Usually, your best bet to see a bunch of well-known artists performing on TV in rapid succession is to catch an awards show like the Grammys. Well, the next Grammy ceremony is set for late January, but ahead of then, last night offered a different kind of opportunity to watch a ton of musical firepower taking the stage on the same broadcast: The Voice aired the live finale episode of its 21st season last night and pretty much every musician you’ve ever heard of took the stage.
Aside from the show’s contestants, artists who performed included Coldplay and BTS; Walker Hayes; Tori Kelly, Keke Palmer, and some contestants; Ed Sheeran; Jennifer Lopez and Lukas Nelson; Carrie Underwood and John Legend; Alicia Keys; Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi; Kelly Clarkson; Blake Shelton; and John Legend.
Of particular note was Kid Cudi and Ariana Grande giving their Don’t Look Up single “Just Look Up” its live debut. Meanwhile, Coldplay opened the show with “My Universe,” and while BTS couldn’t be there in person, they did show up on stage as holograms. Later, Ed Sheeran, who was a Mega Mentor on the show this season, stopped by to play “Shivers.”
Usually, your best bet to see a bunch of well-known artists performing on TV in rapid succession is to catch an awards show like the Grammys. Well, the next Grammy ceremony is set for late January, but ahead of then, last night offered a different kind of opportunity to watch a ton of musical firepower taking the stage on the same broadcast: The Voice aired the live finale episode of its 21st season last night and pretty much every musician you’ve ever heard of took the stage.
Aside from the show’s contestants, artists who performed included Coldplay and BTS; Walker Hayes; Tori Kelly, Keke Palmer, and some contestants; Ed Sheeran; Jennifer Lopez and Lukas Nelson; Carrie Underwood and John Legend; Alicia Keys; Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi; Kelly Clarkson; Blake Shelton; and John Legend.
Of particular note was Kid Cudi and Ariana Grande giving their Don’t Look Up single “Just Look Up” its live debut. Meanwhile, Coldplay opened the show with “My Universe,” and while BTS couldn’t be there in person, they did show up on stage as holograms. Later, Ed Sheeran, who was a Mega Mentor on the show this season, stopped by to play “Shivers.”
When Khalid announced his new project Scenic Drive, and distinctly noted that it was a “tape” he was excited to deliver to fans, one thing came to mind. A little over three months ago, the Texas native offloaded a series of tweets that amounted to an honest admission of writer’s block and struggles with the “overwhelming” balance to meet expectations, remain authentic, and grow into something new and different as an artist. It’s truthfully something most, if not all artists, are forced to grapple with around their second and third albums. Sophomore slumps are already pressure-inducing enough, but even when they’re overcome, the pressure to do it a third time is just as high, if not even higher.
Khalid is a star in his own right. Both of his albums, 2017’s American Teen and 2019’s Free Spirit, are multi-platinum bodies of work with the latter serving as his first No. 1 album. Plenty of awards feature Khalid’s name and his work, and it all contributes to the pressures he feels going into his third album, which he already revealed is titled Everything Is Changing. As a musician, there are practically three options when a mental roadblock is hit while crafting art: trudge through it, wait for it to go away, or divert onto a new and hopefully uninterrupted path. Khalid’s Scenic Drive is the result of his decision to do the last option.
On Scenic Drive, Khalid seeks to overcome his self-doubts by just letting things be. The intention behind this project is to seemingly just do it, to just release music, get back into the swing of things, and even self-supply a boost in confidence. The music on Scenic Drive is simple and appetizing at most as Khalid plays things safely while remaining in a comfortable pocket. It’s the kind of easygoing bass-heavy R&B music that’s romantic, lovelorn, and everything in the middle. It falls on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from what he said Everything Is Changing will present. He previously noted that the songs on the album center “around trying to find a purpose and a sense of self in a world where everything is digitally connected but emotionally disconnected.” All in all, a sharp contrast from what we hear on Scenic Drive.
For what it’s worth, Khalid’s latest project is simply an observant journey through one’s love life, whether it be his own or someone else. It touches on all areas, including the shy moments in the early stages where the respective parties are scared to admit their feelings as “Brand New” and “Open” detail. On the flip side, Khalid keeps things honest and straight to the point about a woman who fails to hold her end of the bargain in a relationship on “Retrograde” and “All Is Bad.” There’s also the hesitance to acknowledge that love is fading away on “Voicemail.” However, if there are tracks that are no doubt made from Khalid’s first-person point of view, it’s “Backseat” and “Scenic Drive.” These see the singer relishing in the natural beauty and existence of what surrounds him while appreciating the fact that he’s able to enjoy it all together.
