Alicia Keys

Just Asking: Alicia Keys

The singer-songwriter talks about her craft and her chart-topping new album

By JOHN JURGENSEN
December 1, 2007; Page W2

With the release of her third studio album, "As I Am," singer and songwriter Alicia Keys got an early Christmas present. The album went to No. 1 on the Billboard charts and sold 742,000 copies in its first week, the second-biggest first-week sales of 2007 so far (behind Kanye West) -- and a career high for Ms. Keys. From the emotional lead single "No One" to anthems like "Superwoman," the album features carefully crafted pop songs embedded with vintage touches, such as keyboard sounds reminiscent of Stevie Wonder. We asked Ms. Keys, 27, about her influences, her fans and the music industry.

Your album sold more than 700,000 copies in a week, a rare feat these days. Did that figure surprise you at all?

I'm still bugging about it. But I could definitely feel the energy behind the album. The people around me -- the managers, the label people -- they all talk about possible numbers, but I never do that. It's something you can never quite bank on.

You recently turned up to support the Hollywood writers on strike by performing on the picket line. Why?

I think it's really important to stand up for what's right ... And, as a writer, I thought it was the right thing to do.

But by disrupting the TV schedule, hasn't the strike put a dent in your plans to promote your new album?

We had to cancel a lot of shows actually, but it's cool. Some days I was done by 2 p.m. It was the most amazing week for me.

What kind of music were you listening to when you wrote and recorded "As I Am"?

A lot of different styles. Marvin Gaye. Nina Simone had me a lot on this album. A lot of Jimi Hendrix in the beginning. [Hendrix's album] "Band of Gypsies" just started talking to me. There's a real intensity to it. I was running a lot and it really gave me the aggression I needed. And Janis Joplin. There's a version of her doing "Summertime." If you haven't heard it, go online and get it now.

Do you have an especially strong music memory from your childhood, a moment or a phase you went through that stamped your sound?

I think there's something about studying classical music that really contributed to the sound that I have today. A song like "Fallin' " with that 3/4 time. That's all that Bach and Beethoven. I never thought of it before I got on the road. So much of my playing came from the way that I studied, the way it was about practice and fingering and dexterity.

What's the most personal song on the album?

"Tell You Something," for sure. That represents something that I dealt with upon the whole creation of the album. It's dedicated to my grandmother, who I lost this year. She showed me so much and the process that I went through showed me even more.

WSJ: If you could change something about the music business or your place in it, what would it be?

I definitely wouldn't change my place in it. With the right mentality I can influence it in a positive way. But from the business side of it, people are real tired of being jerked around. This is the result of people being way too greedy and that's had an impact on the quality of the music coming out. If you're a dealer and you sell people a bad car, they're not going to come back to you for a car. And that should be the mentality for any business.

WSJ: You worked with a lot of people on this album, from songwriters to musicians like John Mayer. What's your strategy when it comes to collaborations, especially with someone you don't know?

With this record I just decided to give it a shot. If I didn't know them very well, there was some reason why I wanted to get them. First we talk on the phone and then we get together. Usually you have three days, but I only let the person know about two. If the second day goes great, then I've got the third. But if not, then I am out of there. It was incredible working with everyone on the album. People like [songwriter and producer] Linda Perry -- the way we just sat down, both at pianos, and played through chord ideas. The first time we met we wrote "The Thing About Love," and it just got better from there

WSJ: How did you draw on other musical influences in the studio?

It creeps in in ways you don't realize until later. In "Superwoman," those chords progressions are a little Beatles-ish. It was great experimenting with different sounds, like using the Mellotron [keyboard]. That was a hell of a lot of fun. And harpsichord. I might do that again. That's why the Beatles were so fly -- they were so experimental.

WSJ: Who do you think of when you picture your fans? Are they maturing with you?

The only reason I really know this is that on tour, it really shows you who comes to the shows. I've been awestruck that when I look out in the audience there are literally 4-year-olds on their dads' shoulders. There are lovers and teenagers and grandmothers. The spectrum of who is there will blow your mind. Interestingly enough, the people who are growing up with me, my age group and younger, I know that we're all trying to find out where we're going. I think about the variety of things we shift through to find a place of truth. Everything's so surface, and I think that's affecting us.

WSJ: Is being a 27-year-old in show-business all that different from being a typical 27-year-old?

I have no idea, but I think that there's a decent amount of speedy knowledge that you need to get to survive, to not fall in the damn traps that are set for you. Like being a drug addict and an anti-depressant taker and a person who gets lost in the bubble of all this. It gives you a crash course in everything. In that way you definitely mature quicker. But on the other side, how you deal with it depends on who you are as a person. I've been fortunate to have a handful of incredible people in my world who have an open ear. My mother is an example of that. She showed me how to be a woman and what that means. She's a person who is always honest. Brutally honest at times.

WSJ: How much time will you spend touring with this album?

I've been saying to the people around me, 'We're not going to be on the road as long this time, right?' And they just laugh. When you go on the road, it's going to be the next three years. I'm one body trying to get all over the world. It's very, very hard, but it's also fun and incredible to be somewhere like Kuala Lumpur. This time, I really want to make sure I'm implementing different processes because it really took it out of me last time. This time I want build in a lot of rejuvenation vacations.

Write to John Jurgensen at john.jurgensen@wsj.com

Source:

• wallstreetjournal.com