Alicia Keys is now an independent artist.
Alicia Keys recently dropped her brand new eighth studio album “Keys“. The project is a double album with two sides “Originals” and “Unlocked”. The Grammy award-winning artist announced that she is now an independent artist, as her latest project completes her contract with Sony, 20 years after her debut album “Songs in A Minor.”
She announced the news during her recent Twitter space conversation with Genius’ VP of Content Strategy Rob Markman. “I’m so excited because KEYS is actually the last album I have on a major label,” she said.
Jay-Z, who was also a part of the chat room, praised Alicia for the achievement. “Congratulations first of all, that’s an accomplishment,” said Jay-Z. “The fact that you were signed to a label for 20 years is an amazing thing in itself, but the fact that you were able to complete your contract, not many people have been afforded that. That rarely happens for someone to maintain relevance through a contact like that.”
In her career, Alicia Keys has earned 5 No. 1 albums, including her 2005 Unplugged project and 4 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including her 2009 collaboration with Jay Z, “Empire State of Mind.”
Alicia Keys’ producer husband Swizz Beatz also showed love to his wife through IG. “Congrats my Love this is Big Big Big News and you deserve it to the MAX! 20yrs of greatness !” he wrote. “Groundbreaking and unforgettable moments ! I love that you have this freedom at this time in your life it’s rare!!!! Life begins now and this KEYS album is a true masterpiece that’s Raw uncut and no fake hype!! Thank you to everyone that supported since day one and those who now support ! @aliciakeys is just getting started let’s go [crown emojis] Shout out to all the independent woman around the world !!!!”
View this post on Instagram
Keys was a huge success at Sony during her time there. Four of her first five albums, including an Unplugged collection released in 2005, opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. She was named the most certified female R&B act of the millennium by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2020, with 20 million certified albums and 27.5 million certified singles.
Pusha T, Swae Lee, Lil Wayne, Khalid, Lucky Daye, and others make guest appearances on her new album KEYS, which is available now. Return to the project by clicking on the link below.
[VIA]