Scenic Drive unwinds a tense mind through effortless music. It’s something that’s apparent from the moment that Alicia Keys’ free-floating harmonies fall from our speakers. Only Khalid himself knows what he sought through creating this project. Maybe it’s a creative dump in the name of clarity or a moment to refine his skills and return to form. Whatever it is, a sigh of relief as Scenic Drive concludes can be felt as Khalid lets go and allows things to be in their most natural sense. Aligning himself with talented artists like Lucky Daye, 6lack, Kiana Lede, JID, Majid Jordan, and more only add to the appeal of the whole project which is filled with good and enjoyable music. Hopefully, this makes things easier and less weighted for Khalid as he returns to working on Everything Is Changing.
Scenic Drive is out now via Right Hand Music/RCA. Get it here.
Majid Jordan is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Alicia Keys is a lot of things: A singer, a songwriter, a Grammy Award-winner, an on-the-nose Netflix romcom producer, a wife, a mother, and now, apparently, a true agent of chaos. Considering the absolute deluge of drama that comes out of any attempt to force Lil Wayne and Pusha T into reconciliation, her decision to put them both on her upcoming album KEYS is like the rap game equivalent of throwing rocks at a wasp’s nest. She shared a tracklist for the 26-track double album featuring both names and set rap fans buzzing about the possibility of renewed hostilities.
Granted, unlike prior attempts to force collaboration, she didn’t put them on the same track — in fact, she didn’t even put them on the same “disc,” as KEYS has a unique twist meant to show off the duality of the singer’s classical training as juxtaposed with her deep roots in hip-hop. But the move does read a lot like playing with fire, especially if Pusha T’s younger brother instincts take over and have him tossing darts at Lil Wayne across the gulf. The two don’t even have to be on the same track to spark resentment, with Pusha’s verse on Pop Smoke’s album taking shots at Wayne’s longtime labelmate Drake and prompting Young Thug to speak out against him.
Pusha will appear on Side One, dropping bars on the intro track “Plentiful,” and Wayne will pop up on “Nat King Cole,” produced by Mike Will Made-It. Hopefully, the two can resist their urge to butt heads without being on the same track, as Rick Ross attempted to do in 2019 before Pusha torpedoed that plan with his “Maybach Music VI” verse, which ultimately had to be cut to keep the peace. If they can keep things civil, it’ll be one more step toward reconciliation after Wayne admitted he has no idea why Pusha has been sniping at him for the last 15 years.
Meanwhile, Alicia’s other guests are way more likely to keep things cool; as Khalid, Lucky Daye, and Swae Lee all seem unlikely to start throwing reckless haymakers at each other — although stranger things have happened in the world of hip-hop.
In the video for “Best Of Me,” Alicia Keys’ new single and loving ode to her husband Swizz Beatz, the singer spends time cuddling, dancing, and posing with Swizz, as clips from various home movies featuring their whole family appear throughout. The single is the first from Alicia’s upcoming double album Keys, which will play on the two sides of the singer’s career — the laid-back, piano-driven Originals side, which will be produced by Alicia herself, and the hip-hop-friendly, upbeat Unlocked side produced by Mike Will Made-It.
In that spirit, two versions of “Best Of Me” hit Alicia’s YouTube. While the video uses the stripped-down “side A” version produced by Keys herself, the “unlocked” version adds extra instrumentation, including drums and synth. Keys’ excitement for the new project is palpable in her social media posts leading up to its release, saying the track gives her chills. The project will around just over a year removed from the singer’s last full-length album, Alicia, which contained features from Jill Scott, Khalid, Miguel, Sampha, Snoh Aalegra, and Tierra Whack. Keys is due on December 10 via RCA Records. You can pre-save it here. Check out the cover below.
Watch the “Best Of Me” video above and listen to the alternate “unlocked” version below.
It’s been a little over a year since Alicia Keys released her seventh album, Alicia, which featured appearances from Sampha, Sir, Tierra Whack, Miguel, Khalid, Snoh Aalegra, and more. That album’s release was delayed due to the pandemic, but the singer is hoping the same doesn’t happen to her next album, Keys, which will be a sequel-of-sorts to her other 2020 release.
Keys noted that the upcoming project would be a double album, with Side A featuring “laidback piano vibes” that she produced herself and Side B featuring an “upbeat, drums & level Up” sound produced by Mike Will Made-It. She did not share a release date for the album, but the hope is that it arrives much sooner than later.
News of another Alicia Keys album comes after Resort To Love, a Netflix film she produced. It starred fellow 2000s pop fixture Christina Milian and it tells the story of a singer who gets booked for her ex’s wedding, only to end up falling in love and stealing him away from his soon-to-be wife.
You can view Alicia Keys’ announcement about her upcoming album in the post above.
