2008 Woodie Awards
Alicia Keys Lets Us Listen To Her Diary
Lisa Panzerilla
Issue date: 11/20/03 Section: Arts and Entertainment
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When Alicia Keys sees hot young stars like J.Lo. and Britney shaking and writhing around onstage, she says, it doesn't invite an ounce of envy.
"To have people say about a singer, `She has the greatest a-- in the business,' that's not what I prefer," Keys says.
"I don't care to be in that category at all."
While the 22-year-old Keys has made People magazine's "Most Beautiful" list and can command magazine covers the world over, she has always kept the focus on her keyboards rather than her keister.
At a recent industry showcase to promote her album "The Diary of Alicia Keys," in stores now, the singer wore pants, as she often does while performing."It's hard to play in a skirt," she says.
The music Keys offered at the show avoided modern pop flash in favor of more dignified `70s soul. Some songs sounded like they were airlifted right out of 1974's top 10. "I definitely feel like I was born in the wrong decade," says Keys. "I actually think I was performing in the `70s and was reincarnated now."
Unlike J.Lo and Britney, Keys also stays out of the gossip pages, keeping her personal life private.
Even though she has called the new CD, Diary, it offers no details. Keys admits only that she has been seeing the same guy for six years, and he's not in the business. "I couldn't see myself being with" a star, she says. "I need more separation."
Her new lyrics do speak at times of heartbreak and remorse. "I have made a lot of sacrifices with my lack of time," Keys explains.
She's been on a fast track ever since the summer of 2001, when her debut CD, Songs in A Minor, made an instant impression on listeners and critics.
By appealing to both the hip-hop generation and their parents more prone to old soul, "A Minor" sold more than seven million copies and bagged Keys five Grammys, including Best Song and Best New Artist.
At last year's ceremony, she handed a Grammy to the most recent "it" girl: Norah Jones. "I felt her apprehension," Keys explains, "that feeling of, `Am I in a dream world, or what did I do to deserve all this?'"