WORSHIPING ALICIA KEYS
The Grammys, “Underdog” + Her Upcoming Album
Alicia Keys has been a visionary artist since childhood. From taking up songwriting at age 12, to signing her first record deal at 15, to earning 15 Grammy Awards, her success as an artist is at a level most can only dream of.
After decades of being one of the most celebrated women in music, Keys has continued to reach new heights in recent years. Last year, she became the first woman in 14 years to host the Grammy Awards. Her grace, poise and performative brilliance (remember the two pianos?) earned her a second year as emcee in 2020. During the 62nd Grammys, her warmth and welcoming personality made the awards show seem like a familial gathering of famous faces. She celebrated with the winners, performed a playful parody of Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved,” and moved the crowd with a small but meaningful tribute to Kobe Bryant.
At the Grammy’s, Keys also performed her recently released single “Underdog.” Alongside Brittany Howard on guitar, she belted out the inspiring track about tirelessly pursuing our aspirations through all the obstacles life might throw at us. It’s a soulful and uplifting anthem for students, single mothers, immigrants, and all other kinds of underdogs. The rhythm itself sounds like defiant footsteps, and steel drums lift the melody into a optimistic trill. Among others, Ed Sheeran is credited as a co-writer on the track.
The single comes ahead of Keys’ seventh studio album ALICIA, which is set to drop later this year. Two other tracks, “Time Machine” and “Show Me Love,” have been released so far. “Show Me Love” is a smooth and sexy R&B duet with Miguel, with Tory Lanez also credited as a writer.
ALICIA is scheduled to be released March 20 through RCA Records, but her big year won’t be over then. On March 31, Keys will also release her memoir More Myself: A Journey. Then, in June, she’ll embark on her first tour in seven years. ALICIA: THE WORLD TOUR will begin in Dublin, Ireland, and travel across Europe before returning to North America and concluding in Miami in September.
