Alicia Keys Page 5

Gwen Stefani is returning as a coach on ‘The Voice’ for the competition’s 12th season next year.

Stefani’s return means Miley Cyrus is out, but fan’s needn't worry as she’ll be coming back for the show’s 13th season in the fall of 2017.

Gwen Stefani is coming back to ‘The Voice’ for season 12 next year

Continue reading: Gwen Stefani Will Be Back On 'The Voice' For Season 12 With Miley Cyrus Returning For Season 13

Kim Kardashian attempted to make a different kind of bold fashion statement on Saturday, by wearing no make-up to Balenciaga's Paris Fashion Week show.

The 35-year-old reality star posted a photo of her look on social media, writing, “No make up today,” but some followers thought Kim still wasn't 100% natural.

Continue reading: Kim Kardashian Goes Make Up Free For Balenciaga Paris Fashion Week Show

Alicia Keys has teamed up with the likes of Beyonce, Rihanna and Pharrell Williams for a new PSA video shedding light on racial injustice in America, as part of the singer’s ‘We Are Here’ movement.

In a clip that debuted on Mic.com on Wednesday (July 13th), Keys and various celebs that also included Hollywood stars Taraji P. Henson, Chris Rock and Kevin Hart and music stars Common, Pink and Adam Levine, explain “23 ways you could be killed if you are black in America”.

Photos of black men and women killed on the streets by police and armed civilians come up on the screen.

Continue reading: Alicia Keys Rounds Up Beyonce, Rihanna, Pharrell And Many More For 'We Are Here' Racial Injustice Video

Congrats, Alicia Keys! The soul icon has given birth to her second child, a baby boy named Genesis Ali Dean. The little one was born just a few days after the holidays, on Saturday, December 27^th.

Congratulations on the new addition to the family!

"The joy of joy is joy!! It's a boy!!" Key said on Instagram on Sunday. "We are so grateful!!#blessings!!️"

Continue reading: Alicia Keys Welcomes Second Baby With Husband Swizz Beatz

At Friday night’s MusiCares gala, Carole King was most definitely the star of the night – and the year, as she was honored with MusiCares’ Person of the Year award. More than 2000 admirers filled the Los Angeles Convention Center to pay tribute to King. Past MusiCares honorees Bonnie Raitt, Gloria Estefan and David Crosby were also in attendance along with the likes of Yoko Ono, Ciara, Diane Warren, Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson and Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, USA Today reports.

King joins the likes of Bonnie Raitt and David Crossby in winning the honor.

The ceremony kicked off with host Jimmy Kimmel paying tribute to King’s five-decade career and the 1971 album that started it all. “That cat from the Tapestry album must be dead, right?” Kimmel quipped in his opening speech. He was followed by renditions of King’s most popular songs, performed by some of the biggest names in music today.

Continue reading: Carole King Named MusiCares Person Of The Year, Honored By Fellow Musicians

Kings Of Leon are celebrating yet another chart-topping album with their new and sixth studio album, Mechanical Bull. Sufficiently tantalised by the teasing stream of singles we've heard in recent months, such as 'Supersoaker,' fans have rushed to purchase the new release and have given the Nashville band their fourth UK No.1 to date.

Kings Of Leon Are Top Dogs Again.

Drummer Nathan Followill tweeted his thanks for the fans support of their new album writing, "Thank you to all of our fans for showing us so much love on the new record. We made it for y'all and that's all that matters. #bestfansever."

Continue reading: Kings Of Leon Crowned Rulers Of The Charts With 'Mechanical Bull'

Has there ever been a festival more rooted in positivity, unity and optimism for change than last weekend's Global Citizen Festival? The charitable event raised awareness about serious world issues and also saw soul legend Stevie Wonder headline the Saturday night. Organised by Australian philanthropist Hugh Evans, the event is designed to raise funds to support causes that lift people out of extreme poverty, work towards gender equality in education, and promote environmental sustainability.

Stevie Wonder Played A Central Role In The Festival's Success.

