning to listen and trust the voice within me. I have a lyric that says, 'All along, I was hoping understanding would be born, I was looking for knowledge to sing my song but know I know that I am wisdom on my own.' I've definitely gotten stronger over the course of making this album. I've become more raw and able to access myself. It's an indescribable feeling."
4. All's fair in love and work, but while her husband Swizz rolls with a crew of 50, Alicia usually works alone. "We are a team so he had an incredible amount of input. I love working with him because he is a true conduit. The way he creates music is so free flowing and fun, it added amazing energy. His style of creation is very different from mine, he helped me open up and break down some walls and preconceived notions about how creation should look… I usually work alone and he rolls with a crew of 50 at any given moment, lol, so this go round, it was like a party at every session and it added such an incredible vibrancy to the sessions and that translated into the sonic. He's very passionate and clear about his opinions and this has helped me refine my muscle of listening to myself even deeper, sometimes he's spot on and sometimes I have to stand my ground and listen to what I feel is best even if we disagree. That's love and that's life and that's the freedom to be yourself in your relationship. It's one of the most important things to me and I love how we encourage each other to do it."
5. Becoming a mother changed her as a human, a woman, and a creative. "I've become an awesome disciplinarian! It's made me feel so much more deeply than I ever knew I could! It's taken my BS tolerance way down and definitely made me stronger, more fly, more bad ass. Better for real! It's also helped me put what's important in perspective and take more time to be present and enjoy life instead of only work work working all the time."
6. David Blaine, Chris Rock and Nas walk into a studio… not the start of a joke but an average night working on Alicia's album. "The majority of the album was done in NY. That's my favourite place to record for obvious reasons. There's no better variety to me than the concrete jungle. I remember the party vibe. There was this magical communal energy and it became this dope cypher where I didn't know who or what I'd see any given night...there was one night that David Blaine came by and did magic. The music was magical so it was a perfect combination. Chris Rock was telling Jokes, Nas vibing, the incredible artist JR so moved to take photos and videos...it was a really magical experience."
7. Reading articles kept her inspired. "I found that one of the things that really helped me this album was reading interesting articles, one of the most interesting articles I read inspired a song called 28 Thousand Days. And short stories are great to read too. The conversations we had while creating this album were some of the most inspiring I've ever had!"
8. The US political climate, Black Lives Matter and environmental issues were big influences. "The world is in turmoil. There is a crisis of apathy. There's so much pain in our world we have become numb. One more black man shot, one more country rejecting refugees, one more famine. I refuse to become numb and apathetic. Yes my album talks about equality, climate change, justice and most of all LOVE which is still and has always been the answer. But everyone must do their part at this tipping point in history. Everyday do something about what irks you. Because if you do nothing you have chosen the side of the oppressor. That's why I created the We Are Here Movement so we can stand up to issues like these and help organisations get the attention they need to do their great work."
9. Taking a new sonic direction with In Common, the track says a lot about where she is in life."I love the freshness of In Common; how perfect it is for the summer and how it reminds that we're all messed up and working on it. It celebrates just being you. Whoever you are! Be individual, be bold. I love the subliminal things in the video. The negative space. The rawness. The simplicity."
10. While a lot of people find her music cathartic, when she's feeling sad and blue Alicia turns to Stevie Wonder. "I specifically listen to As I Am. Or Fela Kuti! Fela pumps me up! Or something real bluesy like Coltrane... that's a major vibe."
Post by Samsonite Man on Jul 7, 2016 6:06:07 GMT -5
Here’s A Behind-The-Scenes Look At Alicia Keys’ Short Film About Refugees
“Silence is violence.”
posted on Jul. 6, 2016, at 9:20 p.m.
Krystie Lee Yandoli
Back in June, Alicia Keys released a short film that focuses on the topic of refugees, titled Let Me In.
Let Me In is about a mother (Keys) and her two children who are forced to cross the border from Los Angeles to Mexico when their home becomes plagued by war.
By setting this story on American soil and showing a family fleeing from the U.S. to Mexico, viewers are encouraged to think about refugees and immigration from a different perspective. The film also features the artist’s latest song, “Hallelujah.” And in this exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the powerful film, we learn more about how it all came together.
“I think that people really start to understand things more clearly when we look at it in relation to our own lives,” Keys explains in the video. “I think it really shows you how … in a moment, your life can totally change.”
“So many people who become refugees are just like me, just like you, just like us. They’re doctors, they’re teachers, they’re lawyers, they’re people with careers and dreams and lives and families.”
