Keys sat down for a recent conference call to discuss all the aforementioned subjects, as well as why she had to cancel two shows out of concern for her priceless vocal cords.
How’s your health?
Everything is spectacular, everything is perfect. It sucked being under the weather, but it's important to protect myself. There's nothing I will do to damage my voice. But now I'm back, and the shows are insane.
Did you ever imagine yourself playing huge arenas?
Without question, that's a dream in every artist's mind. I remember seeing Wu-Tang Clan in front of 50,000 people, who were all chanting “Wu! Tang! Wu! Tang!” and I never forgot how it made me feel. I thought, “One day, they will be chanting my name.” Every day I go out on stage during sound check and look at the massive floor; it makes me feel…I can't explain it. I've dreamed of it, and now that it is here, it’s humbling.
What was the inspiration behind your documentary on Africa?
“Alicia in Africa” is special to me; I'm really proud of it. We've been able to provide retroviruses to 40,000 people with HIV and AIDS. At first, the gravity of the situation hit me pretty hard, and I didn’t know where to start, until I found out it only costs a dollar a day to provide the medicine. We totally wanted to document the process, to see step-by-step the lives and orphans that were touched. It's an uplifting, inspiring documentary. It's not something that makes you feel helpless or hopeless. We're following Radiohead and allowing people to see it [for free] in its entirety, because we know they will freely want to donate.
How inspiring was your trip to Egypt?
Going to Egypt was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I needed inspiration at the time, and going there by myself and not having anyone to talk to gave me a certain perspective. Seeing the temples, tombs and pyramids, sailing down the Nile, and experiencing structures that stood the test of time gave me an outlook on our future as human beings. Taking visions of the mind and making them real is inspiring.
How is the Philippa Schuyler biopic coming?
That is a really exciting project for me, because I was brought into the process at the beginning. Our producer Halle Berry said it was a part I was born to play. Schuyler was born into a tumultuous time, as a biracial classical pianist. We're still in the scriptwriting phase now, but I think it's a beautiful story and really look forward to doing it.
Are you already working on the next album?
I'm definitely thinking about it. Part of what I've been thinking is the ways in which I want to express myself the next time. I wanted to do something totally stripped down in the singer-songwriter style of Joni Mitchell and Carole King, but you never know where your life and music will take you. It's a challenge to write and record when I'm on tour, because the tour really takes it out of me. But I'm really trying to find quiet space in the madness, and see where my heart takes me.