After being introduced himself by U2 rocker Bono, Stevie Wonder proceeded to welcome the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon: "My friends, there are rock stars, and there are rock stars," Wonder explained. "And I can assure you that the secretary general is a genuine rock star. He's a rock star in his quest to bring hope to the hopeless, consensus where there's conflict, and peace and rights to those who suffer from hatred and despair."

Continue reading: Global Citizen Festival: A Celebration Of Unity With Stevie Wonder In Central Park

On Saturday (Sept 28th) Central Park in New York hosted a special charity concert that saw stars such as John Mayer, Alicia Keys and Kings Of Leon perform their hit singles to a capacity crowd of 60,000 people.

The Global Show also boosted speakers like the Crown Princess of Denmark, the President of Liberia, and a bunch of U.S. congressmen.

Saturday's display of music covered all genres for the New York City crowd as Kings of Leon opened the show with their new single 'Super Soaker' but they soon played an early days hit with 'The Bucket' and then rocked out with 'Don't Matter'.They got the crowd to sing along to 'Sex on Fire' and finished their set with the huge hit 'Use Somebody'.

Continue reading: The Golden Citizen Festival Attracted Huge Musical Stars Who Performed In Front Of 60,000 Spectators

A Week In Reviews... This week saw 14-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys head to the UK for a series of dates, and boy did it seem that the girl really was on fire. A storming appraisal from us here at Contactmusic, for her show in Manchester proved that Keys hasn't lost her spark over 16 years in the game."If one thing's for certain tonight it's that Alicia Keys is the perfect crossover star, with an old school approach to music and a new school approach to showmanship; the girl really is on fire" we reckoned. 

Meanwhile, across the Pennines in Leeds, Mercury-nominated Ghostpoet was in town to perform plenty of new material. However, there was plenty to take in for both fans old and new, with Contactmusic's Joe Wild writing "Whilst the show was unquestionably a vehicle to promote his new material, the MC did sprinkle some Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam favourites into the set-list, such as 'Liiines' and 'Cash and Carry Me Home' to keep the faithful fans happy. But it was the renditions of newbies 'Dial Tones,' 'MSI MusmiD' and new single 'Meltdown' that really got the crowd amped and responding to his metaphor-laden lyrics and urban-decay-inspired beats."

Continue reading: A Week In Music - Alicia Keys Is On Fire, Professor Green Engineers Return And The Rolling Stones Threaten Glastonbury Black Out

Alicia Keys debuted her brand new single 'Tears Always Win' on 'American Idol' last night (May 9th 2013) to a thrilling reception from the crowd.

The fourteen-time Grammy winner gave an emotional vocal and piano performance of the heart-wrenching song that was bound to get the waterworks going in the venue if the results show didn't. It has been taken from her 2012 album 'Girl On Fire' which serves as her fifth consecutive number one studio album as it topped the charts on both the US Billboard 200 and the US R&B. The single marks the album's fifth release, with the initial title track quickly becoming multiplatinum in the Fall of 2012. 'American Idol''s series 10 runner up Lauren Alaina also made a guest performance with her song 'Barefoot and Buckwild'.

Alicia, who has previously served as a mentor on the show, posted a series of Tweets before and after the show to remind her Twitter followers to tune in. 'I'll be performing my new song "Tears Always Win" 2night on @AmericanIdol!!! Will you be watching? ;-) Come see me!' She posted, and later said that she loved performing the track, which was co-written by Bruno Mars, despite getting 'butterflyz'.

Continue reading: Alicia Keys Makes Emotional First Performance Of 'Tears Always Win'

A Week In Videos... She might have just wrapped up her Set The World On Fire tour, but the promotional drive for Alicia Keys fifth album Girl On Fire rolls on, with the multi-million selling songstress putting out a video for the third single from the 2012 Billboard number one LP. The video for 'New Day' sees clips of studio-shot footage of Keys dancing down back alleys, interspersed with footage of the star performing live in various instances. Given that her last single Brand New Me reached a meagre 103 at the tale of end of 2012 in America, it's going to be hard for 'New Day' to make much of an impact.

