MasterClass Alicia Keys Teaches Songwriting and Producing Full subtitles – 100+ languages (SRT)

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Original subtitles

[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]

[CHATTERING]

[CREAKS]

[POKER CHIPS CLINK]

[SCRAPES]

[CHEERING]

[FILM REEL PUTTERS]

ALICIA: Millions have arrived on New York shores, inspired

by the sight of Lady Liberty, her torch lighting the way

for dreamers, a place where the seemingly impossible

feels worth attempting.

We all want the opportunity to work hard and breathe life

into our ambitions.

My hometown, more than any other city,

represents that possibility.

What's going on, y'all?

We're here together.

I'm crazy excited.

I can't believe it.

We are about to talk about how to access everything that's

inside of you to create a song.

So I've never exactly done anything like this before.

Um, I really like doing things that I've never

done before actually.

It's my favorite thing to do 'cause there's

no preconceived notions.

You don't have an expectation for it.

So I've never taught like this before.

And I don't know if it's teaching or sharing.

I feel like teaching is sharing.

And I've always said that if I wasn't going to be an artist,

I would be a teacher, 'cause I would be,

like, the coolest junior high school teacher of all time.

You know what I mean?

[LAUGHS]

We're going to go through all kinds of pieces--

song writing, lyrics.

We're going to talk honestly about the process

and how to find it, where to start.

(SINGING) Even if you were a million miles away,

I can still feel you in my bed.

Tools like instruments to help you

find your way to the emotion--

also going to bring you into the studio,

talk production, sonic sounds, how to put everything together

to really create that beautiful piece that you want to create.

Because if I went [VOCALIZING],, it wouldn't have felt the same.

If I went [VOCALIZING],, it wouldn't

have felt the same either.

It's [VOCALIZING].

I'm even going to bring you into the booth with me

so that we can talk arrangements and styles and choices,

and how in the world do you access

that beautiful space that's waiting for you right now?

[LAUGHS]

It's gonna be fun.

It's gonna be fire.

And it's my first time doing this with you, us together.

So I can't wait.

You ready?

I'm Alicia Keys, and this is my MasterClass.

[BELL DINGS]

[LAUGHS]

I need that real bad.

Can we please put the ting in there?

[MUSIC - ALICIA KEYS, "UNDERDOG"]

[HARMONIZING]

ALICIA KEYS: (SINGING) She was walking in a street.

Looked up and noticed.

He was nameless.

He was homeless.

She asked him his name and told him what hers was.

He gave her a story 'bout a life with a glint in his eye

and a corner of a smile.

One conversation, a simple moment.

The things that change us if we notice

when we look up sometimes.

They said I will never make it, but I

was built to break the mold.

The only dream that I've been chasing is my own.

So I sing a sing for the hustlers trading at the bus

stop--

(SPEAKING) Piano is such a cornerstone me.

It's such a friend to me.

I started playing piano when I was seven.

So I've been sitting behind a piano for so long

that I do really feel safe here and I do really

feel comfortable here.

It's a really special place.

So many people I talk to are like,

man, I love piano until that one teacher.

You know what I mean?

And it really-- it turns people off.

And teaching is really such a powerful, beautiful, important

place to connect.

My piano teacher really introduced me

to different styles of music.

She helped me on that path of discipline and diligence

in the sense of, you know, just giving me

parameters and places that you had

to try to get to and learn certain things.

And, you know, it's a different state of mind,

but she also was really good about knowing what I liked

and what I didn't like, and she listened to me.

She'd know what I was leaning towards.

She helped me to learn how to play songs

that I loved that were on the radio

and showed me why they looked the way they

did so that even I started to understand

how to create my own, you know, things like that.

Another amazing teacher I had was my high-school music

teacher named Miss Aziza, and she was almost

like my real-life Nina Simone.

She was like this beautiful Black woman-- is, by the way,

currently is like a beautiful Black woman

with gorgeous dreads, and she had these long fingers.

And she would play her ass off, man.

She was like ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba and played jazz crazy,

and she sang so amazing.

She wrote all her songs.

She arranged everything.

And when she taught us, she, you know, gave us her songs.

She gave us harmonies with 7's and 9's and 13's, and we

were like ah.

We had to really learn some cool stuff,

and that really inspired me to create

and continue to try things.

And definitely my mother.

She raised me by herself, single mother.

And she taught me--

man, she taught me how to be fierce.

She taught me how to be candid, and she taught me

how to be loud and understand that if you want something,

you're going to talk up.

You're going to have to speak up.

You have to say it.

You have to verbalize it, and sometimes you have to get loud.

And she was really such a powerful teacher for me

on so many levels as a woman, someone

who stands up for other people, for other women.

She is definitely a huge teacher for me.

The classical composer that influenced me mostly is Chopin.

I really love Chopin.

His style is really emotional and beautiful and dependable.

I also love Erik Satie.

I like Ravel.

WC-- WC is really cool.

I really like Bach because there's

a very individual-specific style of him,

and I really like to play because it's quite interesting

to have a melody in one hand and then have that same melody

in the other hand, and they pass back and forth,

and that's really his style.

The arrangements are incredible to listen to.

Then Billy--

Bill comes in with a solo.

ALICIA KEYS: But I feel like Isaac Hayes and Quincy Jones

and some of the greatest arrangers of our times

totally listened to classical music.

You can hear the way that sonics work and the way

that horns fit in, where the strings fit in,

the way that the bottom and the basses

and the bassoons and the cellos fit

and all those middle sections, the pianos and the guitars

and anything else that fits in that middle.

I think you can really listen for arranging and voicings.

You know, you hear the way the voicings happen,

the way they invert, continue going for themes also.

What's the theme of the piece?

And you'll find that if it starts on piano,

maybe then the string section takes the theme.

And then later after that, maybe the horn section

takes the theme and the voice takes the theme.

You know, it's cool to explore that there are these themes

and there are these ways to create things

that many instruments can take.

So I think that's really beautiful

to gain when listening to classical music.

How do I start a song?

How do I begin it?

If I feel something, or I have created something,

how do I begin it?

You just don't know, because I've

written many, many songs, hundreds of songs.

But every time, I don't know how it's going to happen.

I don't know what's going to come.

I don't know, how is it going to find its way?

I don't have a clue.

And that's when I say that it's emotional to me,

because some people are quite technical with music,

quite specific, almost scientific.

And that's awesome, because I've always wondered how to do that,

because I truly don't know how to do that.

All I know is, if I can find the feeling,

then I can find my way somewhere.

So that's usually what I do.

Sometimes, it will be in my head.

As I'm walking on the street, as I'm in my car,

I hear bits and pieces.

I'll grab my phone and record the pieces that I hear.

Sometimes, it's just an emotion.

And I sit down.

And I play the first thing that I feel.

Sometimes, I feel nothing at all,

and I just sit down anyway, and I play whatever comes out.

So any of these ways work.

And if anything, you can try all of them,

because it depends on the day.

It depends on the hour.

It depends on the alchemy, and the magic, and the whatever

that we-- the unknown.

I think improvisation plays a really big role

in the songwriting process, just being open, just being fluid.

I tend to improvise melody more than lyric.

For me, I will play a few chords, and happily just--

[PLAYING PIANO]

--sing the first thing that comes to my head,

and then try it a few times, and just sing.

Can I remember that?

Do I love that?

Does that feel right?

[PLAYING PIANO]

I always heard that the Beatles said

that, if they couldn't remember their song the next day, then

they weren't doing it, because it wasn't good enough.

[PLAYING PIANO]

So I love to improvise the melodies,

and find my way through it, and find different places.

And I usually also love to create levels to the song.

If I'm starting at the beginning--

[PLAYING PIANO]

--I like to keep it in a place that feels comfortable

to access, something that's a little bit--

[PLAYING PIANO]

--easy.

And then, as I continue to go, then I

like the melody of the song to lift up and get

a little bit more energetic.

[PLAYING PIANO]

And then, by the time I hit the chorus,

I'm usually freestyling something

that really brings you higher so that, when you get back

to that verse, it can be back to that--

[PLAYING PIANO]

--calmer, more accessible space.

So a lot of the time, that's usually how I think of a song.

But obviously, there are no rules.

And there are no right ways.

And there are no wrong ways.

It's all right.

And it's all magic.

And it's all amazing.

And it's all you.

And that's something that I've definitely been really thinking

a lot about lately--

is the understanding that only you have what

you're going to bring, literally.

Nobody has it.

No one.

So there's a beautiful strength and confidence

that comes when you realize that you're the only one that

got what you got.

Those ways that you hear music, the way that you

hear lyrics, the way that you feel, the way that you process

your emotion, the way that you put your words together,

the way that you sing the melodies that you're

going to sing--

nobody else is going to do it like that, only you.

And what you have, people need.

So freestyling and improvising is definitely

a beautiful trait.

When it comes to lyric writing, a lot of people

freestyle lyrics, a lot.

Sometimes, people will even just mumble the melody

and then step back and listen to the melody for the lyrics.

And I've found that that happens sometimes,

because there's moments where I'm like,

I know exactly what I want to say here.

And then it sounds something like, [VOCALIZING]..

And then it's like, wait, what is that?

What does that mean?

I just want to run away.

(SINGING) I just want to run away.

Is that I just want to run away?

So the flow, and the fluidness, and just

the openness, the conduit, is really, really cool.

But usually, I like to craft lyrics.

I like to think about them.

I like to be a little bit more precise with them.

I like to be almost a little more traditional songwriting

with lyrics, just to be able to really complete the thought

and make sure that the story, or whatever it is that I'm trying

to put to word, is clear.

Because I know, when people can get it, that's when it works.

With "Diary," I remember the song "Diary,"

I could not get past--

[PLAYING PIANO]

And that just came out of the blue.

I just sat down, and I was between some show

and another show.

And I sat down, and it came out.

I was like, whoa, whoa, what is that?

And for a year, I couldn't find the words.

I couldn't find anything to go with it.

I couldn't hear it.

Nothing came.

Sometimes, it's just the piano, and it will spring up.

Sometimes, it's a poem that I've written the majority of it,

and I'm trying to figure out, how might the rhythm of it go?

[PLAYING PIANO]

I started playing it.

So it took, like, a year for me to find any lyrics.

[PLAYING PIANO]

So "just think of me as the pages in your diary"

makes me smile, because I'd watched

"The Bridges of Madison County," the movie, which

is this super sappy love story, the extra, which you love it.

And like all in love with each other.

And you're like, ah.

By the end of the movie, you're just all teary,

and feeling all tickly.

So I'd watched that.

And that feeling of love, that feeling of pure passion,

was definitely just--

I loved it.

And so I remember that I first tried--

[PLAYING PIANO]

I had the--

(SINGING) "I won't tell your secrets.

Your secrets are safe with me.

'Cause nobody else-- what else do you want,

but for your secrets to be safe from a person,

or that you can trust a person?

And then I went--

[PLAYING PIANO]

(SINGING) I will keep your secrets.

And then I think I said something like, just think of--

I said--

(SINGING) Just think of me as--

I tried to fit in "just think of me

as "The Bridges of Madison County.""

I tried so hard [LAUGHS] to make it work.

And if I tried it now--

(SINGING) Just think of me as "The Bridges

of [MUMBLES] County."

So it was the flow.

I knew the flow I wanted.

But obviously, "The Bridges of Madison County"

was just not going to work.

And I was like, what is it, though?

Damn, this song is giving me so much trouble.

It's like, I really have to dig for this one.

Because some songs, you got to excavate.

It's just that's how it goes.

You have to literally dig, and dig, and dig, especially

if you love it, if you love it and you know that it's great,

and it's going to be great, but you just

have to find the pieces and make a great.

So this was one I had to excavate.

And my partner at the time--

Krucial, who wrote a lot of the first and second record

with me.

I was like, "Bridges"--

I sang it for him.

And I was like, "Bridges of Madison County."

And he was like, what if it was something about your diary,

because of the secrets, and is diary.

And I was like--

[GASPS]

(SINGING) Just think of me as the pages in your diary.

See?

You got to be open, because man, imagine

if I said, "just think of me as "The Bridges of Madison

County."" I don't think the song would have been as poignant.

[LAUGHS]

So just think of me as the pages in your diary.

Again, with diaries being so much

of a way that I express myself, and with diaries

being the place that you keep your secrets,

and you can be so open and be completely yourself,

and you can trust it, and it won't betray you,

and all these things, it made perfect sense.

And it felt exactly like what I was trying to say.

[GENTLE PIANO MUSIC]

And another teacher I always loved,

her name was Miss Sabatino, and she was actually

my English teacher.

And she gave me this spark and this love

for reading and literature and the messages behind the words.

And I would be so fascinated in the class with her

as she would--

you know, if we were reading something

and she would kind of provoke us to think deeper

about what did that mean.

And it was the first time I started

to look at things beyond just the surface,

but what was the metaphor?

What was the message underneath that--

you know, those words?

And I think, on a songwriting side, that's definitely

books and reading and literature is definitely

a big way in for me of how to create and how to write

and how to find inspiration or--

a lot of times, I can--

I'll read a book, like a Willa Cather book from, you know,

the late 1800s or something just because the tone and the poetry

that's used to write that style of book

makes me think differently-- even the cadence or the prose

that I start to use.

So that's really cool.

I really love books as a tool to continue

to write in ways that are unique or interesting,

or if I need inspiration, a lot of times I'll turn to books.

I'm not sure about the first time

I got a journal in my hands, but it

must have been for my mother.

She was a journal writer and a writer too.

She has, like, this really beautiful handwriting.

The first time I got a journal, it really

changed everything for me.

I remember, like, the little one with the key, [LAUGHS]

you know, and you didn't want anybody read your journal

and that kind of thing.

And I think it had multiple colors.

Each page was, like, a different color.

And, you know, I named it.

So that's how young I was.

I named my journal.

But I remember that when I figured out

how to put pen to paper and express myself--

at the time, it wasn't songs.

It was just kind of feelings or fears or worries

or whatever happened in third grade or, you know,

whatever those things are.

It gave me an outlet because I've always been

quite guarded and protective.

I've also been-- you know, I grew up with a very strong--

my mother was very strong, like, very--

just her energy is very strong.

And so I always got a little tongue tied around her.

I didn't exactly know how to say what I wanted to say.

And it was through the process of journaling that I got

to get a lot off of my chest.

And so I believe that the journaling eventually

turned into the songwriting, because even right now, today,

this morning, I journaled.

And I lose it sometimes.

I go away from it.

And when I come back to journaling,

I realize how clear I become.

I become so much more insightful.

I really understand what I'm thinking more.

I'm able to process it and work through it with myself better.

And that's really cool.

So journaling was my door to songwriting.

And songwriting definitely chose me

because I do remember the first song

that I wrote was provoked by the death of my grandfather.

And I didn't know how to feel, and I never

felt that type of sadness before,

and everything felt heightened.

Every emotion just felt heightened.

And the first thing that I thought of

was to go to the piano and play.

And that was the first song I wrote.

That's the first time I ever sat down and put--

I don't remember the chords or I would play them for you.

But I don't remember them.

That's the first time I sat down and allowed my feelings

to come out in a melody and words that exactly described

just what I felt, just in that moment, that second.