The artist went on to say that “silence is violence,” and we should all use our voices to speak up about injustices around the world.
“We don’t want to see these things happening. We don’t want to turn on the news and feel so helpless. We don’t want to feel like…the world is going on around us and we don’t have any say in how to fix it and change it, because we do. Silence is violence. If we don’t choose to be a part of the change then we’re a part of the problem.”
Post by Samsonite Man on Jul 7, 2016 6:11:15 GMT -5
Alicia Keys Interviewed: "I Refuse To Believe That Donald Trump Will Become President"
BY JORDAN BASSETT 6TH JULY 2016
Alicia Keys has won 16 Grammys, which is sort of mental. It's also been four years since her last album, 'Girl On Fire', whose eponymous single sold over two million copies in the US alone. The New York R&B superstar is now working on a new album, led by recent single 'In Common', a cool serving of tropical house that sounds unlike anything she's done before. We spoke to Alicia about the single, the new album and why she's got no time for Donald Trump.
How’s it been, working on your new album?
It’s been on the best experiences I’ve had making music. I’m very ready to talk about what’s happening in the world as I see it and who are as humanity. I’m ready to talk about the complexity of life, about who we are as people and the way we get boxed in and told who we’re supposed to be. All of us are struggling and fighting for our own personal truths.
The lead single, ‘In Common’, is quite as departure for you
That song sums up the theme of how we are all on our journeys and trying to figure out who we are, which presents a lot whole of problems and challenges. We’re all messed up in our own separate ways with things we’re trying to get through. There’s something really liberating about being able to say, “I got my mess, you got your mess – and that’s all right.” I love that it’s the [lead single]. I love that it has that tropical house thing happening. I love that people are surprised that it’s me. It’s fresh; it’s new. Sonically it’s progressive but it’s very understandable and relatable. I love it.
It’s been a few years since your last album. Does that put pressure on you?
You know, I feel more calm because for the first time ever I recognise who I am and who I’m meant to be. I’m meant to be an artist who takes you some layers deeper. I’m meant to be an artist who can stand on my own. That’s my place; that’s what I’m supposed to do. If I’m just out here chasing numbers or chasing the things we all begin to chase, that’s not the point. There’s plenty of people doing that. I need to say something that makes people have a connection.
Did making this album differ from making your previous albums?
For this album, I brought together four people that I knew who could help me go those levels deeper and who are really ill musicians and writers, with really interesting personalities and styles of music. That was myself, two other writers and my husband Swizz Beatz. We’re all from all these different points in our minds and when it comes together, it’s just like a combustion. Normally I create alone but very creative people were drawn to the studio; sometimes there would be 15 people in the room while I was writing or singing. I’m kinda shy in the studio. I like to be alone so I can be vulnerable. But I’ve been learning this process of being vulnerable in public.
It must be very exciting to still be learning new ways of working at this point in your career.
It’s exactly that – I have so many years in the game and great success and have so many stories that I can refer back to, but I feel like I’m at the beginning of myself. I feel like I’m at the beginning of my creativity, at the beginning of my greatness. I’m at the beginning all that I can still do. So even this album feels to me very much like the first time. When I put out ‘In Common’, it felt like the first time I put out a song. And it feels good because I don’t what y’all to feel that type of stale energy.
What’s it like, working with your husband, Swizz Beatz?
Working with my husband has been dope. He has very kinetic energy – he gets it out the minute he feels it. I’m a little more of a ruminator and a crafter, so to combine it all together is crazy, and a lot of fun. Occasionally in the past we’ve worked together a little but to work together on a whole project was totally unexpected. I was so glad how it worked out we ended up being on the same page; we started to create this stuff out of nowhere. We’d be in the car driving somewhere and we’d be writing a song. Every time we finished, we’d look at each other and be like, ‘Wait a minute, we should do this again tomorrow!’
You famously performed at Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2013. How do you feel about Obama been potentially succeeded by Donald Trump?
I refused to believe that that is going to happen. I refuse to energy towards that and I’m going to do everything I possibly can to make sure that doesn’t happen. That’s how I feel.
What will you do to prevent Trump from becoming President of the United States?
We can make sure that we show up the way we’re supposed to show up and exercise our rights for who we help elect. It happens because we show up or we don’t show up. We can all do that. We can all say let’s be motivated or let’s be active, let’s make sure someone hears us for the future of our country.
Who are you backing?