Kurt Vile's Wakin On A Pretty Daze was his most commercially successful album yet, going close to the top 40 in the UK and making 47 on the US Billboards. Yet the American psych-wizard is about more than sales figures, and pleasingly his fifth album also perhaps marks his most accomplished to-date, a record of dreamy soundscapes and hazy Americana tale-telling. Given the woozy nature of 'Never Run Away,' we wonder just exactly what that smoke coming out of the bus at the beginning of the video is...

Continue reading: A Week In Music - Alicia Keys Girl On Fire Promotion Still Going, Cayucas Debut Makes For The Perfect Summer Listen And Latest Michael Jackson Court Case Begins

Forget Chris Brown and Drake, or Chris Brown and Frank Ocean, or Rick Ross and most gangs; there’s a new rivalry in the rap world. Jay-Z’s got beef with a 2-year-old.

The trouble kicked off when Egypt Dean, 2, kissed Blue Ivy, 1, which annoyed her father Jay-Z, 43. "We'll get together and meet there [at the Knowles-Carter house] and like hang out and the kids will hang out and I think Egypt kissed Blue ... and I don't think Jay liked it very much," Keys joked. "He called my husband [Swizz Beatz] and he was like, 'Umm ... watch your son,'” Alicia Keys recalled as she appeared on US TV series The Wendy Williams Show on Monday. It would appear Jay Z is simply protecting his daughter, while Egypt is forging a reputation as somewhat of a ladies’ man. Watch out world, Egypt has arrived.

Continue reading: Alicia Keys’ Son Egypt Kisses Beyonces Daughter Blue Ivy, Jay Z Gets Protective

Didn't get your fill with the last dose of State-side halftime entertainment, well the NBA All-Star Weekend is here to help, with the show's line-up trying its best to out do Beyonce and co. last Sunday.

Taking place in Houston on Feb. 16-17, the showcase will be an all-star event in more than just b'ball-ability terms. Alicia Keys will be holding down the reigns at the halftime performance, whilst Ne-Yo will be performing before the main event. John Legend will perform the United States national anthem before the game. On the Saturday before, the newly reformed Fall Out Boy will be providing the half-time entertainment, their first live performance sine their 2009 split, whilst Ellie Goulding will play before the game.

The entertainment isn't just resigned to the match schedule though, as the full weekend of entertainment will also see American Idol winner Phillip Phillips performing on Saturday during the day, which will coincide with the time-honoured Skills Challenge, the Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest — all of which will be presided over by Nick Cannon.

Continue reading: Alicia Keys, Fall Out Boy And More Confirmed For NBA All-Star Weekend

Alicia Keys set an impressive record for the longest rendition of The Star Spangled Banner yet, when she performed it at yesterday's Super Bowl in the Superdome in New Orleans. Not only was it the longest, but many are questioning whether it was the best.

It's not difficult to beat the 2011 performance for Christina Aguilera, who normally has a great voice, but who sadly forgot the words - uh oh! But Bleacher think that, aside from Whitney Houston's XXV 1991 performance, Keys was the best yet. And even praised Keys for singing live, where Houston did not. E! Online was also impressed with the performance describing it as a "quiet and dignified salute" to the anthem. All in all then, the 'Fallin'' singer did a great job! 

And, just to add icing to the cake, she could make money from it in the future. The Star Spangled Banner has no copy-rightattached to it, so she could use it for free, but by adding her own arrangement she can then copy-right that. As Showbiz411 said: "Keys could make money from its future use in that form, and get her a shared songwriting credit with composers Francis Scott Key and John Stafford Smith, who died in the 1800s." 

Continue reading: Alicia Keys Super Bowl Performance Of National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, One Of The Best Yet?

Alicia Keys sang the United States' National Anthem, 'Star Spangled Banner' just before the Super Bowl game began on Sunday. Plenty of people had placed bets on how long she'd been singing (and topped the lot with 2 minutes, 36 seconds), and despite the extended length of her rendition, on the whole people loved her performance.