I didn't think about it.

I didn't try to do it.

I didn't want to make it perfect.

I just felt it so much that I had to say it.

And I remember-- I was maybe 9 or 10.

Yeah.

And my mother just let me play.

It was late, 12:00, 1:00 AM, something late, I remember.

She just let me play.

She didn't even come ask me anything.

And that was the beginning of this understanding

that, wow, you can have a feeling, an emotion,

a sensation and just describe it as you feel it, you, yourself.

And it's good just as it is, you know?

So I think songwriting chose me, as far as I can recall.

And I chose it, 'cause, you know, if something chooses you,

you got to choose it back.

[LAUGHS]

[GENTLE MUSIC]

You know what I really love to do?

I like to start with the day.

Like, that day, that moment, that second that you're in,

what's going on?

How are you feeling?

What happened in that day?

What happened in that space, you know?

And even if you're just literally

focusing on the most simple thing,

like your walk from your house to the store--

it sounds crazy, but how would you describe that?

How would that feel for you?

How could that which you felt be translated

to somebody who wasn't there with you, you know?

It's almost like how are you painting the poetry

or how are you painting the picture, the vividness,

the scent of it, the people you saw?

What did it make you feel like?

I find that the practice of that will lead you somewhere,

you know, somewhere that you're trying to go.

So I find that when you try to write a song,

it could probably be great.

But for me, whenever I've tried to write a song--

and don't get me wrong, I definitely sit down and--

you have to try.

I mean, you have to start, right?

There's no-- nothing's going to come if you don't actually

give it a shot.

But I find that if I haven't identified something that

feels real to me, that's a real emotion that I have,

then I'm searching for words that I don't really

know exactly what they mean.

And maybe they sound pretty and maybe they even feel beautiful,

but what do they mean to me?

I can't find it.

You know, I can't find the meaning.

So I find that when I do seek something

that I really understand personally, the song goes--

it just comes much more fluidly, much more fluidly.

Like, you know, conversations are beautiful.

Personal experiences are amazing.

I remember for "Good Job," we were actually--

I was actually-- we were just looking at these young boys.

They were, like-- they were, like--

we were in Egypt, believe it or not.

And look, you don't have to be in Egypt to write "Good Job,"

so let's not get it confused.

You can be anywhere because this situation can happen anywhere.

But we were in Egypt, and these young boys,

you know, they kept running up to us

to get like a little doll or a little something

because they were trying to feed their family

and this was part of what they had to do during the day.

And I just watched them, and they were so young.

And I watched how they were moving around.

And then I watched, like, this older man.

He was just walking down with, like, a horse and some fruit

in the back.

And there was another woman just holding her baby

going where she was going.

And all of this everyday life, this everyday people figuring

out how to get from place to place, how

to survive another day, made me think of my mother.

It made me think of how often my mother has, you know,

sheltered me and figured out how to get me from place to place

and protect me.

And I thought of my dearest friend,

who is a single mother, as well, like my mother.

And she is so dedicated and driven

to making sure her daughter is safe.

And I thought about, man, do any of these people

hear that they're doing a good job?

Does anybody ever tell them?

That man pulling the horse with the fruit basket in the back,

has he heard that he's doing a good job?

Do those little kids that were trying

to hustle to make ends meet and bring it home

to their family to get a little piece of bread and--

do they hear that you're doing a good job

or you're doing the best you can and we see you?

I don't think a lot of people hear that.

In that moment, that's how I felt.

And that was the catalyst for that song.

So again, for me, I find that you can just

look around you and know something

that's really moving you, touching you, your feeling.

That's the prompt, you know?

That's the prompt right there.

ALICIA KEYS: There's definitely a relationship

that I have with classical music and the way that it

has influenced the way I play piano,

especially the darker classical music that evoke a moodiness

and, you know, a darkness almost.

The rain-- you know, it just sounds like the rain

when I describe it to myself.

Of course, classical music can be quite complex and quite

fast and rigorous and quick, but there

is something about the very slow down tempos of even like a Bach

who has these right hands that mirror the left hand,

and then the left hand mirrors the right hand.

And there's these pieces that just come to mind.

And I realized that a lot of times when I play--

[PLAYING PIANO]

--it does have a classic pull undertone in it, which

I think is awesome because it's a mixture of hip hop and soul

and classical that collides that I love so much because I love

those three sonics and the way that they each have this truth

and honesty and rawness and roughness

but in different ways, you know?

And so bringing those all together is just natural.

I'm not trying to do it, but it's part of what flows.

So I think "Fallin'" is a really good example of how that

happens even.

I mean, when you put it all together

and you hear the production, the way that the drums hit,

you know, there's a hardness to it,

a rawness to it that is really a part of what I'm always

attracted to.

And then the piano is super simple

but does actually have more of a classical cadence even.

And then the voice is what brings the soul into it.

So those three elements altogether create

kind of this feeling.

[MUSIC - ALICIA KEYS, "FALLIN'"]

(SINGING) I keep on fallin' in--

in love with you.

(SPEAKING) The inspiration for "Fallin'" was, like everything,

1,000% real life.

(SINGING) Sometimes I feel good.

It was my first relationship, and I didn't really

understand how intense love could feel.

And there was-- you know, there's always so

many complexities with it.

And I was just feeling like it was always going back and forth

and up and down.

And sometimes I was super happy, and then sometimes I

was just, like, so frustrated.

And there were all these components, and I just--

it was overwhelming how real that was.

And then even, I think, a little bit

as a metaphor as just life in general at that time.

It was very up and down.

Like, everything was so uncertain,

and moments would be so good, and then

other moments would feel so scary and full of doubt

and all of these things.

So "Fallin'" was definitely a bona fide real-life experience,

and that's why I think we can all feel it so deeply.

(SINGING) How do you give me so much pleasure

and cause me so much pain?

"Fallin'" actually started in a car.

It was my first car, which was a Mazda 626.

And I was driving around the city,

and I remember these words, these emotions, the push,

the pull, the good, the bad, the whatever,

however you want to describe this polarity feeling really

bubbling up inside of me.

And I remember singing it into my little recorder.

I remember pulling over, writing some things down.

I remember it was very much not in a space that I, you know,

meant to be creating in.

And that's definitely always a great sign

I think when it kind of comes to you in the most random place.

Then I brought it back and started

to think about it on the piano and have this feeling with it

and make it make sense and try to bring it all together

with what I was hearing in my head and the lyrics

and how it felt and then this simple piano thing.

(SINGING) I keep on fallin' in and out.

(SPEAKING) The main theme of "Fallin'" is this tug of war,

this back and forth, almost the good side and the bad side

or the bright side and the ugly side.

It's like it's the-- you know, it's the opposites, basically.

It's the polarities.

It's those feelings that we all live with.

The coolest part about "Fallin'" is that it's very direct,

you know?

It is very-- it cuts no--

it's not beating around the bush.

It's not alluding to a thought.

It is directly, 100% clear that sometimes I love you

and sometimes you make me blue.

Like, sometimes I feel good.

Sometimes I feel used, and loving

you makes me so confused, and it's literally that.

And I think that the simplicity of it

is really what makes it so tangible

and what makes it so gettable.

And even for me a lot of times, the way I speak

is sometimes tremendously maybe poetic or even just

like I'm always kind of searching for the right words

and the right place.

And sometimes it goes over and over and on and on,

and that's how I talk.

But when I write and when I sing,

particularly that song, it's just like here's the truth.

This is the bottom line.

Boom, you know?

And I think that's what makes it really, really gettable.

Another inspiration for me for that song was--

you know, I'm a huge--

I like to say I stan for the '60s and '70s.

Like, I'm a stan.

And I just love the music from the '60s and '70s.

And there's also a piece of the '50s that's

also a big inspiration for a lot of my songs,

the way that there's like a simplicity, an ease.

The chords are always quite gettable, you know?

And so this music from the '60s and the '70s

and even, you know, some of the '50s has always inspired me.

It's always gotten me because there's a lot of passion.

There's a lot of power.

I love how the vocalists at that time

could just sing their face off, you know?

They could just shout and scream and blow,

and somehow you were still completely enraptured,

you know?

And the most amazing part of the fallen piano

is how simple it is.

It's literally--

[PLAYING PIANO]

--two chords, not even three.

And I think there's something about--

and the verse just is hypnotic, and the only thing that changes

is the--

but the bass is exactly the same, E and B every time.

And then I think there's a sadness in there.

It's not happy-sounding chords, you know?

And then on the chorus, it just feels like it intensifies.

And there's a lot of drops so that you can just

keep getting into the emotion of the song and the feeling.

But I think the piano is actually--

it's actually surprising to me how simple it is.

A lot of the times I think obviously as a musician

you really want things to be a lot more complicated.

You know, you're learning so many different chords,

or you're inspired by different sonics and clusters and things

like that, and it's so beautiful.

And then you just do something as simple as, like, two chords,

and suddenly it just makes perfect sense.

So there really is something about simplicity,

and that's definitely what I've learned over time too.

(SPEAKING) How do you give me so much pleasure

and cause me so much pain?

(SPEAKING) "Fallin'" is a piano, drums, a bass,

and these pizzicato string parts,

and then an actual beautiful string line that's played

through it, and then voices and soul.

That's like it.

It's like three instruments, four--

four parts, three instruments.

And I think that there--

over time, I've learned the more I put on things,

the smaller it becomes.

So here you think, man, I put this string.

I put this synth.

I put this pad.

I'll put this bass.

I'll put this Moog.

I'll put this piano.

I'll put this guitar.

You figure like, ooh, it's going to be massive.

It actually gets very constricted.

It gets very small because then everything

doesn't have its own space.

But when it is very stripped back and simple,

it sounds huge.

So that's what the piano does, I think.

And then the emotion of it comes from how it goes back and forth

between this very simple arpeggio

to the very, like, pounding chord thing

and then back to a simple arpeggio.

And so, again, I think it pushes and pulls with you.

Even as you're just experiencing the words, you're brought back,

and then you push forward, and you're brought back.

Although the tempo is always the same and the chords

are basically the same.

You just-- it's the intention or the feeling that

feels different.

And then vocally, you know, I think

the confusion or the opposition of it

does come from that big beginning being so strong

and, like, bah!

Like, I'm frustrated.

Ah!

And then it kind of breaks down, so let me tell you why.

And then it gets back to the big, big, big, big chords,

and then it breaks back down to the but here's why.

And then but I need you and then I don't, and then ah.

And so I think emotionally both the music of it

and the melody of it copies this idea of restraint and then

nonrestraint and strength and then softness and then anger

and confusion and, like, all these different emotions

that get to be inside of it.

It's really interesting for me because I

don't sit here and break down my songs normally.

Like, this is not something I normally--

I don't sit here and like, this is how and why.

I don't even think about it at all.

So it's really cool--

actually, this is really cool for me to even think about

why do these things sound like that?

or why did it relate this emotion?

and share that with you.

It's truly a once in a lifetime experience.

I just don't look at music in that way,

so there wouldn't be a reason for me

to break it down normally.

So I'm learning with you right now.

[LAUGHS]

I think that something that's really powerful

is when you're able to use the world around you,

your own experience, simple things--

a phone call-- but using the world around you

to provoke you to begin to write.

And I think that's a really powerful way

to connect and know what you want

to say because you're personally touched by it in some way.

Everything leads to everything, and that is definitely

the truth.

Even the times that I've written really bad songs, I know--

and you know, what's good?

What's bad, right?

What does that mean?

What's right?

What's wrong?

What does that mean?

So I usually don't like to categorize or judge things

with those generalizations because I

don't think that it really is accurate and it's perception.

It's perspective.

It's opinion, right?

But I know that maybe I've written something that I

didn't feel as connected to.

Let's call it that.

[LAUGHS]

Even when that's happened and I've left my piano or my studio

or I've left whatever space I'm in creating that thing,

I realize that there is something conjuring with it.

There's something that happened.

There's something that's coming from that experience.

The process of getting it out without thinking

about how I'm getting it out, without making

it sound good the way I'm getting it out without,

taking away my--

just get it out--

is, for me, the best way to do it.

And so there's been times where I've written in my journal

and I've just stumbled on a feeling, an emotion, a word,

phrase.

And the song that I recall happened

like that is one of my favorite songs called

"Not Even the King."

[MUSIC - ALICIA KEYS, "NOT EVEN THE KING"]

(SINGING) They can't afford what we've got, not even the king.

(SPEAKING) This song is--

I love this song.

And I remember-- and it's so simple.

[PLAYING PIANO]

It's literally C, D, E, F, literally.

And I had this experience where I was contemplating--

this might sound strange, but I'm going to be candid with

y'all because that's what we're here to do.

So this is what we all have to work on.

I think we have to work on not judging ourselves a lot.

I just said to myself, hmm, will this sound strange

if I say this to them?

But let's just go with it.

We're talking about freedom of expression.

We're talking about unchaining the mind.

We're talking about living in the heart, in the spirit,

in the emotion.

So we have to let go of this judgment in order to do it.

I was thinking about how often times I've met people

with an exorbitant amount of money,

and I can't believe the sadness that I feel from them.

And I was thinking about how does that happen?

And I actually was talking to my friend saying, look,

if everybody who's, like, a billionaire is super miserable,

I'm good.

Like, I'm good.

We're doing good.

We're cool.

And, of course, it's not that because that's the stereotype,

right?

So it's never just that.

But I thought about how this desire to not

lose the joy, the love, the spontaneity, the connection,

the simplicity even as you become more successful, even

as you become--

you have opportunities in front of you,

even as things might become more than your wildest dreams,

continuing to keep grounded and full of love

and making sure you're doing what

really makes you feel good.

And so all of that was kind of like this thought in my head.

And I started writing another song that was called something

that I don't remember because it didn't work out because I

didn't need it to work out.

It needed to lead me to "Not Even the King."

And that's why it ends up being one of my favorite lyrics

and one of my favorite songs ever,

period, because it's so simple.

And, you know, the lyric is--

(SINGING) Money.

Some people so poor.

All that they got's money.

Oh, and diamonds.

Some people waste their life counting their thousands.

I don't care what they're offering,

how much gold they bring.

They can't afford what we got.

Not even the king can afford what we got.

Not even the king.

(SPEAKING) So that idea of this wealth is excess,

this access never being able to overrule something pure.

But I remember that song developed so much

from something that totally didn't work and didn't exactly

feel right, but eventually it became this thing

that I love so much.

So everything is a process, and everything

is leading to something.

In a lot of my songs, it's a conversation.

It's a dialogue.

A lot of the times it's searching for,

you know, what we're looking for.

We're searching for how to continue forward.

We're searching for, like, what's the answer?

We're searching for how do I actually approach that person?

like in "You Don't Know My Name,"

or we're searching for the expression of what

it is that we feel that I think, for me,

the conversation standpoint kind of happens naturally.

I don't even realize that it's happening.

I remember specifically, though, with "Troubles,"

I was in dire need of a major conversation

with anybody who would listen.

And because I barely trust people--

how can you trust people with your most vulnerable feelings

and anxieties and feelings of inadequacies and things

like that that we all have?

And with "Troubles" at the time, I was just--

I just didn't feel like I could handle everything,

and I just didn't feel like I could deliver what I wanted to.

