Alicia Keys is back, although she ever went anywhere. This girl has always been on fire, but Keys made a return to Saturday Night Live for her third appearance as musical guest this past weekend, and she pretty much blew up the stage with live performances of two brand new songs.
. @aliciakeys debuts the passionate, gospel-inspired “Hallelujah” on ‘Saturday Night Live’ https://t.co/cPpRSkSAtu pic.twitter.com/By2xweJH5V
— SPIN (@SPIN) May 8, 2016
Spin posted the video of Alicia Keys’ two performances , which included her new song, “In Common,” a single she unveiled for fans last week, and the ballad, “Hallelujah,” which is refreshingly not a cover of the famous Leonard Cohen song of the same name. Alicia’s new songs are expected to appear on her upcoming studio album, which has not yet been given a title or a release date.
Alicia Keys last appeared on SNL in 2010, and she hasn’t released an album since 2012’s Girl On Fire , so her performance on the late night sketch comedy series did feel a bit like a comeback.
After her live performance on SNL, Alicia Keys took to social media to thank her fans for their support. Keys posted to Instagram that it was “so special to share new songs” with her fans, and she promised that there is much more to come.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFIx-ONQFlS/?taken-by=aliciakeys&hl=en
Alicia Keys previously teased her next album nearly two years ago when she told Billboard that she was working on some of the best music of her career .
“What I know for a fact is it’s the best music I’ve ever done in my life yet and it’s really exciting to be able to have this kind of growth, this type of opportunity,” Keys said at the time. “The music’s actually pretty much done already and so you’ll be hearing some of it soon.”
Based on Keys’ SNL performance, it was definitely worth the wait. But why four years between albums? Indeed, Alicia Keys has been a little bit under the radar over the past few years as she has seemingly taken some time to focus on motherhood. The 15-time Grammy winner shares two young sons, Egypt and Genesis, with husband Swizz Beatz. Alicia’s firstborn son is now 5-years-old, and her baby will turn 2 later this year.
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Longtime fans may recall that Alicia Keys made her TV debut on a 2001 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show . And three years ago, Keys also made an appearance on Oprah’s Master Class where she gave fans the inside story on her road to fame .
While Alicia Keys grew up in a rough Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, she went on to graduate from high school at age 16 as valedictorian of her class. Alicia landed a record deal with Columbia Records at the same time she was awarded a scholarship to Columbia University in New York City, and she obviously went for the recording career. Keys said the promise of a white baby grand piano sealed the deal for her.
did you know @aliciakeys graduated at 16 and was her class valedictorian ? ? pic.twitter.com/MZvaJ7l8TY
— CLASS OF 2015 (@2K15GRADS) June 4, 2015
Of course, fans who have been missing Alicia Keys for the past few years will get to see even more of her later this year. Keys and fellow singing superstar Miley Cyrus have both signed on as coaches alongside Adam Levine and Blake Shelton for the 11th season of NBC’s The Voice , according to Rolling Stone . Keys previously appeared as a mentor on The Voice , but the coaching gig will have her front and center on every episode.
Take a look at the video below to see Alicia Keys performing the song, “In Common,” on Saturday Night Live .
[Photo by Thos Robinson/Getty Images for VH1]
