Alicia Keys’ Third Time is Yet Another Charm

The Harlem native’s brand of soul has proven critically and commercially lucrative, as she’s got a stranglehold on the Grammy and Billboard galaxies after just two full-lengths. She broadens her repertoire yet again on As I Am, enlisting Linda Perry and John Mayer for help, but relying mostly on her golden croon and delicious contemporary take on smooth R&B.

How did you approach As I Am?

Keys: It’s definitely taking another direction. I mean, it’s based in the heart and soul of what my music is, which is definitely heart and soul, but it’s definitely taking on just an edgier face. It’s a little more distorted. It’s just a little more undefinable, which I like a lot. It’s a very different album from my other two albums, which is as it should be.

What impact does having a body of work already behind you have when you’re working on something new?

Keys: It means it comes from experience and from understanding a little more about myself and my artistry, my musicianship and my writing. It felt good just having a place to start, whereas that was something I was searching for more on the first album. On this one I had a place to start, and that gave me a solid foundation from which I could spread my wings.

Does your previous success generate a lot of pressure on whatever you’re doing next?

Keys: I can absolutely separate myself from that. I don’t even involve myself—in fact, the majority of my life that I live, I do not involve myself in those things. That’s not what makes me create. That’s not the reason why I’m driven the way I’m driven. None of those things make me the musician that I am or are the reason I’m the musician that I am. It’s not even on my mind. My music is my life—just like when I wake up every morning and thank God, just like how I breathe. That’s how I do music. So that was the farthest thing from my mind—some type of follow-up or copying or even pressure. I didn’t feel that. I just felt like I was on this path and it was guiding me. I was just following it.

Then again, having success in the first place probably makes it easier to step back and refocus yourself on the art.

Keys: Don’t get me wrong: I love when people love my music. There’s nothing an artist wants more than to have people identify with their art—that’s definitely a beautiful feeling. I just feel like people get so caught up in winning sometimes. For me, I love my music. I love to make music. I love to create music.

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