And I felt this--

I was, you know, only maybe 16, and I had this big expectation

to create this album, this first album, and this music.

And, you know, here I was, and I played all these--

I played these songs for people, and I told them

I knew who I was, and I was a piano player

and an artist and my own woman.

And I still didn't even know, was I my own woman?

or what did I exactly feel?

And there was just, with life and choices,

everything just felt very upside down and turned around.

I had moved out of my mother's house really, really early,

and I felt lonely.

I felt-- I felt--

I felt grown, but I felt not grown.

I was-- I didn't know what I was doing.

I was just stumbling around trying to figure out what

in the world.

So I kept waking up just with this desperation,

this desperate feeling.

I felt so lonely and isolated, and the only person

I knew who to talk to was to God.

I just didn't know who else to talk to.

I didn't know if anybody else would understand or even get

it.

And that's why "Troubles" is very conversation.

It actually allowed me to say what

I felt because the verse is "I feel like the world is closing

on me.

I feel like my dreams will never come to be."

So I got the chance to express all the things

that I was feeling because it was driving me crazy.

It was inside, and I was just banging around in my head,

and I could not let it go.

And then I imagined being answered.

And in a way, maybe it was the answer.

You know, it was the answer at the time.

And so the universe, God, that spirit

that I was talking to just saying please, help me.

What do I do?

Was able to say-- (SINGING) if you're troubled,

you just gotta let it go.

If you're worried, baby, you just gotta let it go.

All your hustles ain't for nothing.

You just gotta take it slow.

When you need me, baby, all you do is let me know.

(SPEAKING) So it was like it was a real-life conversation

that I needed at the time.

And I kind of gave myself the answer that way,

and I needed it.

We live in a time where many people

choose to try to tear down, or to disencourage,

or to be negative.

And it's such a power--

it's such a superpower--

to find your empathy, to find the way

you relate to each other, to people,

to people you don't know, to people you've never met,

to circumstances you've never experienced.

If you can empathize with them, if you can connect,

and understand them, and appreciate them

for what they are, I think it's really powerful.

And I know that's what creates the best music.

I know that's what creates the best connection.

And I also know that's what creates

a chemical change in how we're relating to each other, which

is why music is so powerful, because it's

more powerful than any other medium, period, and probably

all because of that access to understanding human beings,

each other-- the heart, the soul, the spirit.

I think empathy is one of the most powerful

emotional experiences because empathy

means that you can actually put yourself

in the place of another and understand what they may

be feeling, and feel it with them, understand it with them,

live it with them.

And there's definitely a lot of empathy and energy

that comes from that.

And I remember, ever since being a little girl,

I've always felt people's energy so strong--

so crazy strong.

I could tell right away if it was a gentle, soft spirit,

or if it was kind of a rough, tougher energy, or a darker

energy, or a brighter energy, you know?

It definitely was, is, and has always been something

that I could feel right away.

And I wasn't always drawn to write very--

I didn't always know how to write songs that were quite--

maybe you would call them political,

or maybe you would call them--

I'm not sure what you call them because, once again,

I really try my best not to label things.

But a lot of times, I would be fascinated

with writers like Nina Simone, Curtis Mayfield, and Marvin

Gaye, all people who really took the world around them

and spoke on it so eloquently and beautifully.

And I was fascinated with them, but I didn't

know how to do it myself.

Like, how do you do that?

How do you actually take all the chaos and all

the indescribable inequities, unfairnesses, and put it

into a song that makes sense?

I remember after a trip, my first trip to South Africa

with my organization Keep A Child Alive,

I met this young boy named Sudi.

And he was 16 years old, but he looked probably

seven years old.

And his growth had been stunted from the AIDS virus

and not being able to have access to the medicine that

would keep him alive.

And I went to his home, and I met his family, and I met him.

And he just had these tears that just fell down

his face the whole time, but he wasn't crying visibly.

And it was so intense, and it was

so powerful to be there with him in this new experience,

in this place that looked totally different from where

I grew up, and the experience that was different from mine.

And I felt so connected to him.

And I wanted to do everything to change it for him.

And we talked about all these things.

And even the group of us figured out, what

are we going to do for Sudi?

And really making sure Sudi is good.

And I wrote this poem with his name in it.

And I didn't want to forget him, and I wanted to solidify it.

And I left.

And maybe two months after I left, they said Sudi died.

I wrote this poem.

I wanted to take this, and I wanted to transfer it to music

and crystallize Sudi how I met him and how I felt about him.

And I couldn't.

I couldn't find the music that made it work.

I couldn't find the melody that would properly describe it.

And so it ended up remaining a poem,

remaining words that I felt and that I wrote, and that's all.

And I-- and that was all--

that was what it was supposed to be, you know?

So it's very rare that songs kind of come together in that

special way where you can really talk about-- for me,

it's rare--

when you can really capture what's happening to society,

you know?

In a way that is still a story, is still a beautiful way

to stay connected to each other and to understand.

But it's not always easy to do.

[MUSIC - ALICIA KEYS, "PERFECT WAY TO DIE"]

(SINGING) I think of all you could have done.

At least you'll stay forever young.

I guess you picked the perfect way to die.

With "Perfect Way To Die," I never thought

that it would actually be in the world already.

I kind of thought that it would come a little bit later.

But obviously, with this continuation

of this particular narrative that has to change,

in this country, especially, I just knew that we're all--

we've reached a pinnacle.

We've reached a level of just being so

fed up with the same conversation,

and the same story, and the same outcome.

And the faces change, and the faces change,

but the outcome's the same.

And nothing gets done, and people don't get indicted.

And lives are lost, and families are devastated.

And it's just like, what the fuck is going on?

And it's not right.

We can all see it's not right.

It's completely wrong.

And I just felt that we were all in a place,

more than ever before, to be ready to have

this conversation, to have this dialogue,

and to admit, without a shadow of a doubt,

that there's a problem--

a real problem.

And I felt like this song would be the perfect conduit

for that conversation and just an honest reflection of where

we are right now, today, right this minute, and unfortunately

have been for the past--

like, beginning of time--

at least, beginning of this country.

So I wanted us to be able to connect and have a song that

described the pain that we're all feeling, that described

the frustration that we're all feeling, described the outrage

that we're all feeling, and also just the truth of what we're

all feeling.

And so when it comes to "Perfect Way To Die,"

written by Sebastian Kole, who is an amazing, really

special, special writer and an artist,

he really was affected so deeply,

like we all were, about the deaths, or murders,

of Mike Brown and Sandra Bland.

And he started this song, "Perfect Way

To Die," during that time.

And when I heard the pieces of what he wrote, I was bawling.

I couldn't believe how beautifully he'd

captured this emotion of a mother finding out

that her son was murdered.

And so that was the genesis and the beginning

of a "Perfect Way To Die" and being

able to put into words this journey of two different lives,

two different experiences, but both

ending with the irony of the title,

of there being a perfect way to die, which, of course,

there's not--

definitely not that way, definitely

not by the hands of police brutality,

definitely not in a way that totally disregards Black lives.

So it's really incredible to find your way

to express these very difficult, painful, big ideas.

[PLAYS PIANO]

So she-- it takes you through the experience of the son,

like a Trayvon Martin.

(SINGING) Simple walk to the corner store.

Mama never thought she would be gettin'

a call from the coroner.

Said her son's been gunned down, been gunned down.

Can you come now?

Tears in her eyes.

Can you calm down?

Please, ma'am, can you calm down?

So she is just getting this information.

As far as she knew, her son was just going to the corner store,

like he did every day, like everyone does every day.

And she's called by the coroner to come down and identify

this body of her son.

And she's going crazy.

She's in pain.

She can't believe it, that it's him.

And then they tell her "calm down"

when she has the tears in her eyes--

so that simple, direct perspective

that I don't think we think about a lot,

how it affects the mother, who has to go find or identify

her little boy or little girl.

And then it moves on to talk about the city, which

I love how it goes from this perspective of the mother,

very singular, back and forth with her conversations.

It's kind of describing the scene,

describing her world, which you really feel

like it's her recollection.

And then it moves to the city.

(SINGING) It rained fire in the city that day, they say.

A river of blood in the streets, no love in the streets.

And then came silence in the city that day, they say.

Just another one gone.

And the city moves on.

And we're stuck here singing, baby,

don't you close your eyes 'cause this could be our final time.

And you know I'm horrible at saying goodbye.

So back to the mom.

(SINGING) Now think of all you could have done.

At least you'll stay forever young.

I guess you picked the perfect way to die.

Oh, I guess you picked the perfect way to die.

And my favorite part of how this song evolves is it

really takes you from this soft place--

(SINGING) simple walk to the corner

store-- it's very conversational.

You could be talking to your friend.

(SINGING) Mama never thought she would be gettin'

a call from the coroner.

And then it goes to this powerful-- (SINGING) it

rained fire in the city that day-- top of your lungs.

And then it goes back.

(SINGING) But I say, baby, don't you close your--

And then the second time around, the chorus

stays all the way up.

So it gives you this "back to the conversation" when

it talks about Sandra Bland.

(SINGING) New job, new city, new her.

Bright eyes.

You would've been proud if you knew her.

Again, this conversation.

Like, imagine you knew this beautiful young woman.

You-- she was incredible.

You'd have been so proud for everything

she was going to accomplish.

So it humanizes what's often painted to be--

incorrectly painted to be aggressive

and just animalistic.

And it's not real.

Every-- just a human being.

We're talking about a human being, you know?

A real person-- your brother, your sister, your family,

you know?

So I love how it goes back to that intimate thing,

and then it goes back to the--

that big B section, but it changes the words.

(SINGING) And they heard nothing from the city that day,

they say.

And they came watching in the city that day, they say.

Carryin' signs in the streets, cryin' eyes in the streets.

But they heard nothing from the city that day, they say.

Just another one gone.

Then the city moves on.

And we're stuck here singing, baby,

don't you close your eyes 'cause this could be our final time.

And you know I'm horrible at saying goodbye.

And at that point, the outrage is so crazy

and the pain is so crazy that you can't sing it low anymore.

(SINGING) But I'll think of all you could've done.

At least you'll stay forever young.

I guess you picked the perfect way to die.

Oh, I guess you picked the perfect way to die.

And then by the time it gets to the end,

it goes one more time to, (SINGING) I say,

baby, don't you close your eyes 'cause

this could be your final time.

And you know I'm horrible at saying goodbye.

But I'll think of all you could've done.

At least you'll stay forever young.

I guess you picked the perfect way to die.

Oh, I guess you picked the perfect way.

And it never says "die" again.

And I find this song to be so remarkable because not

only does it make a very complex issue

seem very relatable, but rarely will you

hear a song climb so high and then come back down to such

a quiet place.

And that was definitely intentional to create

that pain and that arc of pain.

And so I think this is one of the most beautiful songs

I've ever been a part of and the most powerful

that I've ever been a part of.

And this is when it feels like there's

something bigger than any one person that

comes from the magic, the alchemy of these small amount

of notes, and the voice, and a story, and a pen.

It's like, you need nothing but a voice, and a pen,

and something to say.

[UPBEAT MUSIC]

So we are in my vocal booth, and this is the live room.

It's called the live room.

Usually there's two rooms, two main.

Rooms there's a live room, and there's a control room.

And the live room is where you do vocals

or where you do live piano or you do drums or you do,

you know, anything you can possibly

imagine that wants to be a bit more ambient and spacious.

And so here's where we do vocals,

this kind of iso both that's always

created in the live room.

It's a bigger space.

It's usually a pretty large space.

And then the iso booth creates this isolation for you to sing.

And this is where I do majority of my vocals,

although I do my vocals pretty much anywhere.

I've done it in closets.

I've done it in corners of rooms.

You know, we make everything work and anything work.

And it really also just depends on the energy and the vibe.

So-- and sometimes I also do vocals in the control room.

So it really depends.

But today, we want to focus on the majority

of the time I'm going to cut vocals in this type of space.

[GENTLE PIANO MUSIC]

So let's talk about how you can produce yourself,

because, as a producer, most of the time I'm in a studio alone.

You know, it's me and my engineer

and longtime music partner Ann Mincieli,

who's been with me for--

since the beginning almost.

But a lot of times it's just the two of us,

and that's how I like it because it's quiet

and I can concentrate.

I can get things done.

I love that I can just be in my own world

and be in my own space.

And I find that when I have to entertain people,

I can't concentrate as well.

But I still find that there's something

really powerful about being by yourself.

It just-- you know, you just have you to depend on,

and there's something about exercising

that that's really important.

So the question is, though, as my own producer, how do I--

or how do you as your own producer--

how does one flip between the creative mind that

is wide open, exploring all the possibilities,

not held back in any way, and the editing mind that's

thinking about, OK, how do I put this together,

how do I make this great?

Usually what I do is I really step

into the booth with an open heart,

and I just want to explore anything

I hear, anything I hear at all.

I go for it.

I try it.

I try to find it.

I listen for it.

Mm, man, I hear this crazy ninth harmony

over here, this one section.

I'm going to try it.

Sometimes it's amazing.

Sometimes it's like, mm, that's too much.

And right away, I know.

Like, right away in my spirit, I know.

If I love it, I keep it.

If I don't love it, I get rid of it.

That's just-- I go with what I love always.

And so-- and then I allow myself just to play.

I play.

I really try hard to be free, you know?

I really set the environment so that I

can be free, that I can try anything I can imagine or think

of.

I can mess up.

I can sound horrible.

My voice can crack.

I can be off.

I can be flat.

I can be anything.

I am in the moment without feeling

like somebody's judging me or watching me or thinking

about it.

That's a big deal.

That makes a difference between OK songs

and unbelievable timeless songs--

that freedom.

So I definitely do that first.

And if I'm feeling uncomfortable, trust me,

I will ask a person to leave.

And I do it nice.

But I'm like, do you mind giving me a few minutes?

Because if I feel an energy from a person that just doesn't

feel right, you gotta speak up.

So don't hold your tongue, especially with creativity.

It's only one moment.

You only have one time to really capture that pure energy,

you know?

After a while, you do it 100 million different times,

it's going to shift the energy, that pure, natural thing.

So clean your space.

So after my space is claimed and my own, I just fly.

I just totally go crazy.

So then, when I've done everything

I can think of, every part, every, you know,

splatter of paint that I can imagine, I step away.

I, you know, take a break, go have something to eat,

catch up with my friends, my kids, whatever.

And then I'll go into the control room, and I'll listen.

And when I listen on that other side of the glass,

I listen from my producer ear, from my arranger ear.

And I can hear right away what I love.

Oh my gosh, that's beautiful.

That works.

I hear, OK, that works, but it's too loud.

If it was less prevalent, you would feel it, you know,

and that would be all you need.

Uh, that part doesn't really work how I thought it was.

Let me make a note to go back in and try it again.

If there's parts on the lead that I

feel like maybe aren't as strong as I thought they were,

I'll make a note.

I'll fix them.

Or I'll check my other takes that I did

and see if I can swap it out.

And so I really listen in that way with the producer

and arranger hat on, and I make the adjustments,

and I start to craft it so that it goes together

and make any changes that need to be made,

and that's the way that I can produce myself and also

be free from my own critique.

