вЂњDoing interviews, I was private to the point where I was desensitizing myself to my own emotions. вЂњThatвЂ™s one of the things I learned this year,вЂќ she says. Keys knows a little something about hiding she has never been shy as a writer or performer, but there has always been a guarded quality to her interviews - and she admits as much. You canвЂ™t hide from somebody who knows you so well.вЂќ When you have a great friendship with somebody, there are always ups and downs and ins and outs, but they enhance the working relationship. вЂњObviously, are very close, dating back to the first album. вЂњIвЂ™ve never confirmed that weвЂ™re together, and I never will,вЂќ she begins, choosing her words carefully. She clams up a bit when asked about another close collaborator-producer, Kerry вЂњKrucialвЂќ Brothers, long rumoured to be the singerвЂ™s boyfriend. I didnвЂ™t have to worry about asserting myself - my voice comes through.вЂќ

Linda Perry and I connected incredibly well. Either you connect with the person or you donвЂ™t. Did Keys have any difficulty making her creative voice heard in the studio? вЂњNo,вЂќ she says. вЂњItвЂ™s what I connect to, what I relate to.вЂќThis issue of personal expression is especially pertinent given the calibre of collaborators assembled for the record, including ex-4 Non Blondes member Linda Perry, who has penned hits for the likes of Gwen Stefani, Pink and Christina Aguilera. Asked if the Motown sound was a guiding influence on the album, Keys implies that its presence runs deeper than mere stylistic homage. Her triumphant first single, вЂњNo OneвЂќ - which could be caught blaring out of every other car stereo on its release last September - is an upbeat number with a defiant singalong refrain: вЂњNo one can get in the way of what IвЂ™m feeling.вЂќ Old-school Motown grooves power вЂњWreckless LoveвЂќ and the infectious вЂњTeenage Love Affair,вЂќ which has rightly been compared to the bubbly pop of the Jackson 5. Sometimes you try to ignore them, but it comes to a point where you canвЂ™t.вЂќДЄs I Am is the sound of confidence renewed. вЂњI wasnвЂ™t being clear about what was bothering me and the things that were bringing me heartache. вЂњIвЂ™d been touring so much and I was just over-exhausted from the whole process,вЂќ she says. Onstage or on disc, Keys sounded as empowered as ever, but behind the scenes she was struggling to assert herself. Like her music and her lyrics, her persona seemed to be her own.Д«ut six years and two successful albums later, the pressures of stardom started bearing down on the singerвЂ™s fragile frame. Whereas so many of her pop-starlet contemporaries suggested label-made creations, Keys struck chords of authenticity as naturally as she elicited melodies from her keyboard. Her Grammy-winning 2001 debut, Songs in A Minor, was notable not only for its abundance of complex yet radio-friendly compositions (all written or co-written by the then-21-year-old Keys) but also for its creatorвЂ™s beyond-her-years bearing. ItвЂ™s a surprising admission, since one of the defining aspects of KeysвЂ™ career thus far has been her almost preternatural sense of self-possession. At that point, you have to stand up and make your own choices.вЂќ There comes a time in everyoneвЂ™s life when they realize theyвЂ™re following other peopleвЂ™s good judgments. вЂњI can definitely say that I was forced to learn about myself and the type of woman that I wanted to be. вЂњItвЂ™s tough to nail down in a quick, neat package,вЂќ says the 28-year-old singer-songwriter during an interview on the eve of her performance at the American Music Awards. She also makes an unexpected statement about the period in which the record was produced: вЂњThis yearвЂ¦how can I explain it? It has simultaneously been the best and worst of my life.вЂќ So, can she explain it? Retrieved February 10, 2017.In the liner notes for her chart-topping new album, As I Am, Alicia Keys doles out the requisite thank yous to friends, family and collaborators. Nashville, Tennessee: VNU Business Media, Inc. ^ 'Billboard Boxscore: Concert Grosses'.

^ 'John Legend to Open Alicia Keys 'Diary' Tour' (Press release).

'Alicia Keys' Diary Tour Dates Announced'. 'Alicia Keys Is Coming To The Hampton Coliseum - At Least That Looks Like A Good Bet'.

'Instrumental Sequence' (contains elements of ' Minnie The Moocher')ДЇestivals and other miscellaneous performances A Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Cancellations and rescheduled shows.

' Black Ivory Soul' (performed by backing vocalist).

'Instrumental Sequence' (contains elements of ' Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)').

Alicia keys diary