The 2022 Grammys are fast approaching and while the lineup of performers is impressive (Lil Nas X, Cynthia Erivo, Olivia Rodrigo, and John Legend, to name a few), we're also excited for one of the show's former hosts: Alicia Keys. The Daily Show's Trevor Noah is master of ceremonies this time around, but the soulful singer will still be in the limelight.
"A Beautiful Noise," a 2020 single performed by Keys and Brandi Carlile, scored a Song of the Year nomination. But that's not Keys' only nod this year—her album "Alicia" is also nominated in the Best Immersive Audio Album category. We'll find out if she takes home both awards during the ceremony airing on CBS on Sunday, April 3 at 8pm ET.
In honor of Keys' 2022 Grammys nominations, we've rounded up her best songs (in no particular order) to put on repeat ahead of the show.
1
"A Beautiful Noise"
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Alicia Keys, Brandi Carlile - A Beautiful Noise (Official Video)
Released in 2020, this powerful song with Brandi Carlile was meant to inspire people to vote during the presidential election that year. The two powerhouses play pianos while singing across from each other in this video, urging, "...now we have a choice..."
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Alicia Keys - Show Me Love (Visual Sonic Experience) ft. Miguel
Keys released this soulfully sensual track in September 2019. With a feature by R&B singer Miguel, the single was her first release since her 2016 album "Here." And has if the passionate vocals weren't enough, the accompanying music video starring Michael B. Jordan and Zoe Saldana will really get you.
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Alicia Keys - Blended Family (What You Do For Love) (Official Video) ft. A$AP Rocky
This 2016 ode honors the blended family Keys has created with her husband, hip-hop producer Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, and his ex-wife, Blend author Mashonda Tifrere. The sweet black-and-white music video accompanying the song features Keys, Swizz Beatz, and their children.
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"Fallin'" was the first single from the singer's 2001 debut album, Songs in A Minor. The chart-topping hit spawned four Grammy wins for Song of the Year, Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, and Record of the Year.
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Alicia Keys - You Don't Know My Name (Official Video)
Featuring Keys's signature piano chords, the 2003 soul song is from her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. Throughout the six-minute song, she pours her heart out for a guy she's crushing on who hasn't noticed her—yet.
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Keys first introduced fans to the 2016 song during a May appearance on Saturday Night Live. The Caribbean-infused hit is all about opposites attracting and discovering they actually have more in common than they thought.
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Alicia Keys - Teenage Love Affair (Official Video)
The 2007 song from Keys's As I Am album was praised by Rolling Stone as one of the "100 Best Songs of 2007." Keys also pays homage to Spike Lee's 1988 classic film, School Daze, in the music video, which also features actor Derek Luke as her love interest.
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Rapper Jay-Z and Keys had fans across the globe singing about the "concrete jungle" (a.k.a. New York City) following the release of this 2009 hit single from his The Blueprint 3 album. Keys specifically recorded this stripped-down version for her own project, The Element of Freedom.
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The sixth single from Keys's second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, was inspired by her personal life. But according to Complex, it was also written in reaction to the September 11 attacks in New York and the untimely death of R&B singer Aaliyah in 2001.
"The song idea came together right after Aaliyah passed away," Keys said. "It was such a sad time and no one wanted to believe it. It just made everything crystal clear to me—what matters, and what doesn’t."
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In 2008, Keys praised the strength of powerful women in the hit single from her As I Am album.
"The beauty of 'Superwoman' is that it’s not about being all-powerful and being perfect, 'cause no one is," Keys told Billboard. "It’s about perfection in our weaknesses and perfection in our imperfection, that we can still keep going and we can still learn and still remain strong. Even when we’re feeling weak, we can still be superwomen and supermen. I love what that says about all that I’ve learned this year."
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Rapper Drake assisted with writing this 2008 love song from Keys's The Element of Freedom album, and he's featured on the track as well. Both the song and the video deal with a relationship that may not last because of a pair's obvious differences.
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Of course, we had to include the 2007 song that won the 2008 Grammy for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. In 2007, Keys told Billboard that creating the ballad was a no-brainer.
"This is one song that just wrote itself," she said. "A lot of the songs didn’t happen like that. It was one of the last songs I wrote. It’s full force, classical yet vintage, desperate yet triumphant. I want people to feel my soul."
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Alicia Keys - Like You'll Never See Me Again (Official Video)
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Alicia Keys, Maxwell - Fire We Make (Official Video)
Keys and neo-soul singer Maxwell teamed up for this steamy 2012 duet that explores the fiery passion two lovers have for each other. It was the seventh single from Keys's Girl on Fire album.
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Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart (Official Video)
In 2009, Keys released this song as the second single from her fourth album, The Element of Freedom. The heartbreaking song chronicles a woman who wants to move on from a previous relationship but can't stop thinking about her ex.
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In 2009, Keys and Beyoncé collaborated on this groundbreaking song about making their love interest profess their feelings in the form of a love song. Both Keys and Beyoncé were spotted on the streets of Brazil filming the music video, but, much to fans' disappointment, it never was released.
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The 2014 feel-good anthem seeks to unify people in the midst of war and hatred. On Facebook, Keys shared this message of hope about the song: "I believe in peace, love, and unity. I believe that this vision can be a reality. And it’s not about me. It’s about WE. Together we can give birth to a kinder and more peaceful world for ALL children."
Michelle is the Culture & News Writer for OprahMag.com, where she writes about celebrities (she considers herself an expert on Beyoncé and Reese Witherspoon), plus the latest in pop-culture news, binge-worthy TV shows, and movies. The transplanted Southerner turned ambitious New Yorker lives her best life by listening to hip-hop and Pod Save America, watching The Office on repeat, quoting Oprah-isms, eating dessert before dinner, and avoiding avocado. Seriously, she doesn’t get the hype.
It should say, “Michelle is the former Culture & News Writer for Oprahmag.com...”