[GENTLE MUSIC]

A lot of the songs that I've done,

nobody thought that they would work.

They were not on trend.

They were not easily placed in the radio spot

after the latest hit of the moment.

They were all quite rebellious.

And they were renegades in their own right

because they just had a sound that was different.

And we actually always had to work

really hard for the records to have their just due

and to have their opportunity.

"You Don't Know My Name" was a seven-minute song.

You know how long songs are now?

Two minutes 15 seconds max.

Imagine a seven-minute song.

It was completely-- it was completely rogue.

But the vibe was so good, and the style was so good and that

mixture with me combining with Kanye and this kind of, like,

soul/hip-hop zone that's completely my world--

because, you know, we said it's soul, hip hop,

and classical that kind of creates the energy that

I'm personally inspired by.

And I had to figure out 100--

you can't imagine how many edits I had to go through to just get

that thing on the radio at all.

They weren't going to play a seven-minute song, period.

So I had to, like--

OK, how can I keep the soul of the song and--

and "Fallin'," are you kidding me?

People thought I was 65 years old.

I was 17 with a big voice and an old soul

and a different style and a different vibe,

and it took so much for people to understand

how to make that make sense.

And "No One," you should have heard the beginning chatter.

What is this?

This isn't even Alicia.

Doesn't even sound like Alicia.

Who is it?

They didn't get it.

It didn't sound like anything else.

And that's a really--

it's hard sometimes 'cause it makes it a much more

interesting, challenging road.

But I'm proud of those songs and all the people that

helped me make that come alive into the world and then

the people in the world that love them and make it grow,

you know what I mean?

Because you never know.

It could just end up being a song in your bedroom, which

is also very, very important right

away, because the songs that you write in your bedroom

lead you to where you're going.

But I just wanted to say that because the more unique

you are and the more one of a kind you are and the more you

do break the rules and the more you do cross the boundaries

and the less you follow other people

and the more you create your own lane, your own sound,

your own style, your own look, your own feel,

your own perspective-- and that brings us

back to what we said at the beginning,

that you are the only one like you.

And sometimes, honestly-- I'll be honest with you--

I have to stop and remind myself that.

I'm like, uh, Alicia, you're the only one like you,

and you're needed, just like you.

So I just wanted to bring that up because it's not always

just a--

it's usually never some kind of easy road

that just poof, poof, poof, and boom it's magic

and it's all great.

You know, you usually have to work pretty damn

hard to make it happen.

And it's all good.

Once I have the basics of what I'm going to create,

that's when I'm ready to start to experiment and try it.

Usually how it goes is I'll write the song,

generally get the most parts that I feel really good about,

work on the lyrics, work on, you know,

how it goes so that when I'm sitting at the piano

I love it just at the piano or I love it just at the guitar

or I love it just banging on the sink.

Whatever the case is is like I strip down.

Do I love it in that stripped-down way?

And then I come and start to arrange vocals.

I actually love vocal arrangement so much.

It is such a special part of my process.

It is really a big reason where the energy comes from,

where the emotion comes from, where the joy comes from,

where the darkness comes from.

There is so much.

To me, it's like the colors.

You know, if writing the song is like the sketch,

to me, the arranging the song and particularly the vocals

is like painting it.

It just comes alive.

So, again, it happens a hundred different ways.

Some people come right into the booth and freestyle

words and lyrics and melodies, and that's

how they-- and then step away and write it

and come back and finish it.

Me, I usually write it, really have a good idea of it,

then come in and start to cut it.

So I'll have had a basic track going at this point.

I'll have put the piano down.

I'll have dropped some type of drum

behind it just so that I can feel it,

and then I start to go at the vocals.

So usually I'll do the lead vocal first,

and it really depends on how I feel.

"Fallin'", since it was one of my first songs,

we actually recorded "Fallin'" onto tape,

which is so amazing because now obviously everybody is digital,

and you go straight to Pro Tools or you go straight to, you

know, whatever it is that you're recording it on.

But it's usually not tape, and obviously all the greats that

have recorded in the past-- you know,

Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield and Nina Simone and, you know,

all of the incredible people--

Jimi Hendrix, on and on, name, name it--

were all onto tape.

And so when you actually hear this particular vocal,

you can hear the tape.

And how I hear it, you can hear the thickness.

There's a thickness, a fatness that it's almost

a part of the sonic that if you listen to this song

maybe compared to another song that wasn't on tape,

you can kind of hear there's a space almost.

So it's really cool.

And there's actually been times where

we've taken vocals or taken drums or taken different parts

and run them through tape even now just to create that,

like, fatness.

So that's a little trick, but it's kind of hard to find.

Like, tape is almost obsolete.

So it's pretty awesome when you can

find the little vintage moment, catch a vibe.

So this one was on tape.

And I started at the beginning.

I can imagine, if I'm taking myself back to "Fallin'", I was

probably pretty nervous, to be honest.

You know, it's like this is the very beginning of all things.

This song came kind of at the end of recording "Songs

in A Minor."

So I definitely had a lot of songs under my belt

and had a little bit of a flow.

So my confidence was definitely higher than at the beginning,

but I'm sure I still felt a little uneasy,

a little awkward.

And again, like I said, I'm an advocate

for uneasy and awkward.

I think that when you feel out of place,

you're onto something.

You're about to make magic.

So it's kind of cool that that happens,

so don't be afraid of the uneasy part.

So I come in, and I start.

Sometimes I start at the--

obviously I always start at the top,

but sometimes I decide to do it in chunks.

Depends on the song.

I'll decide, like, let me take the top of the song

and stop right before the first chorus.

This song really had a fluid lead that really carries it

all the way through, so I sang this one from top to bottom.

And then I'll come back.

I'll do maybe 5, 6, 7, even 8, 9,

10 takes like that until I start to feel really warmed up,

until I really start to feel like my voice is

in a good place.

And then I'll come back and I'll spot check.

So if there's a piece of it that I'm

like I hate how that sounded, I'll grab that again.

Or if there's a moment that I feel like, you know what?

That's a little flat or whatever.

I'll grab that again.

So that's kind of how I do it.

And then I come back around for the painting, my favorite part,

which is really thinking how can the vocals that I put

on this on top of the lead really accentuate it and make

it stronger?

So we talked about that this song has a lot of drops.

Like that's a lot of the intention of it.

It has drops, and then it falls back in, you know?

And part of that is definitely to grab you,

and so you pay attention to the part.

(SINGING) Sometimes I love you.

Sometimes you make me-- (SPEAKING)

you know what I mean?

So it's going to always give you like an "uhn," and then

it's going to drop back into the thing.

So I decided to accentuate those parts.

Sometimes I harmony right here and then nothing.

So it kind of is a feeling.

You know, you kind of know what you want.

But most at the time when I'm creating and arranging,

I love to build.

Like, I really want to feel the build.

I want to take it from a place that feels small

and lead you to a place that grows and grows.

And even if it's so subtle that you don't realize

it's happening, by the time it gets where it's going,

it's grown, and I feel like that's a really--

it's a trademark for me, and it's something

that I find is a great technique.

It just really, really works.

So in this song, you know, I have

those spot hits where harmonies come in

and you'll start to hear it.

And the first time a harmony comes,

maybe I'll just do a tenor.

Like, I'll have the main note and I have the tenor note,

and then that's it.

And then maybe that same part comes around

in the second verse.

And if it comes around in the second verse,

I'll take the tenor.

I'll take that main note, and then I'll

put a soprano on top, you know, so that each time you're

able to hear more, feel more.

The punch is stronger.

And then it really depends on where

it goes from there because sometimes I'll

put a note in that you can't even hear,

and I'll say I want to feel it more than you can hear it

because it's just the mere energy of the note being

there that gives you something.

You know what I mean?

So again, sometimes it doesn't even have to be obvious.

This song, it starts to grow a lot

when it gets to the bridge. (SINGING) I--

I-- I--

I'm fallin'.

So that part is the part that I imagine kind of the more people

are chanting, the more people are claiming,

singing this emotion.

And it was actually all my voice on there, every single stack.

Usually it's somewhere between eight--

four and eight.

I'll usually stack four and eight vocals

when I want to start making a part be very significant.

I'll even go to 16, but that's where it's really big.

Or sometimes I'll do 16 and tuck them way far,

like especially when it's oohs or ahs.

Like if you listen to Marvin Gaye a lot,

you'll notice that he has all these oohs and hums and ahs,

and a lot of times he'll follow the string line.

I break him down a lot because vocally

I think he's one of the most interesting arrangers,

vocal arrangers that, you know, exist.

So he'll follow the string line with his voice.

So I learn from him, and I will take things

and I'll take string-sounding vocals and I'll tuck them way

in the back.

So these are all just different techniques

and layers and things that make it interesting.

But for "Fallin'", it's very straightforward.

And so that choir where it's saying I'm fallin'

is all my voice, and all those harmonies are all my voice,

and all those sopranos that make it build and build

is all my voice.

And at the very end when it comes to that last chorus,

I actually brought in some unbelievably powerhouse

superstar vocalists to sing that end part.

I was with them.

They were singing along with me, but there

was something about the way another tone,

another voice besides my own added to the energy of the end.

And so if you listen at the end when (SINGING) I keep on,

(SPEAKING) it sounded like the whole choir

of the entire universe is in there.

It's because the variety of tones

of these different vocalists, including me, creates

like a whole other experience.

And I just chose to do it.

They came in a little bit on some

of the small parts in the second verse if you listen,

but they're really featured at that end.

And that's because we wanted that end

to really go home and take it big and strong

and really make the point.

I want to show you in "Fallin'" how it sounds.

Actually, I'd love to play a capella because you never

get to hear, you know--

when I hear back to Marvin Gaye, when

I hear Marvin Gaye a capellas I'm, like, dying.

It just sounds so good.

And I'm imagining him, like, in the booth or on the floor

or wherever he was at the time just singing.

So we're going to play it, just the vocals,

the second verse of "Fallin'" so I could talk you through it.

[MUSIC - ALICIA KEYS, "FALLIN'"]

(SINGING) Loving you.

Ah, ah, ah.

Never felt there's a way.

(SPEAKING) So as I was saying, this is that vocal--

(SINGING) How you give me so much pleasure--

(SPEAKING) --on tape.

(SINGING) And cause me so much pain.

Yeah.

(SPEAKING) A lot of times I will answer myself when I'm singing.

It's like energy.

(SINGING) I've taken more than would a fool.

(SPEAKING) I picture it like a rapper doing his ad

libs or her ad libs.

That's my little ad libs.

(SINGING) Back in love with you.

(SPEAKING) So small harmonies.

(SINGING) I keep on fallin' in and out--

(SPEAKING) So that's all me, all my stack.

(SINGING) --of love with you.

(SPEAKING) On that love--

(SINGING) I never--

(SPEAKING) --I started bringing those additional background

voices.

(SINGING) When I-- when I-- loving you--

(SPEAKING) That's the first time you're introduced to them.

(SINGING) I-- I--

(SPEAKING) And all this is just me.

All the stacks are just going to be me.

[HARMONIZING]

Third up.

(SINGING) I'm fallin'

(SPEAKING) And then switch it with the round--

(SINGING) Fall-- fall--

fall--

(SPEAKING) --to really accentuate

that feeling of falling, big harmonies, tenors.

And then here comes the backgrounds.

(SINGING) I keep on fallin' in and out-- out-- of love--

love-- with you.

(SPEAKING) I'll never forget the day they sang this.

(SINGING) I never-- never-- loved someone-- loved--

the way that I--

I-- loving you.

(SPEAKING) So you hear their tone is different from mine.

(SINGING) I'm fallin' in and our of love-- --of love--

with you-- with you.

I never-- no-- loved someone--

no, no-- the way that I loving you.

(SPEAKING) Awesome.

Thank you.

So you hear the difference in the way

that it grows and it started.

Even on that second verse, it started pretty simple.

There's pieces that come in, my voice answering in small ways,

not overdone, little introductions of this big group

that's coming on just the-- (SINGING) the way that I--

(SPEAKING) just on the I or just on the love, you know,

just little introductions or ways to--

little premonitions of what's to follow.

And then at the end, boom, they come in and they take over.

So that's a little bit about what

I was trying to explain with the way you can layer it,

the way that you can play with it,

different tones on top of each other,

things that just give it personality and energy,

and also the pieces vocally that actually

accentuate what you're saying.

So that falling-down feeling in the voice, you know,

mimics the feeling that it's talking about.

So that's a little "Fallin'" deep look.

There are days when I am very critical of myself,

or when, I don't know, it's just like energetically things

aren't exactly flowing.

Or I've noticed that it's like--

I'm swimming upstream, or that it's really difficult

to get the right tone.

Or my voice is not feeling as good as I would like it to.

And on those days, I really--

I really tried to pay attention to that.

And I've learned how to just back off.

I will say you know what?

This is not the day to do this particular thing.

Maybe I need to do--

you know, try to write something else.

Because maybe I'm feeling something,

or maybe I need to work on the music of it, or something.

But I have also learned that there are days when

it might just not be right.

The magic is just not quite there.

And it's OK to just kind of say I'm good today.

Let me come back.

My secret is that you always leave when it feels good.

You stop before it starts to feel like it's not going that

well, or whatever.

Because that energy retains itself.

And when I've gotten to a place where I've pushed myself

too far, and then the energy starts to shift,

when I come back to that song another time,

I have a feeling already in my DNA about it.

And it can ruin that ability to be so free.

So one thing I definitely think is imperative

is I warm up very, very, much before I start to sing.

And it really makes a difference.

There's mostly scales, you know, and mostly different tones

in your voice.

A lot of things that kind of sound like birds.

[WARM UP NOISES]

It's pretty funny.

And I'm in the car, or I'm in the house doing my warm up

they're like ah!

But so what?

It's good for me.

So it's a lot of different things like that,

and just opening the palette, and the soft palate,

and allowing it to you know, really just

become warmer and warmer.

And it really makes a difference.

It makes a huge difference on the tone of my voice,

on the control of my voice.

Obviously, the protecting your voice,

and allowing it to be safe.

That's another really good trick and technique that

is a little bit of a lost art.

You know?

Like really protecting, and growing, and strengthening

your voice is really important and powerful, so

that it could last forever, and ever, and ever.

Another cool thing that we do a lot of

is I usually use similar--

I use a similar group of microphones.

Like an M16 is this one, an SM7 for a little more

vintage sound.

I even use like a regular stage make, a 58,

at times if we want to.

And then there's other microphones

that of course, we try out and use.

But what I like about what we do,

myself and my engineer, Anne, is we

test out different compressors and check

how does that mic fit with that compressor.

And for that feeling of that song, which is really cool.

So even exploring that, and experimenting

with that, plug-ins or virtual compressors and things

like that, and sonics and sounds, is really cool.

Because you get a chance to see what would

different things sound like?

And experimenting, and exploring,

and how it fits the song.

So I love that, and that makes a big difference

to what you end up hearing, and the vibe

that it creates and captures.

This is one of my favorite, favorite

not only just songs of all time.

And that I've ever written, but just the vocal arrangements

on this song are so good.

Because they're subtle, but they're very, very present.