Continue reading: Positive Responses To Alicia Keys Singing The National Anthem, 'The Star Spangled Banner'

Musical genius, icon and all-round nice guy Stevie Wonder is going to make the Super Bowl weekend a whole lot more magical, as he will be performing in New Orleans next week for the much-anticipated Super Bowl extravaganza.

A spokesperson for the once a year event said today (Jan 25) that Bud Light will be sponsoring the concert, which will also feature performances by Texan blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr. and more at an open-air venue near the Wyndham Riverfront Hotel in NO. But wait, there's more!

If the prospect of having Alicia Keys perform the national anthem prior to kick off, Beyonce (and maybe even the rest of Destiny's Child) performing at halftime and Stevie all in the same city over the same weekend, the star-studded line-up doesn't end just there. Justin Timberlake is lined up to appear live for the first time in over four years during the 'DIRECTV Super Saturday Night' performance on the 2nd. The performance is an invitation-only concert being held directly after DIRECTV’s 'Celebrity Beach Bowl,' with singer/rapper Pitbull set to perform at that shindig too.

Continue reading: Stevie Wonder To Perform Over Super Bowl Weekend

Alicia Keys will perform at the beginning of this year's Super Bowl XLVII, taking to the field of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on February 3 to perform a rendition of the American national anthem, the NFL and CBS announced today.

Keys' performance will air on CBS just prior to kick off and will be the singer's third overall performance at American Footballs grandest platform, having performed in 2005 and 2008, each time appearing as part of the pre-game entertainment. The news of Keys' appointment joins the announcement that fellow R&B star Beyoncé will be serving as the half-time entertainment for the sporting extravaganza, with her performance increasingly being dogged by rumours that she will be joined on stage by her Destiny's Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.

Last years Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLVII, drew in a massive audience of over 111.3 million viewers in the U.S. alone, making it one of the most-watched sporting programs of all time. It comes as no surprise then to learn that this year the NFL are pulling out all the stops to ensure that this year's final surpasses the massive target set by the last final. Both the pre-game and halftime entertainment is being overseen by the NFL Network Production, with Ricky Kirshner serving as the executive producer of the whole extravaganza. We already can't wait to see what's in store next year.

Stars from across the board were out in force for the BET honours on the 12/01/2013. The BET celebrates distinguished African Americans performing at exceptional levels in the areas of music, literature, entertainment, media, service and education.

Other musicians out in force on the red carpet were Ledisi, Y'Anna Crawley, Kem, Ray Chew, Bazaar Royale with Beverly Bond, Luke James of Fashion Music and music executive Clarence Avant. Fitness guru Jeanette Jenkins, ABC news anchor Cynne Simpson, Mayor of the District of Columbia Vincent Gray, President and CEO of Viacom Philippe Dauman with his wife Deborah Dauman, and American journalist Roland Martin were also at the event.

Continue reading: Kat Graham, Claressa Shields And Ski Johnson Strut Their Stuff On The Red Carpet At The BET Honors (VIDEO)

The 2013 People’s Choice Awards Ceremony took place in Los Angeles earlier this week, and the numerous categories of awards held few surprises this year.

As expected, one of the big winners of the night was The Hunger Games franchise, winning across the board, in categories like Action Movie, Movie Franchise and winning lead actress Jennifer Lawrence the statuette in the category Face of Heroism - an odd category for any award show to have, but we never object to Lawrence getting more screen time. Other big winners of the night included Nicki Minaj (for Hip Hop Artist), Katy Perry (for Female Artist and Pop Artist). The other stars of the show, even if they weren’t awarded anything, were definitely the performers – Christina Aguilera and Alicia Keys, to name a few – and last, but certainly not least, Taylor Swift’s cleavage.