There’s one or there’s another. It’s pretty incredible that we have the potential to have our first female President [Hilary Clinton], too, so we’ve to keep it going forward not backward.
hey guys, Alicia presented album to some journalists before his performance at the BET, I was there, this album is incredibly inspiring, definitely lives up to what she has said about, I'm sure all of you will be proud.
Did She play the whole album?! I read she played 4 songs...
Post by Samsonite Man on Jul 11, 2016 6:33:15 GMT -5
The 10 best tracks that remind me of New York City, according to Alicia Keys
The accomplished multitasker shares the tracks that remind her of the place she'll always call home.
Published: 27/06/16
Photo by: Paola Kudacki
Intro by: Natalie Davies
A singer, songwriter, actress, pianist, philanthropist, and mother – is there much out that culture powerhouse Alicia Keys couldn't put her hand to? On the mainstream music radar since her debut album 'Songs In A Minor', tracks like You Don't Know My Name, Fallin' and Girlfriend have been the soothing soundtrack that most of us crave at the end of a long day, during a break-up, pining in a romantic dalliance, or simply when we're feeling suitably chilled and just want to sink a little further into the sofa.
Making a return last week with her first release in four years, In Common is a deep-reaching single taken from her forthcoming sixth studio album. Over a rolling and radiant beat, Alicia questions a romantic exchange and the meaning of love in dishonest situations. It's the return we've all been waiting for, and leaves a taste of anticipation for the follow-up to her last full-length, 'Girl On Fire'.
Born and raised in the Hell's Kitchen area of New York City, Alicia Keys is a New Yorker through and through. So we put two and two together and to mark the release of In Common on June 24th, we got the accomplished multitasker on board to share some the 10 tracks that remind her of the place she calls home.
In Alicia's own words:
"On the new album, there are pieces of NY everywhere. It’s like a love letter to NY. The sounds that I heard walking the streets and riding the train. The stories and lyrical inventions I heard on every corner and blaring out of boom boxes. The uniqueness of a city so full of individuality and 8 million stories unheard. All the corners of my city come out in sweet spots in the music. Wait until you hear the conversation it provokes in you. I love this music. Best yet!"
Read through her Big Apple inspired selections below.
Wu-Tang Clan C.R.E.A.M.
Alicia Keys: "This song reminds me of nights in NYC. Wu-Tang are such innovators, and sonically there will never be anything else like them. They shaped such a big side of my musical relationship."
Alicia Myers I Want To Thank You
Alicia Keys: "This song right here reminds me of NYC summers. You can sing this song at the top of your lungs and feel so free! This groove! I loved the house/disco soul vibes that were captured during this era."
Black Moon I Got Cha Opin (Remix)
Alicia Keys: "When I first heard Black Moon I lost my mind! This mixture of NYC BK swag, sing song rhyme style, and jazz shambles hip hop! So sick, and so NY."
Kool G Rap Ill Street Blues
Alicia Keys: "The piano on this song is one of my favorites of all time. It's so simple and bluesy but the verse Kool G Rap spits is so hard. One of my favorites ever."
LL Cool J Mama Said Knock You Out
Alicia Keys: "Come on! Who can't feel this?! Energy from all angles that made me feel ready for anything!"
Slick Rick Children's Story
Alicia Keys: "NY all day! Slick Rick and that storytelling style was so unique. The only one like him. I loved how he figured out how to be lyrical, funny, and serious at the same time. I guess that's the definition of sarcastic! [Laughs]."
Soul II Soul Keep on Moving
Alicia Keys: "Summer soundtrack for sure!! Although it came from across the pond NY was all the way in. Those soulful vocals over the break beat...I couldn't help but be inspired."
Sting Englishman In New York
Alicia Keys: "One of best choruses to sing along to. I discovered this song later, but I loved it instantly. I'm a person that loves titles of songs. When they are intriguing it makes you want to hear the song even more. The rhythm, vibe, and melodies were such a good collision."
Billy Joel New York State of Mind
Alicia Keys: "Perfect piano. Perfect song. Perfect city. Need I say more?"
Pharcyde Passin Me By
Alicia Keys: "I remember the first time I heard this song. I memorised every line. I loved the sweet story of unrequited love plus that video with them upside down and shot in black and white. I taught my little cousin every word too! Good memories."
Lin-Manuel Miranda CHOPS off his hair immediately after his last Hamilton performance on Broadway as he takes his final bow in front of a star-studded crowd
Earlier on Saturday, Lin-Manuel gushed about Alicia Keys' contribution to the Hamilton mixtape - dropping this fall - with Sia, Chance the Rapper, Usher, Ben Folds, and Busta Rhymes.
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