And if you actually had a chance to listen

to the a capella, which I'll play for you a little bit

later, you'll see that from the top of the song,

from the very beginning of the song, I have like three--

three different harmonies going on right at the top.

(SINGING) I just want you--

Boom.

In.

But they're so hidden, and part of the feeling

and the emotion, that you don't even know they're there.

But they're there the entire time,

and it's these beautiful clusters

of harmonies that are following me throughout the whole song.

And then there's these very specific parts where

I've just had one harmony note.

And I almost treated it almost like robotic.

I remember when I was singing it,

I wanted it to sound almost like a robot.

(SINGING) Everything going to be all right.

Everything going to be all right.

And I wanted it to just be kind of like the way

that it sounded, juxtaposed with the emotion of that

vocal sounded like it was going to break.

There's something about like the robotic

with the emotion that really cut through in a cool way.

So I love those parts in this song.

And as it keeps growing, like at the beginning,

you'll see that there's this cluster of harmonies,

and then on the second verse comes back again, right away

that cluster.

And by the time the B section comes--

(SINGING) You and me together.

--the cluster starts to slight movements,

where like that third note will maybe move up,

major, come back down minor.

It's like these tiny little crosses and things

that are happening underneath that whole thing

that you don't even know, but you feel.

So when it starts to lift in those ways

that you'd feel it growing, part of it

is not only the music, not only the vocal, the lead,

but it's like these backgrounds kind of pushing it.

As if I was playing chords.

As if I was playing a Rhodes, or I

was playing a pad, or something that kind of was

underneath the song, my voice became that pad, became that--

became that-- you know, that tension.

And that push, and it's my favorite.

Because I remember that the experience of just expressing

the backgrounds in this song was almost just

as exhilarating as that main lead,

and singing that strong, chorus and everything.

So this song is all my voice, all of this stacks,

and all of the pieces fit together are my voice only.

So this-- it just felt right.

But that's also why I started to change

the tone of even my voice.

So when I talk about that robotic sound,

it gave it like a slightly different tone

than my normal one.

And so it could cut through in a way that

felt a little bit different.

And then I love how most of the song is very almost repetitive,

the chord progression is quite repetitive.

And then at the bridge, it totally

flips, which you know is what kind of makes

it breathe, and makes us switch.

So if the main chords are that.

Let me go down here.

That's the main chords.

And then-- and then the bridge just completely shifts from it.

And I think that gave it a beautiful break,

like a space where it could grow, and just

change into a different thing.

And then come back to that favorite progression.

And then of course, the all time favorite,

favorite, favorite, vocal of this song

is the end, where everybody is chanting.

(SINGING) Oh, oh, oh.

And you can just kind of like go all in,

and just sing it, and feel like you remembered

that everything's going to be all right

is my favorite, favorite vocal.

And Crucial, my partner who also produced this song with me,

and wrote it with me as well, he did.

(SINGING) Oh, oh, oh.

And that ended up being like a huge part of the song.

We were just in here having a great time,

and got to that part.

And he was doing that naturally.

And I was like, you got to come do that.

And it was in there.

So even in there, when you hear that energy,

it feels like a celebration.

It feels like something that you can just

lean into, and let go with.

So I think that's why that's definitely

a favorite part of the song.

And even in the middle.

(SINGING) You, you.

And that keeps coming around.

(SINGING) Getting away what I feel for you.

That-- that's another thing that just keeps--

keeps, it keeps coming back.

So you want to sing again.

The oh expression of oh just works.

I don't exactly know why.

There has to be some scientific explanation.

I truly believe if some scientists broke down

something about us, we would discover that these ohs just

have a, you know, sound is such a powerful current.

And it really does affect your emotions.

And it's incredible.

But there's something about that way, it's not--

because if I went--

(SINGING) Oh, oh.

--it wouldn't have felt the same.

If I went--

(SINGING) Ah, ah.

--it wouldn't feel the same, either.

It's--

(SINGING) Oh, oh, oh.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

It's just like damn.

That-- isn't that so crazy?

Like literally any other vowel would just not have worked.

So let's bring the scientists in.

Come on, scientists.

Talk to me.

[LAUGHTER]

WOMAN: Oh, give me a little song.

(SINGING) Oh, oh, oh.

(SINGING) Oh, oh.

Oh, oh.

No, bro.

That's not it.

(SINGING) When the rain is pouring down.

And my heart is hurting, you will always be all around.

Yes I know for certain.

You and me together, through the days and nights.

I don't worry because everything's

going to be all right.

People keep talking, they can say what they like.

But all I know is everything's going to be all right.

No one, no one, no one can get in the way of what I'm feeling.

No one, no one, no one.

--just one single voice, that harmony.

(SINGING) Can get in the way of what I feel for you.

You, you, can get in the way of what I feel.

Can you go to the last chorus?

(SINGING) Some people search the world.

No one, no one can get in the way of what I'm feeling.

No one, no one, no one can get in the way

of what I feel for you.

Oh, oh, oh.

There you go, the eh, eh, ehs.

Yes, so what we were actually-- with that actually reminded me

of, too, is that I did use a Vocoder synth to sing

through the vocals at the end.

So that also contributed to that robotic-ish sound

that I was talking about.

(SINGING) No one.

And it just created another tone in those backgrounds,

and in that painting of the arranging and the vocals,

that just was a totally different sound.

And I love that.

I love using the Vocoder for that kind of magic,

which in a lot of ways is--

a lot of times what autotune is actually replicating

is this Vocoder sound.

Which is really a cool cool, thing.

And the actual way, I use a microphone

and play the piano to make the chords from it

while I'm playing it.

So it's a really sick instrument,

and I'll actually show you that a little bit more

when we get into the production side.

It just creates a whole world.

So I think that's--

that's the secrets to "No One."

I don't know if I 100% can tell you

what makes a good anthem or how to make an anthem.

You don't know a song is an anthem.

You know that it feels great.

You know that you love it.

You know that there's something so special about it.

This I know.

With all the songs that I think of, even like a "Girl On Fire"

or "No One," "Empire," you--

each time, I knew there was something magic.

Like, I knew it, and I knew it while it was being created.

And I felt this energy that I was,

like, something's happening.

Like, I literally felt like something's happening, like,

as if I was in a laboratory and something

was just about to explode from the mixing of all the things.

But I'm not sure that I could say

during the creation of these songs

that I knew exactly what it was that would make it an anthem.

And I actually-- personally, my people are different.

You be you.

But I personally feel that there is something almost not

quite right with me claiming that this song is an anthem.

Let me rephrase that because I'm very, very big

on the power of words.

I think you should claim everything.

You want to make an anthem, you say,

"Today I am going to make an anthem.

I am going to create a powerful song that the entire world can

sing at the top of their lungs.

It's going to have all the parts I needed to have,

and it's going to say exactly what I need it to say."

You should claim what you want.

What I mean, though, is, I find that there's a humility, like,

a respect, a deep respect that I have for the music,

for the alchemy, for the creative process.

And I almost feel like it stunts what

it can become if I'm already telling it what to be.

And so I feel very particular about claiming certain things

about the music, as opposed to just allowing

it to develop and be and become and find it and feel

it and feel amazing about it.

So I think that that's what I meant by that.

Now, looking from hindsight, I could tell you

what makes that song an anthem.

Because now it's an anthem, and I know it's an anthem,

so I can talk about it like that.

But in the moment that I wrote it, if you asked me,

"Is this an anthem?"

I would say, "I am not here to decide that."

Like, I love this.

And that's what matters the most.

I have put everything into it.

So now, looking back, I think that what makes it anthemic

and what I recognize is, a lot of pieces of a lot of my songs

that I didn't know I was doing intentionally,

but now that I can look back at a lot of them, there is a--

for this particular song, there's

something that I like to call--

it's like a sad triumph.

And there's something about the songs that

have this hopeful feeling, but they want to make you cry.

And to me, that's what "No One" does for me.

It's talking about how we're going to make it,

and we're not going to listen to anybody else.

It's going to be all right.

But part of it feels sad while it feels hopeful.

And I think there's something about that rub that really

works in the human psyche.

I also think the piano is really recognizable.

You could play it on guitar.

You could play it on piano, or you

could play it on a keyboard.

You could play it on a little dinky, whatever.

And you're going to know a million percent that that's

the "No One" piano line.

I think that is a big deal.

Also that accentuation of the base, which is a Jupyter.

It's a particular kind of keyboard.

It's a vintage keyboard, and we're

going to talk about that later in the production

side of everything.

But it created such a unique sonic (SINGING) wank, wank,

wank, wink, wink, that it automatically, you would--

it was an unforgettable part.

And so it was another hook.

So I think I've discovered that part of what

makes these songs feel anthemic or songs that you

know that you'll know forever, they have these hooks.

And they have multiple hooks.

So not only is it the chorus that's able to say, (SINGING)

"No one, no one, no one," that's easy to remember,

great hook, but there's all these pieces

that also are the hook that create

this memorable experience.

So "No One" is about no one stopping this unbreakable bond,

this unbreakable love, this powerful connection.

And that even though times get tricky or hard

or even when people have something to say

or negative energy is trying to enter

the space of this beautiful connection,

that they can see what they like,

but everything's going to be all right, you know?

All I know is everything's going to be all right

because no one can get in the way of what I'm feeling

and get in the way of how I feel for you.

So it's definitely--

I think it's really talking about,

you know, that unbreakable bond, that very powerful

love that is indestructible, that, really, nothing

can penetrate, and that even when

times feel challenging or difficult or hard,

you know without a doubt that it's all going to work out.

So, again, I think that's another part about the--

that sad triumph that I kind of talked about.

It's, like, all in there.

The complexities are what make it, you know,

have that feeling.

But it's also what makes it so relatable because who

doesn't want to feel like everything's

going to be all right?

Who doesn't need to feel that no matter

what, it's going to work out, that it's going to figure it

out and find its way through, and that there is a love that

exists that is more powerful than anything that

tries to destroy it, you know?

So I love that song so much.

And no matter how many times I sing it or hear it or anything,

it never loses its magic ever for me

because I always need those words.

I always need to remember that everything's

going to be all right.

Retro-futuristic is the way that I describe my music,

the way that I describe the style of music that I'm really

attracted to.

It's this ability-- you know, have a healthy, heaping amount

of this classic sound, this classic style of writing,

this classic, sonic-- a timelessness

that I feel comes with some of the greatest errors of music,

which, to me, is the '70s and also the '90s.

And there's obviously many great eras of music,

and everyone has their own opinion about what that is.

But for me, the '70s is a really powerful era for music.

It was very, very progressive and really beautiful,

really musical.

You know, the amount of instruments that were in songs

were just impressive, incredible-- horn sections

and string sections and all kinds

of different types of bass guitars and pianos

and Wurlitzers and keyboards and experimental experiences

and effects and styles.

And it was just very, very rich to me.

And so, a piece of that richness and bravery

and boldness of the musicianship and the instrumentation

of music and also the songwriting that

was very catchy, very, very emotional, very powerful, mixed

with the future, which is, like, all the plug-ins,

all the virtual sense, all the new drum programs,

all the drums sonics that have a certain heaviness, that

have a meat to them that you just won't be able to get out

of a live kit, you know, sounds that you can create yourself

with your own fingers and hands that you can, you know,

make almost sound like it's coming from another galaxy.

It's all of these, like, new things that you create

and a heaviness and a thickness and a strength that

comes with where we are currently

in a more modern musical landscape

mixed with this retro timeless classics style

and put them together.

And I think you just get the best of both worlds.

I was introduced to soul music just because it's always

been such a fabric in our home.

My mother's always played so much music.

It's just, like, a fabric of everything.

You can't even escape it.

I remember being introduced to Nina Simone.

That was, like, a big, big deal for me

to see a Black woman playing classical piano when you just

don't really see many Black women playing classical piano.

So for me, as a young Black woman playing classical piano,

I was like, [GASPS] who is she?

What is she-- what is she?

And not only was she playing, she was destroying.

Like, there's a difference between playing

and Nina Simone.

Nina Simone destroys the piano.

It's, like, you can't even believe it, you know?

And I was so taken by that, and then also her strength

and her almost--

she almost had, like, an aloofness about her

that was very intriguing.

You know, discovering her, I think I just--

I don't even remember how.

But I do remember it was a video.

It was definitely a video because I was in awe.

I was shocked.

I was like, just watching her and stunned.

And then, Marvin Gaye I remember being introduced

to definitely through my parents and my friends' parents

and stuff like that.

But, again, just specifically the "What's Going On" album,

I was so shocked and taken by the way

that every song connected to the next song.

I mean, talk about classic and classical and themes and sweets

and, you know, all of these ideas

that you might see in classical music.

Man, the way that he took that on and then created it

in such a soulful, heart-stirring way with topics

that were really timely and still

remain so relevant and just so blatantly honest.

He was just literally so honest about himself.

And even the parts that one would think you

would want to hide from the world, he was just so--

shared it.

So, him-- there's just no other.

And then other artists like Patrice Rushen,

another amazing piano player.

Or Etta James was just a voice that's just, like,

the most raw, rugged, rough, beautiful, genuine voice you

ever heard, you know.

And then so, so, so many others.

It's just, like, a million incredible artists and groups

like The Moments and The O'Jays and Earth, Wind, and Fire.

And it just goes on and on and on.

It's crazy, crazy how good the music is.

And obviously, we learn about them from samples,

too, so I would hear a favorite sample

and be like, who is that?

And then hear the original record

and then go crazy because it's even better.

'Cause it's just one part of a whole amazing thing.

When did I start describing it as retro-futuristic?

Maybe about the third album, which was called, "As I Am."

And I really started to explore a lot with sonics.

And also, you know, my engineer, Ann Mincieli, and music

partner, she's also, like, really a fanatic.

And I think it's been a beautiful partnership

between us.

Because as an engineer and as a woman who really crafts sonics

when she records and records me and records

all the things that she records, and then

me loving the songwriting styles and producing and putting

the sounds together to make them,

it was this experimental space where we were experimenting

with different sounding drum machines

and vintage drum machines and also,

you know, like, different keyboards and clavinets

and all these kind of crazy musical experiments.

But we've put them through guitar amps,

and we've put them through little, tiny, like, record

playing sound and the record player sounding things.

Or we'd put them in a bathroom.

Or we'd put extra delay pedals or whatever the case was.

It was, like, this experimental, really out there, crazy thing.

And it became so fun to figure out where sounds could come.

This thing called the Mellotron, which is crazy.

It's-- and a lot of them were new versions of old vintage

machines.

So, you know, it's, like, an exploration and a process.

And so during that very experimental time,

I feel like I could really start to see my fascination

with music from the '70s, culture of, you know,

that very classic vintage time, and then mixed

with my love of hip hop, mixed with my love

of the current energy and modern edge of everything.

And putting it all together, I just

was like, this is definitely future vintage, vintage future.

It's like, this is it.

This is-- I love it.

This is what I want.

This is the sound.

It's a mixture of live and programmed and all these--

this cacophany of sounds all together in one place.

It just really describes all the things

that I loved and put it into me.

Boom.

We are here in the control room, and this

is where so much magic happens.

We're going to talk about production.