The 23-year-old singer has been gracing headlines non-stop for a few months now, from her new album and new image to her relationship (and subsequent breakup) with One Direction singer Harry Styles. Taylor’s certainly had her ups and downs, but the People’s Choice awards definitely count as a success for her, as she not only managed to win the Country Artist award, but looked fabulous and displayed a pleasant sense of humor while doing it. She and host Olivia Munn referenced Swift’s 2009 MTV VMA debacle, during which Kanye West interrupted Swift mid award acceptance. That awkward moment is long forgotten now, however, and even with her complicated love life, Swift looks set for a lasting musical career.

A slew of New York natives, as well as plenty of Brits performed at last night’s 12-12-12 benefit concert for victims of Hurricane Sandy, which ripped through the city in October.

Bruce Springsteen, a Jersey man himself, took the stage first with Land of Hope and Dreams followed by the evocative Wrecking Ball and the very aptly themed My City in Ruins, all of which was meant to address the rebuilding process and the NY spirit. The musician spoke fondly of his native New Jersey, mentioning its inclusiveness. “I pray that this chraracteristic remains the same” Springsteen went on to say, before going into Born to Run, for which he was joined on stage by Jon Bon Jovi, another Jersey resident.

The concert was definitely geared towards classic rock fans – a smart marketing decision, since this is also the demographic with the highest disposable income. Besides a number of to-the-bone New Yorkers, like Jon Stewart, Adam Sandler and Alicia Keys, it also featured an unexpectedly high number of appearances by British musicians – The Who and Sir Paul McCartney among others. The ex-Beatle joined the surviving members of Nirvana onstage for a cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Continue reading: Bruce Springsteen And The Rolling Stones Among The Lineup Of Sandy Benefit Concert

Justin Bieber performs on the second night of the KIIS Jingle Ball, but he was far from the only star of the evening

Justin Bieber was among those performing at the second night of the KIIS FM Jingle Ball, with pretty much anyone who's been anyone making an appearance over the radio network's massive two-dayer. Sunday night (December 2) at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles saw current chart sensation Taylor Swift coming up against The Jonas Brothers - who found themselves eclipsed by the star. Last night, though (December 3), it was the turn of Bieber - still deep into his lengthy tour - Ke$ha, YouTube sensation Psy and fast rising British group The Wanted, among others, to provide the party.

Continue reading: Pictures: Justin Bieber, Ke$ha And A Who's Who Of 2012 Pop Play The Second Night Of KIIS FM's Jingle Ball

Alicia Keys new album Girl On Fire went on sale this week, but whilst we wait for the midweek charts to come in, we have to wonder whether this might be an album too far for the talented singer? Keys has certainly had a stellar career, with three US album number ones and a further second spot for for her last LP The Element Of Freedom.

What’s been impressive about Keys career too is that, in comparison to some of her peers, she’s managed to do it without wholly succumbing to the media circus merry go-round, her team not constantly pushing her into the public eye and her talent as a musician often discussed over her personal life. Which is why it’s a shame to see some critics starting to tire of her, Girl On Fire getting a few ‘we’ve heard it all before’ comments in among a smattering of praise. Certainly for all her multi-million selling records in the past, in 2012 Keys is probably more prominent because of her duet with Jay-Z on 'Empire State Of Mind', a blockbuster hit that highlighted Keys long-known collaborative qualities.

It’d be a shame though if her talent in working with others has truly meant that Girl On Fire and her solo career suffers as a result. Even on this album, though, others like Emeli Sande (who co-wrote ‘Not Even The King’) are in the fray so it’s clear that creative partnerships are key to her even on her own material; a strong marketing campaign will probably ensure the record does decently regardless, but if what the critics say is true – and Girl On Fire is stale – then there won’t be many that won’t be desperate for a return to form for this stalwart singer.

Continue reading: Following Critical Indifference, Is Girl On Fire An Album Too Far For Alicia Keys?

Having met and performed for her on more than one occasion and being one of biggest names in modern British pop music, Robbie Williams has admitted that HRH Queen Elizabeth II still has no clue who he is.