We're going to talk about the alchemy of music.

Really, the process of how we put together different

sounds to support the creation of a song.

And this is one of my favorite things to do,

my favorite place to do it, because there's

just it's an unlimited crayon box of colors and paints

and things that you can put toward your vision

and your manifestation.

So I love that it becomes real here.

And a lot of times, when I'm writing a song,

it happens many ways.

Sometimes, I'll write the song first, and then

come here and start to put the music and the sonics together.

Sometimes, I just want to play around

with instruments and sounds and sonics,

and then be inspired to write the lyrics.

So again, whatever works for you,

you definitely should explore many different ways

of creating.

But there's no right way.

There's just your way, which is the most important way, what

feels good to you.

And then I take all those pieces.

And when I'm about to do vocals, I

put a rough idea together first, put the vocals down, come back.

And then explore where the instrument should go,

where the sonics should be.

So we're going to talk through all that

and get into the alchemy of music.

Some of my go-to instruments-- obviously, you know,

I love me a piano.

So I have 100,000 billion--

OK, not that many, but whatever.

I have a lot of different keyboards.

I really love exploring keyboards.

They're incredible to me.

This is a Moog Voyager.

And to me, this is one of my staples sounds.

I love this sound.

[DEEP SYNTH SOUND]

If you notice, this is the beginning

of "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart."

[DEEP SYNTH SOUND]

So, you know, it has such a dynamic expression.

And it has harshness to it-- a roughness, a rawness,

toughness, which I love.

I love mixing all the energies and all the elements.

And I think that that kind of grit and that rumble

is how I love my basses to sound.

So anytime I need a bass, this is definitely my go

to instrument for live basses from the keyboard.

Obviously, of course, we do live bass, as well, actual bass.

But keyboard bass, I love the Moog.

And just crazy sounds.

It also has really awesome crazy sounds that you can just

explore and get creative with.

So this is definitely a staple for me.

When I want a bass sound, when I want an interesting thing that

rumble and that power to it, I'm definitely

going to be using the Moog.

It's my favorite.

This baby is always next to me.

I'm like, it's my baby!

I brought up the JUPITER, because the JUPITER

is such a staple keyboard for the song, "No One," that we've

been talking about.

And the crazy part is I actually programmed

that sound, that "No One" sound--

[WARBLING SYNTH]

--on a keyboard using a virtual synth

that anybody could get any day of any moment.

And went out and bought the JUPITER

when I performed on the MTV Awards,

because I wanted people to see what the original key would

looked like.

So this is crazy, because obviously, vintage keyboards

are so sick.

They sound so cool.

I mean, this one, you can tell--

[WARBLING SYNTH]

That's the sound, right?

Like, that's where it's from.

So it's definitely fire to explore and mess

around and play around.

I also brought out the V-Synth.

We talked about that a little bit

when we spoke about vocal arrangement

and how particularly on "No One,"

I wanted to use some of those tones and qualities.

We've been talking about layering.

We've been talking about how to create different sonics

and textures within backgrounds.

Or, you know, all the pieces that

continue to paint the picture.

And I feel like the V-Synth is a really cool way to do that.

And then I have my virtual rig, which

is going to have every sound under the sun that you can get

and we all have access to.

And it's super fun, right?

Because it's just limitless.

You can figure out what you like and what you want to hear.

And oh-- and my 5000.

I know, some people might look at the 5000 and be like, dang,

Alicia, you didn't want to come up to the Ableton,

you didn't want to like do something else?

But this is classic.

The 3000 was my baby baby when I first started.

The 5000 is the one that I rock now.

And honestly, I program using the virtual synths, anyway.

And then I will take that, jot them into Pro Tools,

and arrange everything around it.

So usually, I don't overprogram in the MPC,

but I like the feel of it.

I like hitting the pads.

It makes me feel good.

So this is my baby.

And in fact, one of my first drum machines,

I experimented with a SP1200, which is bananas--

again, vintage, vintage drum machines, keyboards.

So fun to me.

I love mixing them all out.

I love the 808.

I will bring out the original 808.

Should have brought it out.

But anyway, I like to play, I like to have fun.

And that is what creates the color all around you.

And then this microphone is just a regular 58.

I think that that's one of the things we were talking

about yesterday-- is there's been times

where I'm literally in this room recording on this microphone.

And this is just a regular live mic.

And I keep these vocals, sometimes.

So it's all about the energy, it's all about the emotion.

But this mic is particularly attached to the V-Synth.

We use the mic and the keyboard to create the sounds

in the V-Synth.

And that's why this microphone is sitting right here.

Another staple for me, if you noticed, obviously,

the piano that I've been playing,

as we've been talking about songwriting and that process,

is a really unique beautiful piano.

And has this wood body and this Plexiglas top.

And it's really special.

And we actually created a virtual version of the piano.

And it's appropriately called Alicia's Keys.

Boom.

So this is it actually, right here.

And you'll see it-- it looks exactly

like the piano I've been playing over there.

And I love this piano.

I use this piano for everything.

And not just because it's mine--

because it sounds.

Ask anybody. it really has a beautiful tone.

It really it was captured with so much--

it just has so much personality.

It really feels like a piano a lot of times.

You know, you're just looking for a great sound.

So this to me is my favorite piano sound.

And when I'm not on a live piano,

I feel comfortable playing this one.

And even sometimes, it shows.

A lot of times, when I'm playing live,

the sound can get so crazy that if you don't have a keyboard

piano, even when I'm playing live piano, just

in case it ever drops out or anything,

I will use this Sonic.

And it's just that beautiful to me.

So this one is the exact replica of my piano in there.

So it's very, very special to me.

So, you know, I really, really love, love,

love to be able to mix live instruments

and programmed instruments, virtual instruments.

I think it's really special to be

able to bring in program drums with a live bass.

Or my piano is live, and then I'll

program all kinds of other sonics and sounds around it.

I think there's some really special

about mixing those worlds.

So that's how I do it from the beginning.

I've always kind of mixed the timeless, the classic sonics

with the future.

So to me, it's always like this mixture of vintage future

that I like to bring together.

And I love it, because I feel like you get to do anything.

You get to completely do anything.

You have the live feel of a human body playing

as you would a lot of bass or a guitar or even live drums.

There's been times where I've had a love drummer play

the live drums, and then I've replaced

those sounds with programmed drums,

because I like the sonic of the programmed drums better,

but I like the feel of the live drummer.

So things like that really create

so many different elements that you can play with.

And I think mixing the worlds just represents who I am.

And I think just makes it a lot more fun.

I do think that instruments have a personality, for sure.

And there are a certain go to things that feel a certain way.

But I think maybe less the instrument

and more the feeling of the person playing

the instrument is what I find--

or obviously, the chord choices.

If you play more minor chords, it's

going to feel a little darker.

And you play more major chords, it's

going to feel a little happier.

So there's still certain sciences

that are just always appropriate, obviously.

But I think it, to me, comes down

to who is playing the instrument and what

the feeling of the song is and the chords used.

So I do think that a Rhodes would make me feel a little bit

more dreamy, just because of all of the delay that's on it

and the sonic of it.

Whereas a piano is going to make me

feel a little stronger, darker, depending, obviously,

how I play it.

But I love that instruments definitely have personality.

But most important is the way you play

it, the style you play it, the way you feel when you play it.

That comes through even more to me.

So we were in the vocal booth.

We were talking about vocal arrangement, textures,

you know, how to put different sonics even in the vocals.

And now, I'm bringing you here into the control room with some

of the sonics of "No One."

So one of the things I've definitely learned,

like I shared with you a little bit earlier,

is that, to me, the less you put in sonically to a song,

the bigger it sounds.

It's something about the space, something about the way

that you're just able to hear every part

and identify every part that really just gives it clarity

and it goes straight to the heart, right?

Because, to me, that's where we're trying to go.

We're going straight to the heart.

Boom, direct.

So "No One," talking through "No One," is very simple.

There's not a lot of instruments in "No One," actually,

which I love.

Obviously, we have the piano.

[PIANO]

So that is super direct--

simple, easy, very memorable, sounds like clear.

Another piece of "No One" that is really special to me

is the kick.

The kick on "No One" is just so--

it's great.

It's gutter.

It's strong.

It's harsh.

It takes up all this space.

When you have the piano in there and you have the kick going,

it just feels-- and then if you want to bring up--

[SNARE]

--a little snare in at some point.

Obviously, we also have that very just regular, raw, open

hat.

[OPEN HAT]

So that it just feels exciting.

It feels like a vibe.

It feels like a bop.

You can just-- right?

It's just-- it's easy.

It's not a gang of stuff.

You don't have to--

I could do it with three fingers.

It's 1, 2, 3.

So the kick is really, really kind of the star of the rhythm

section, is that kick.

And then, outside of that, we have this JUPITER,

which I spoke about, which was also so special because--

[JUPITER SONIC]

--it's actually a feature.

So I just follow the piano.

And it had, like, a little sound that you don't usually hear,

which is always good.

And then, you know, when you get that part,

we talked about how much of a hook that is.

Because you didn't really hear that type of sonic.

So that JUPITER is really, really special,

and I brought it in at different times.

And then the other piece that we talked about actually

in regards to layering in the vocal arrangement

was the v synth, which is such a fun instrument to play with.

And the reason why it's extra good

is because it really follows what you play on piano.

So in this case, I'm singing into this thing.

So when I'm singing into it right now,

you don't really hear anything with my voice.

But when I actually use the keys,

(SINGING) one, one, one, one.

And whatever words I want to say-- (SINGING) no one, no one,

no one, no one.

And the cool thing is, even if I sing something way off--

like, I mean, obviously, you can hear my voice,

so you don't want be too off with.

I was, like, (SINGING) ha, ha.

If you took my voice out, you'd still

hear the proper chord I'm playing. (SINGING) Ha.

It's still a chord. (SINGING) Ha, ha, ha, ha.

So I love that, because this texture

throughout those backgrounds, as you're hearing it all,

it creates a pad.

It creates a texture that happens

inside of all the pieces.

You can do special, small movements

that feel really good.

And then, outside of that, for "No One," the only other thing

there is, is acoustic guitar at the very, (SINGING)

oh, oh, oh, oh.

Got the acoustic guitar just going ballistic.

And that's it.

That's literally it.

And, you know, so the vocals paint an image.

I brought in the acoustic guitar at the end

because we had these programmed sounds

and these virtual synths.

And like I said, for me, there's always

one bona fide live instrument in the song at least.

And for me, this one, this guitar was the perfect sound.

So back to, do instruments have moods,

guitar definitely has a bright kind of open heart, I feel.

And when you play the guitar, there's

something about it that just moves you in a beautiful way.

I could play the same chords on piano as played on guitar.

And they sound like two different tones.

To me, the piano is a bit darker.

It's a little bit more moody, and the guitar

is a little bit brighter.

It's a little bit more--

it just feels like a breath of fresh air to me.

So strumming those chords at the end

felt like the breath of fresh air,

plus the live edition that creates the sound that I like.

So I love the fact that the production of things

can feel so supportive to what the meaning of the song is.

You know, the chords have the joy, but also

the darkness, enough darkness for the challenge

that the song is talking about.

The JUPITER created enough of an interesting intriguing sonic

that you kind of didn't hear before.

And a obviously, you have the piano player and a keyboard

player.

Things like that are interesting for me and cool for me to play.

And the guitar created the openness at the end,

that celebration that just feels like you're letting go.

The kick grounded it and kept it hard enough

that you go back to it, but simple enough

that you can hear everything else.

And then the v synth is that, like, secret piece

that's in there that you don't even

realize that you're hearing.

And that's the song.

I mean, simple as that.

[CHUCKLES]

So the JUPITER, which is right here, I mean,

I literally discovered it from my virtual plug-ins.

That's where I discovered it.

Because I was going through a bunch of different sounds.

And I was looking for different things.

I was like, mm, this looks like a super cool vintage keyboard.

Let me play it.

So I pulled it up, and I'm looking

at it has all these pretty colors, purples, blues, greens.

It's like-- it looks fresh.

And I pulled it up.

[PLAYING JUPITER]

And I was like, wait a minute.

This is crazy.

So what type of sound is that?

So I actually discovered this keyboard from the plug-ins.

And again, you know, these plug-ins

are available to all of us.

You can get them in packages, just like you get probably

all the plug-ins that you already have

that you're working on and working with.

And but when I saw this, it reminds me

I have such a fascination with keyboards from the '70s

and early '80s because they just have this,

you know, this attack and release that

creates all of these sounds.

And so, it was so cool that I was

like, when it was time to bring "No One" into the world,

I loved exposing people to different sounds and sonic,

specifically that you could still play live.

So we had to go through all types of things

and locate this actual JUPITER.

And, like I said, I played it for the MTV Awards

the very first time that I ever premiered "No One."

And to be honest, the keyboard, the real thing is always bad.

It's just how it goes.

You know, you can actually touch it.

[PLAYING JUPITER]

OK, sing something for me.

So I just-- I hope you wrote me something for that.

Because I really like that.

So finding it is not always easy.

And I know, you know, Ann Mincieli, who is my engineering

partner for since the beginning, she's

a beast at finding different keyboards

and different special instruments

and collectibles and things like that,

so I'm sure she had to negotiate kind

of major on eBay or something.

There was a major negotiation that happened.

But I was so excited to have this real thing,

this beautiful, actual, authentic piece

that I discovered from using the virtual sense.

So that's how I got introduced to JUPITER.

Only thing is they go out of tune all the time

because they're older.

You're like, no!

[PLAYING JUPITER]

We need to bring this back.

We need to come back to the JUPITER.

I never talked about "Try Sleeping,"

but the Moog is definitely really cool.

[PLAYING MOOG]

So "Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart"

is actually one of the first songs

that Jeff Bhasker and I created.

And he also loves the Moog.

You can hear it in his work.

And this is like--

when we talk about how sonics are hooks,

you know, and sonics are also a piece

of why you remember a song, you know,

and that beginning of "Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart"

with the Moog just using the filter

to kind of open up the filter and close the filter

and get your attention is my favorite.

And then, you know, once again, talking about bringing

in the live instrument, so--

[PIANO]

--we bring in the piano on top of that.

And it just gives you a whole world.

And it's cool that the bass is, like, a little bit off.

I think that's part of what makes it good.

That's another thing.

We didn't talk about that.

Don't worry so much about being perfect.

It's not about being perfect.

So even as I'm listening to this bass--

perfect is, like, overrated.

To me, it's the feeling.

I might sing and know that it might be off,

but it's the feeling, you know?

And the feeling feels better off because I meant it

than just being perfect because I'm

trying to be perfect for who?

Who are we always trying to be perfect for?

So this combination of the roughness of the Voyager

and the beauty of the piano is what makes

this song so special to me.

It's the star of that.

(SINGING) Even if you are a million miles away,

I can still feel you in my bed.

And then the intimacy of the vocal and the roughness

of the bass, I love opposition.

Opposition, I think, is a really big key to production as well.

Like, how can what you're creating

be totally different from what you're saying or singing?

If the vocals are so, so sweet, how can something about it

be, like, off or hard or not expected, you know?

Or the music is so beautiful--

how can what you're singing or what

you say be totally juxtaposed that emotion so that it feels,

like, shocking.

It feels like it didn't belong, but there's

something about that caught your attention.

I really like how that feels.

To me, that creates something that really grabs people.

And I know it grabs me.

So like I said, you gotta grab yourself first.

First you, and then, hopefully, other people vibe with you.

But you first.

All right, so I'm going to take you

into the world of a new song of mine

called "Love Looks Better."

And this song--

I really want to talk about this song

because it's the process of collaboration,

and I think collaboration is a really incredible way

to create.

And I used to not like to collaborate

as much because I guess I felt a little nervous or I felt--

you know, it's very intimate to be

in a collaborative space with people and not only share

what's on your spirit and your heart

and your lyrics and everything, but just

to have a shared space sometimes feels a little nerve racking.

But now I enjoy it a lot.

I really love it.

And I wanted to talk about it specifically with this song

because this is how this song actually came to life.

So I want to bring you through the process

and bring you through what--

the other part that I think is very

important about production, as we've been talking about,

is arranging because arranging is just as important.

You know, kind of throw in a couple of loops

up and put in a couple of different sounds

on there is great, but where do you want to go?

How do you want it to grow?

What parts are the special parts?

What are you featuring?

When?

Where?

What gets too chaotic, too noisy?

And that actually was the circumstance

with this particular song.

It has so many good parts, but it almost had too many parts.

And you know my theory is like the more you can strip it down,

the greater it's going to be.

So I started to identify big love to 1500,

big love to Jukebox, and big love

to Ryan Tedder, all who have collaborated

with me on this song.

But in this last incarnation of this song,

I feel like one of the things that made it come alive

is the way that I started to break down

what are the favorite parts? what

are the most important parts?

and how do we focus on those and create an energy?

So the drums already existed, and I went through each one

and I created the loop that I really love.

So it's kind of almost like I sampled my own record.

You know, I took the best parts of the song

and I created the loop that I felt would be, you know,

the best.

So can we play the loop?

So I love this loop.

It has 808 in it.

It has a voice in it.

It has the drums.

They feel like a vibe.

It has this ha, ha, which my husband Swizzy made famous.

Ha, ha, ha, right?

So it has a whole zone.

And then I wanted to break down the piano

because the piano is a really important part of the song,

but it was almost just feeling like it was always

happening the same way.

So I started to break it down more like this.

[PIANO PLAYING]

So it was the same chords, but the rawness of the one note

felt stronger.

So we rock there.

And then there's another part that the piano

does that feels really good.

And it's pretty simple, the piano line.

So it starts.

So when the chorus comes, I bring that so that it lifts,

you know?

The other part of the song that I really love

is actually this bass line.

And it has a-- it's tricky because the bottom already

has 808.

So once you put the 808 alone in there,

you're a little bit limited to what you can do with the bass

because sometimes it gets in the way.

So this bass--

[BASS PLAYING]

--kind of gives it a little live feel.

I only bring it in once in a while

so that it kind of lifts it up.

And we actually put on top of that a live bass.

So it's like a program bass, the Moog, and the live bass

on top of it which just gave it an extra roundness.

And this song also has that vocoder kind

of padding thing under it, which is great.

So then I wanted to do a bass because there was

a-- there's a bass part that feels really good,

but what happens is with the 808 on the bottom and then adding

a bass on top, sometimes it gets like--

it collides because the bass--

the 808 is so heavy, and then the bass is heavy too.

So it's like which one sonically-- they both take up

the same space.

So I chose to do this type of bass, which--

[BASS PLAYING]

--which kind of mocks a live bass

for these particular parts.

It comes in right before the chorus, right before it's

about to explode just to lift up,

give the energy, a fresher-- a fresh perspective.

And we actually layered a live bass on top of this Moog bass.

So it made it warmer.

It made it rounder.

It also cut through better and created,

you know, the feeling between--

you know how we feel about live instrument

with programmed instrument.

So that felt really good.

And then I also used the vocoder on this as well.

So again, you know, that's one of my favorite instruments

because it creates a pad, like a feeling that feels really good.

So I take those cores that I played--

that I played earlier with the piano,

and I play those similar ones.

[HARMONIZING]

And so, you know, you create this pad.

I put it underneath there, created the padding

at the end towards the bridge where it wants to start to--

wants to start to build up again.

And then there was already this amazing sound in it

that I felt was one of the features, one

of the hooks of the song, like, right?

So we're talking about sonically if you have a hook that you

sing lyrically and with your melody, what's

the hook that's in the music?

So I really love to figure out what's the hook in the music?

And this particular part is really hooky,

and this comes in on that chorus.

But let's bring it back.

Bring it back.

Bring it-- bring it back.

Bring it back right here.

Nope, it's not there either.

Hold up.

We almost there.

We back.

Here it comes.

Just wait for it.

[HARMONIZING]

Yay.

So that kind of choir or that kind of voice

always comes in on the chorus.

So it's really-- you know, there's

a lot of elements in this song, but I

think my favorite part about this particular record

is the way that through collaboration we found our way,

and I was able to find my way as the arranger of this song

and producer and arranger of this song

to bring out my favorite parts and feature them and make sure

that it stripped away the excess and really got clear about what

it wanted to sound like.

And sometimes that takes a long time.

You know, some songs need to be excavated.

Some songs you have to craft them.

You have to work through them.

You have to find their place.

And I often say that I'm listening to the song.

A lot of times when I'm creating the song, I'm listening to it

and I'm asking it, what do you want to be?

What do you want to sound like?

What is it that you need?

And a lot of times, you know, eventually it answers for you,

and I really respect and love the process of arrangement,

which is a really powerful, creative space,

and collaboration.

It's a beautiful way to get to the end result.

I guess what's wrong with the music industry is simply what's

pretty much wrong with America.

It needs-- there needs to be more ownership by the creators.

Certain businesses are created not to equally--

most businesses, let's call it.

There we go-- are created not to equally distribute the wealth.

And I personally feel like that is an old model.

That's an archaic model because it doesn't represent

what the world looks like, and I think

that's what we're recognizing now in business and in just

everything.

We all in all things have to represent

what the world looks like.

It can't just look imbalanced.

It can't be imbalanced.

It can't be a certain segment of people gaining all the power.

It can't be these kind of exclusive places

that everybody's not welcome.

We have to evolve from that space and that mind thinking.

When I meet young artists and writers, I feel so connected.

I see so much of myself in them, the ambition, the excitement,

the desire to learn, for opportunity,

for just a chance for anybody to listen.

You know, I completely understand where they are,

you know?

And in so many ways, I think about myself

and I think about how I didn't exactly know who to turn to

or who to talk to or, like, could I ask anybody advice?

Who do I ask for advice?

Like, who would know this industry?

Who would know this crazy world that's

so completely different from the majority of most businesses

and run so completely differently?

Who can I talk to?

And I didn't really know.

So so much of the time I kind of pretended the best

I could that I knew the most.

I didn't and did the best I could

to fool everybody and hope that eventually I would just

get to figure it out.

And it worked out, but I think it

would have been so wonderful to really

be able to have somebody to talk to and learn from and grow

with and ask questions to and learn from

and all these things that I want to do, you know?

So when I see young artists, I really do-- first of all,

I want to celebrate them.

I want to tell them they're amazing,

that, you know, there's nothing that they can't do because it's

hard and you feel crazy and you feel insecure

and you're not sure and you do feel like you have to change

and bend and please everybody and, you know, be everything

but who you are so that anyone will want to pay attention.

So She is the Music is that collective,

a collective of, you know, women from all parts of the business

and the industry, you know, from lawyers to accountants

to executives to, you know, creatives to camera people

and creative directors and you name it-- producers, engineers,

you name it--

all sides, all places who are a part of this collective

that really want to forward the agenda of women having

a seat at the table, at all tables

and really being able to be represented the way that we are

and also to be able to increase the amount of women that

are able to enter these industries because they have

a way in or because they have a mentor

or they have an opportunity to learn more

about something that they think they love but how do you

actually get started, you know, and to be able to just continue

to lift each other up in that way.

And that's what She is the Music is about,

and that's what it does, and it's amazing

because it's all these incredible women

from all different places and spaces who really want--

and men, by the way--

who really, really, really want to see this happen,

to see this shift in culture and to be a part of creating it.

You know, in regards to, you know,

just realizing that, as a woman and as a woman

and as a business woman and as a woman in this industry,

it's the time to really reach out to each other,

and it's the time to really recognize, OK.

Guess what?

There's only one woman on that board.

Like, that's crazy.

That's impossible.

There's not only one woman anywhere.

So that doesn't even make sense.

So when you start to see the way that things are happening

and you know that is not happening the right way

and you're in that industry or you're in that space

or you're affected by it or part of it or whatever the case,

you have to, like, figure out what can be done.

And so it felt like the coming together

of women from all different walks of life

and all different sides of the industry

and really making a collective, making an essential place where

we could connect or we can build or we can mentor

or where we can create the opportunities for other women

that we know are excellent, that we can reach out and hire

people, that we can talk to young people that

are coming out of high schools, coming out of colleges,

offer them opportunities and ways

to think about the many different sides

that there are to interface in--

you know, call it the music business.

It felt like it was right to do that

and to start to really create something that would allow us

to all come together, be together, have a place,

have a sisterhood, have a community,

and work on what we want to see change in the ways

to do business.

So as each person in their own right

becomes more able to reach out to another person,

be it hire them or be it internships or be it just

on an everyday level where you as a person with some knowledge

and information get to reach out to somebody else and say here's

the information I know.

You know, let me share it with you.

Let me help you.

Do you have questions for me?

Do you-- is there anything that I can help you with?

You know, there's something really

powerful about being able to reach out for each other.

Joy.

Hey.

How are you?

I'm good.

I'm so happy to lay my eyes on you.

I'm so excited to see you right now.

Man, listen.

I feel like I saw you the other day on the Zoom call

for "She Is The Music."

Yeah.

Definitely.

How was it?

How did you feel about that project?

Well, first of all, how do you feel about "She Is The Music?"

Yeah.

I think I came into "She Is The Music" unsure of myself

as a musician, and getting all the information from all

the mentors was so helpful.

I was able to work with Modesty Lycan as my mentor,

and she taught me so much about how

to be empowered in making music and songwriting,

for me and for others.

And it was really empowering for me.

That's amazing.

I love that.

Listen, you know, obviously, when we first

started talking about putting something

like "She Is The Music" together,

we couldn't even have imagined the lengths that it's taken on.

But most beautifully is this community of sisterhood.

It feels so good.

And you know, obviously, in so many industries,

we know that that is a piece of what makes the progression.

And so I'm so glad that you're feeling that,

and I'm so happy to hear that you feel more empowered--

that you feel like it's-- you know.

And when you said that "They give me the information,

they tell me what it is, and then I know what to do."

I mean, because that's it.

We just need information and opportunity.

So I'm so happy to hear that.

[PIANO MUSIC]

So part of this program you created--

I know everybody had projects that they were either working

on or developing a long way.

Tell me about your project that you did.

Yeah.

So for my project, I wrote an album called "Atlas Rising."

I wrote 11 songs-- seven songs and four interludes.

Wow.

And I wrote, recorded, and produced them.

But essentially for the album, I really

wanted to make a love letter to the authentic stories

of black women.

I wanted to write music that made

me feel like I was being heard.

And I think the reason why I make

music is to make sure that women of color are heard.

And then I wrote all these songs,

and I recorded all of them.

And it was really a wonderful experience,

and I'm so lucky to have it.

And I'm excited to release it soon.

Wow.

So hold on.

Had you started these things before the project?

Was it literally for the project, and you

had, like, six weeks to do it?

Tell me a little bit about the genesis of it.

So two of the songs, I had already written.

But one of the songs--

the first song that I wrote was "Echo," and it came from--

I had a conversation with my father

who told me that he was feeling a similar sense of uncertainty

that he had felt when he was a young kid in 1968.

And it just kind of made me feel like everything is inherited,

that we're experiencing right now-- like, none of this

is new.

And so it made me feel a certain amount of solidarity

with other people who have been through something else,

in the same way as a young person.

And so I wrote "Echo," and then from there,

I just kept writing things down in my diary--

just how I was feeling --and then they became songs,

out of nowhere.

That's amazing.

It was a marathon.

It was fun.

That's so good.

[PIANO MUSIC]

I understand, from what you just shared with me,

why you called your song "Echo" Echo, I feel.

But let me not assume.

Share with me why you named it Echo.

And am I correct that echo is not technically in the song--

like, the word "echo" is not in the song?

Yeah, "echo" is actually in the song.

It's in the chorus, but it's only used, like, twice

in the song.

But the lyric--

I use the title "Echo" just because it feels like,

as I was saying earlier, like none of this is new--

like all of this is an echo from another instance--

like everything can be tracked back to colonialism.

Everything can be tracked back to the Civil Rights movement.

Like, everything can be tracked back somewhere,

and I think I want to always remind myself of that.

Not just in, like, the things that

have been happening recently, but also

in the little things that we inherit,

for example, the insecurities that we had as women of color.

They're not just things that we have as individuals.

They're things that we've inherited

from older generations.

I love that title.

I love titles.

I think titles are so powerful and important.

And a lot of times, titles inspire me.

Like, I might just even read the title of a book,

and it just sends me into a place where I'm like,

"Woah, that's such a--."

So I'm super fascinated with titles,

and when I first started writing,

I purposefully made all my titles the most, like,

unrecognizable thing.

If the song was like, "I love you,"

I'd call it "The Feeling Deep Down Inside the Emotion

Within."

It would be like, what?

It's not even--

[LAUGHS]

I have a song called "Meditation on Assimilation--"

Hey!

--and none of those words are in it.

Hey, I like that.

I like that, though.

It's poetic.

It's really, really poetic.

So I heard "Echo," and I'd love for you to tell me--

what are you looking for?

What are you feeling?

Are you looking for some feedback?

What kind of feedback?

How are you feeling?

Just give me the world that you're thinking of,

in regards to "Echo."

Yeah.

I think I have a tendency to be really wordy in my songs

sometimes-- so wordy that, sometimes, you

miss some of the things that are most

important, within the verses.

I think, also, you know, in terms of melody,

I've been trying to variate the melody in the second verse,

and I'm trying to play with, you know, how much can you

variate the melody without losing it, versus like,

keep it the same.

That's cool.

So I don't want people to, you know,

get the same idea, every single time,

just because the lyricism is so varied,

but I also don't want to go too far from the melody,

and then we're in a different song, so.

Totally.

Yeah.

That's what I'm working on right now.

All right, great.

And, so you have your guitar.

Can you play me the first--

you know, the verse, the B section, and the chorus?

All right.

So this is "Echo."

(SINGING) I've seen love, and I've seen war.

A broken piece, then restored.

Built my wealth.

Saved my health.

Gave my heart, let someone treat it well.

Somehow there's still more.

But right now, I don't know, because I

thought we'd passed this.

And I'm out of control without answers, I'll admit.

I feel this ache in my heart from when I was a little kid.

I know history repeats, but it feels like the remix.

Feels like the world's turning back around.

The echo is getting too loud.

It feels like the world's turning back around.

Flash back to the same old ground.

Oh, oh, oh.