At one point, Robbie told the crowd at last night's triumphant comeback show at London's o2 Academy, during the most recent encounter with the Royal at the Royal Variety Performance this month where Robbie shared the stage with Alicia Keys, Neil Diamond, Kylie Minogue, Andrea Bocelli and Britain's Got Talent winners Ashleigh Butler and her dog Pudsey, the Queen met with the performers after the show and apparently thought that the former Take That star was Pudsey's trainer! He told the crowd: "At the Royal Variety Performance, in the line-up afterwards, we were shaking hands... and she thought I was Pudsey's trainer."

Robbie of course also made an appearance at this years Diamond Jubilee festivities that was organised by Take That head honcho and OBE recipient Gary Barlow, and even then the Queen failed to recognise him in the proceedings after the show admitting, "she thought I was a member of congress."

Continue reading: The Queen Mistakes Robbie Williams For Pudsey's Trainer

One Direction fans, unite! Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne will be performing at The Royal Variety Performance 2012, which this year celebrates its 100th anniversary, Entertainmentwise reports. 

We're not sure how much of a One Directioner The Queen is, and we can't see her pulling shapes to the boy band's biggest hits, but they're a polite bunch, and if nothing else, they'll charm the bloomers off the Monarchy. The show is not just varied by name; oldies Rod Stewart and Neil Diamond will join the young pop stars, as well as R&B giant, Alicia Keys, seasoned hitmakers Girls Aloud and Robbie Williams, and not to mention Kylie Minogue. The show will be hosted by David Walliams - which makes it a must-watch show in itself - and will, of course, also feature Britain's Got Talent winners Ashleigh and Pudsey. The show, while being a huge treat for the audience, is set to raise funds for the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund.

The Queen will be accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh for the 100th anniversary of the event at the Royal Albert Hall on 19 November, as they look upon the stars who are aiming to maintain the retirement and nursing home in Twickenham, London.

Continue reading: One Direction Set To Perform At The Royal Variety Performance 2012

Adele is to join the ranks of the musical elite, having been chosen to sing the theme to the new James Bond movie “Skyfall”.

The song, “Skyfall” which shares its name with the title of the film, has been written by Paul Epworth. Rumours of her involvement with the Bond franchise were put in place when she “hinted she would be working on [a 'special project'] during an interview on Jonathan Ross's chat show on ITV1 in September 2011” (BBC).

The history of the James Bond theme includes only the best and most iconic of musicians and bands, including Sir Paul McCartney, Duran Duran, Madonna, Tina Turner, Tom Jones and most recently a collaboration between Jack White and Alicia Keys.

Continue reading: Adele To Sing The New James Bond Theme ‘Skyfall’

One Direction almost caused a riot at the iTunes Festival at London’s Roundhouse on Thursday evening (September 20, 2012) just by, err, being there. The Press Association reports how fans “squealed and cried” as the boy-band took time out from their set to answer ‘Twitter questions’. Some of their answers were inaudible due to the high pitched din that enveloped the historic venue.

The question-and-answer session was an intriguing affair; for example, we found out that Zayn things Harry is sexy, and that Liam thinks Niall is cute. Oh wait, and Louis thinks Zayn is kind! Anyway, after that, the audience were treated to a blistering set from the group, who performed some of their biggest hits – You Don’t Know You’re Beautful, One Thing and Moments – as well as some of the tracks they performed while on The X Factor. Their cover of Kings Of Leon’s ‘Use Somebody’ went down a storm, as did The Zutons’ ‘Valerie’ and The Black Eyed Peas’ ‘I Gotta Feeling’. It’s safe to say One Direction have been one of Simon Cowell’s biggest success stories, topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic and selling out huge venues with ease. Addressing the band’s storming success across the pond, Louis (who said Zayn was nice, remember!), told fans, “We have spent time outside of the UK and it is incredible to be back in London.”

The iTunes Festival continues throughout the month with Muse, Alicia Keys and Lana Del Rey set to perform, though Contactmusic.com recommends checking out Willie Mason (24th) and Hot Chip (29th).