That's the first part.

Perfect.

I love that sentiment.

I love what you're talking about, lyrically.

I think it's clear what you're saying.

I definitely understand your point of view, for sure.

I really like the part that has the "oh," after the chorus,

because I've been talking about how are there

hooky parts all throughout the song?

And "hooky" in the sense that--

it might be the guitar, it might be a certain sound,

it might be a vocal thing, and I love how that--

so that feels really primed for something

that people want to keep singing.

So I love that a lot.

Now, the last two lines on the second verse.

Mhm.

So, "I know there is a God.

Why would he bring us this far?"

Yeah.

And then what comes?

And then it's "To help us learn, maybe start again.

Keep peace earned for enduring all this pain.

Don't even know where we are."

So I definitely felt like, at that part,

I missed what you said a little bit.

That's what I thought.

Right?

I can see what you mean.

And another idea is, sometimes, I like to--

because the [VOCALIZING].

And then, what's the second half of the melody?

Which part?

The verse, or the chorus?

Yeah.

Those two lines that we were just talking through.

[VOCALIZING]

Sometimes, I like to--

I feel like the [VOCALIZING] is a really strong melody.

And sometimes I liked-- when I'm looking for a shift,

just because I want to keep it evolving --sometimes I'll

either change the first half of the verse, and then come back.

So say we change the first half, and then come back to

[VOCALIZING].

Or I'll keep the first half, and change the second half,

and come back, because I think, in that middle part, where

maybe you were feeling like it could

be a little wordy to the point where maybe people would miss

what you're saying, maybe those two lines right there,

you could potentially shift melody completely.

And then come back to [VOCALIZING]

You think it's an F or a G?

OK.

[VOCALIZING]

Does that sound right?

[VOCALIZING]

And even if you wanted to do [VOCALIZING],,

or if you wanted to take it somewhere up.

I know that you are saying really important words,

so I know you're kind of trying to get

in a big thought in a small thing.

But if you wanted to [UPSCALE VOCALIZING],,

and then kind of come back to [VOCALIZING],, it could be cool.

So that's just an idea to throw out there,

if you felt like you did want to shift the second verse.

But I do agree that I'm losing you

a little bit in those lyrics.

Maybe I could cut the first half of that line that

says "to help us learn--" maybe cut that, and just, like

(SINGING) maybe start again.

That's nice.

(SINGING) I still know there's a God,

but why did he bring us this far?

Maybe to start again.

That's nice.

(SINGING) Don't even know where we are.

And the stories I knew, then--

Okay.

That's nice.

It kind of takes your attention to another place in that space.

But I know you can also consider, exactly--

because you said, "Why would he take us this far?"

Mhm.

And the original lines were, after that?

To help us learn, maybe start again.

Right.

And then?

Keep peace earned through enduring all this pain.

That's the longest one.

Right, right, right. (SINGING) To help us learn,

maybe start again.

Keep peace earned, [VOCALIZING].

If you preferred that line, because I think the "keeping--"

"keep the peace earned, so we can start again--"

Through enduring all this pain.

Through enduring.

(SINGING) Keep through enduring all this pain.

Don't even know where we are.

If you wanted to even--

it could kind of be a background thing.

And then, [VOCALIZING].

So that's a kind of a way that you could still

keep all your lyrical ideas, but evolve it a little bit.

That's one thought.

Okay.

But that feels good.

That feels really good.

And then what's the chorus on the B section?

[PIANO PLAYING]

Okay.

Now sing the melody over that.

(SINGING) And the story's not knew.

This ain't our first try.

We've had deserts to cross, and we marched-- marched miles.

But every time I get done, we resume that eternal climb.

And it hurts just as much as the blow from last time.

And does it, every time?

It goes to the F, every time?

Yeah.

[VOCALIZING]

It's very cool.

It's a cool chord progression.

I'm trying to think of, like, how to get the melody out

of there so it really accentuates

that particular choice of your chord,

because the chord is very cool.

It's not obvious, which I really like.

[VOCALIZING]

Maybe.

Maybe it's [VOCALIZING].

But I know when it ends--

[VOCALIZING]

I think there's just one thing about--

if you hang on that last chord, it'll actually show people how

special the progression is, so--

Yeah.

You know I mean?

That [SINGING NOTES] in your melody.

[VOCALIZING]

And that feels really, really cool.

And then at the end, maybe [VOCALIZING]..

And then [VOCALIZING].

But is that the melody you're doing at the end?

Kind of going up?

Yeah.

I'd really love if you accentuated

that beautiful chord, that's like all sneaky and, like,

unassuming, but really pretty.

I think that would be lovely.

Yeah.

I love that.

Can you sing it for a sec, just to try

to see how that feels for you?

Yeah.

(SINGING) And the story's not new.

This ain't our first try.

We've had deserts to cross, and we marched-- marched miles.

Like that?

That's nice.

(SINGING) But every time I get done,

we resume that eternal climb.

And it hurts just as much as the blow from last time.

Yes.

Like that?

Yes.

That really makes you understand the progression,

and it feels really special.

That's really, really, really nice.

Joy, this is so cool.

I really think that you're onto some great, great music.

And thank you so much for sharing--

not only your music, but your soul, your story, your journey

--and also being super brave to just express the process,

and share with us your process, because everyone's process is

different.

And there's no wrong way to do this thing, you know?

So I think it's so beautiful to see your message,

and to see your growth and your willingness

to continue to grow.

And I'm so, so, so excited for you, and proud of you.

And congratulations on the project, and for all that's

coming your way.

I'm glad we could connect and feel.

This was fun.

Thank you so much.

I'm so honored.

This is amazing.

Yay, vibes!

High-five.

Uh.

[LAUGHTER]

There was a time where I would just say yes to everything.

And of course you understand why.

It was a brand-new experience, and I was a new artist,

and you want to have--

you're dying for the opportunity.

Are you kidding?

And then you get the chance to have these opportunities,

and who are you to turn them down?

You've been asking the whole time to get them, right?

And I didn't realize how much it was affecting me and definitely

not creating boundaries for myself, which, you know,

is just super unhealthy.

You know, it's not healthy to just go without limit

and to say yes until utter fatigue

and to not ever consider yourself or your own well being

or what you might need to replenish, you know?

These are things that are really, really important.

But I found myself just going hard and always pulling

at my bootstraps and ignoring how

I felt, ignoring that inner voice that was saying you're

tired or this doesn't feel right or, you know,

man, you just need one day in between this and that

or you haven't seen your friends or you miss your family

or whatever it is.

Like, the voice is always there, and a lot of times

you choose to ignore it.

So that was definitely me.

I was ignoring that.

I was not giving myself respect to take care of myself.

I was burning the candle at all hours.

I would stay up all types of late,

get of all types of early.

I'd fly anywhere back and forth, even if it was ridiculous.

But I did it, and so I found myself at a place

where I was just totally fatigued on every level, just

spiritually, emotionally, physically.

I didn't even know who I was.

I didn't even know what I liked.

I didn't even know what I didn't like.

I didn't even know what I thought.

I needed everybody else to answer everything for me.

I didn't even have the capacity at that point

to even have my own opinion or thoughts because I had--

I was exhausted.

And I think, in a way, that also led

me to start to depend heavily on other people for their opinions

or their--

what they thought was right for me.

And I got out of habit of even asking myself first.

I would ask other people first, what do you think?

which is a terrible habit.

Take it from me.

Don't do it.

Always connect with yourself first.

Always ask yourself, what does this feel like for you?

And, of course, you can then reach out to other people

and get their thoughts, but what do you think

is the first question?

What do you feel, and how is this good for you?

And that's OK to ask yourself how is this good for you?

I finally realized that the power of yes is a real power.

To actually say yes is powerful, and it means something,

and it means then you are saying yes because your full energy

and your spirit is invested because it's great

and it's solid and it feels good for you

and you've thought about and you've considered yourself

in the answer.

And I also have learned that the power of no is even huger.

I don't know if huger is a word, but I'm

telling you, that's how it is.

It's huger than anything else, the power of no

and claiming your space and knowing when something's not

right for you and being OK that it's just not the time.

And that doesn't mean you're not going to have success.

It simply means that it's not good for you in this moment,

and you're leaving space for the thing that is good for you

to walk through the door.

So I finally know this, but it's taken a while.

I think that, you know, unwinding and relaxing

is just as much of the work as is the work.

You know, all the things, all the imagining,

all the dreaming, all the creating, all the manifesting

is benefited greatly by the relaxing.

The unwinding, the doing nothing is actually

doing a lot for you, and I've learned that over time.

And for me, meditation is a really, really powerful tool.

For me, it's changed everything for me

because it's really given me a center.

It's given me a certain perspective, a way to tune

in to my own intuition, my own inner voice, my own thoughts

and opinions.

Like I said, you know, there was a time when I just

went so fast that I never took the time to hear my own self,

and I think that's probably a lot of our lives and cases.

You know, it's not intentional, but nobody

tells you to slow down or listen to yourself.

When does anybody tell you to do that?

From a kid, you're told to listen to everybody else

and follow everybody else's rules and do as you're told

and be seen and not heard and all the things

that you're told, right?

So who's going to tell you to listen to yourself, to tune

into yourself, to check on your soul, you know?

And so that discovery for me has really

opened me up wide to a whole other universe of understanding

and confidence, to be honest, to know

that I know what I feel and I'm very

clear about what I need and I'm very clear about what I want.

So I'm really excited constantly about going deeper

into meditation because I feel like it really is leading me

to places that I just would not be able to access or get

to otherwise.

So, yeah, I think that relaxation, that self-love,

that self-care, that time to carve out for you when no

one's--

the noise is down.

You can just hear.

It's priceless-- priceless.

Now that I have kids and stuff, I

think there's a hefty portion of what you bring into the world

that you have within you.

It's just who you are.

It's how you're going to be.

It is what it is.

But I also had and have a really strong mother who raised me

as a single mother, and I think that I witnessed

her quite diligent, quite disciplined with all

of her endeavors, and that definitely fed me.

And she wouldn't really accept anything less, to be honest.

She expected me to operate at the highest capacity

that I could, and she held me to that.

And then I started to also with different things that I

was doing, if it was piano or, you know,

even just the beginning parts of songwriting or creating,

you know, I realized very quickly that the only way

to get better is to keep going, to keep

at it, to keep doing it, to keep trying it, to keep learning it,

to mess up, you know, to practice.

You have to practice.

And I think that the piano really showed me

that because, you know, there's just no way on planet Earth

you're going to know how to play any instrument

without practicing, period.

I don't care how gifted you are, but everybody has to practice.

You cannot get great at anything--

anything-- without practicing.

Ask anybody who is--

has had any type of success.

You can't do it without putting your time in.

You have to put your time in.

You can't just chill on the bed whining and complaining

about why is this not happening for me?

and not put any time in.

It's not going to ever happen for you, period.

So I think that that discipline, that diligence

to find that strength to keep on going,

keep on trying, putting the work in, putting the time

in-- everybody else is hanging out.

Everybody else is playing, partying, having a good time.

You have to practice if you want it, you know?

And in order to do that, you have

to put your time in with yourself.

And it's a form of self-love, I feel like.

It's a form of self-respect to understand

that this is a part of what it takes to get where you want

to go, and it's a part of what it

takes to have that discipline and that diligence.

A lot of it comes from being able to follow through and see

things through and have the fire and the hunger

and the desire to do things well with excellence

and for yourself, you know what I

mean, because you care about how it's coming together,

because you are diligent enough to see it through

and disciplined enough to stick with it

and give yourself your own schedules,

give yourself what you need to do to accomplish what many

would believe to be impossible.

I think that it's hard to be self-motivated.

It's not easy for nobody to tell you kind of what to do

or when to wake up or how to plan

or how to create this thing or how to keep at it

or how to keep going.

You know, it's not easy when you're

the one that has to figure it out, follow through, see

it all the way without anybody telling you anything.

So I love these two words, and I really

am proud that I have a heavy dose of each.

ALICIA KEYS: The reason why I want

to do this MasterClass class is because I'm always learning.

I'm excited to share what I've learned,

and I'm excited to share my process.

I think it's beautiful that it actually

helps me to be honest as well.

The way that I keep evolving is just by continuously

being curious.

That's the awesome thing about knowledge and information

is never an end to it.

There's never a point in time that you know everything.

I definitely think and know for a fact

that you know yourself better than anybody else.

Nobody knows you better than you, 100%.

But there is all the things that you're learning

and all the things that you are having access to

and that you're curious about that you

get to learn and discover.

And therefore, it evolves you.

You know, you get to evolve every time

in every circumstance and every choice and every moment.

You know, so I think there is a gratitude that I carry with me.

And I know that there's more.

I want to constantly be in awe.

I want to be in a constant state of wonder.

I want to constantly be so surprised

and shocked with everything that I can discover and uncover

and how amazing it is and how I can see it in a new way

than I ever saw before.

I think that's what life is.

I think that's what music is.

I think that's what songs are.

I think the minute that you think

you know what you're doing with a song, that's it.

You've finished.

Personally, that's what I think, because how do you know?

You haven't even accessed all the parts of you,

all the sides of you.

Every day, you're different.

Every day, you're growing.

Every day, you're better.

So I love this idea, and it actually fuels me a lot.

And I love not knowing.

I love being curious.

So, to me, that's how I keep from going.

And that's how we all can keep going,

is just being open to the excitement of always being

able to grow and know more.

As much as it may be helping you or giving you another way

to look at things or just to even think

about how you might want to create

or what other people do to create, whatever it might be,

it helps me.

It helps me identify.

It helps me recognize patterns that I do as a creative.

'Cause, you know, a lot of times,

you don't reflect on these things.

You just-- it happens, you do it, you did it, you went home,

and you keep on pushing, right?

But you don't reflect back on, wow, I noticed this,

or I realized this.

So every time I do a song, I do this.

Every time I create something, I create this.

You know, you don't really think about it.

So it's been really cool to also recognize my own patterns

and make note of them while also being able to share them

with you, and, hopefully, give some insight

or some inspiration or some nuggets,

pieces, jewels, whatever it is.

So that's why I wanted to do it.

I want to do it so that we can connect, so we can build it.

I love talking.

Stay lucky.

Don't have me talking all day on this thing.

I mean, what?

It's only this short?

I talk so much, I could do this for years.

[LAUGHS]

I hope that you know that you're so special.

Like, really.

I just don't think we know how special we are.

I really don't.

I think that we think we're not.

And I think we think we're not as good as.

And I just think that we have to spend more time recognizing

how special we are.

So I want you to know that you're so special.

You're so unique.

You're so interesting.

You know, you have something to say.

And we want to hear it.

The world wants to hear it.

The world needs it.

The world needs artists and creators and people who

are conjuring the magic that's within us

and unafraid to dream and break the rules

and be different and be brave and be yourself.

So I hope that you're able to feel all that and know all that

and leave this just, like, on fire, and more on fire

than you've ever felt, more vigorous

than you've ever felt, more determined than you've ever

felt, more excited than you've ever felt,

and that you hold that with you as we continue on this journey.

So go be an artist.

Woo!

I did it.

I can't believe it!

Will we have some champagne?

I would love some champagne.