Tierra Whack is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Janelle Monáe has long used her art to bring attention to issues the world faces, and that’s just what she does on her latest, the 17-minute “Say Her Name (Hell You Talmbout).” The song, released to coincide with International Daughter’s Day on September 26, features the names of women who died at the hands of police brutality: Rekia Boyd, Latasha Walton, Atatiana Jefferson, Kendra James, Priscilla Slater, and many others, over 60 in total.
Monáe recruited a healthy roster of artists to help out with the track: Featured on it are Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Chloe X Halle, Tierra Whack, Brittany Howard, Zoë Kravitz, Prof. Kimberlé Crenshaw, Isis V., Asiahn, Mj Rodriguez, Jovian Zayne, Angela Rye, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Brittany Packnett-Cunningham, and Alicia Garza.
Monáe wrote on Instagram of the song, “We will never forget our SISTERS who have lost their lives to police brutality. Join me, @AAPolicyForum + my sisters this Friday, September 24th in this rally cry as we #SayHerName in honor of #InternationalDaughtersDay.”
As the title suggests, the track is a follow-up to her 2015 single “Hell You Talmbout,” a similarly spirited protest anthem.
Proceeds from the new song will go to The African American Policy Forum (AAPF) and their #SayHerName campaign. On their website, AAPF describes the campaign, “The #SayHerName Campaign is so much more than a hashtag. It is a multi-dimensional campaign centered around the experiences and demonstrated needs of the #SayHerName Mothers Network — mothers, sisters, and families who have lost daughters to police violence.”
Listen to “Say Her Name (Hell You Talmbout)” above.
The MTV Video Music Awards had some unbelievable moments last night. From Lil Nas X and Chloe Bailey putting on memorable sets to crooner Alicia Keys and Latto delivering their own types of signature sounds to the masses, the event had it all. In an effort to squeeze in the remaining performance you might have […]
Resort To Love, a new Netflix movie coming out this month produced by Alicia Keys, is garnering a lot of attention on Twitter today. Unfortunately for her, the buzz consists less of excitement to see the movie than it does fans trolling it for its premise. The film, which stars Keys’ fellow 2000s pop fixture, Christina Milian, as a singer who gets booked for her ex’s wedding and winds up romancing him away from his new fiancee, is reminding fans of Keys’ own affair with Swizz Beatz, who divorced his wife Mashonda and married Keys the same month in 2010.
.@ChristinaMilian plays a singer who accidentally gets booked to perform at her ex’s wedding but when she rediscovers feelings for him, his brother attempts to keep them from reuniting. @aliciakeys produced Resort To Love, a rom-com premiering July 29 pic.twitter.com/xgKZwe8Cli
Love can be messy, sure, but the film’s plot is hitting a little close to home for some fans, prompting a roast session of trend-worthy proportions. The jokes came flying at breakneck speed to point out the obvious similarities between Keys’ real-life love story and the one that she produced, which apparently asks viewers to sympathize with the would-be homewrecker’s point of view. Granted, the movie still isn’t out yet so we don’t know that this is actually what happens in it, so maybe it deserves the benefit of the doubt.
Ya’ll really got Alicia Keys trending because she produced a movie about a woman falling for her friend’s fiance? pic.twitter.com/qxB34HrQJZ
— Maskeduntilthenextpandemic (@itgetsnobetta) July 8, 2021
That, however, would be entirely too reasonable and not what we’re here for today. Today, we are going to get these jokes off. Check out the film’s trailer above and more hilarious reactions below.
How were you together for 4.5 years, engaged, and you never met your ex-fiancé’s brother? This plot is terrible but I’m still gonna watch it sksksksksk https://t.co/ageAH1cmg1
So she was engaged to the man but didn’t know his brother?
Also the irony of Alicia Keys producing a movie about a man calling off his wedding to immediately marry someone else isn’t lost on me https://t.co/JcEfs47yR6
Over the weekend was the 20-year anniversary of Songs In A Minor, the breakout debut album from Alicia Keys. She marked the occasion over by joining Ebro Darden on Apple Music Hits to discuss the album. Since the release contains a cover of Prince’s “How Come You Don’t Call Me,” they talked about The Purple One (who would have celebrated his 63rd birthday today, June 7), including the specific demand Prince had of a young Keys before letting her perform at Paisley Park.
Keys told the story:
“He takes me to Paisley Park, and this place is like a dream. And he’s walking me through Paisley Park, [I’m] 18 years old. He has like 900 pianos. ‘This is the piano from Purple Rain. This is the piano when I wrote ‘When Doves Cry.’ This is the room that we sit on the floor with the purple things, and we write songs.’ I could not believe it. Then he says, ‘This is the stage. We want you to perform a little set for my closest people.’ He would invite them to Paisley Park every whatever he did. He had his own universe going. And he was like, ‘One thing: You can’t curse.’ And I was like, ‘Well, he must not know me, because I curse.’”
Keys was there to request Prince’s approval of her cover, which she eventually got. During a Tonight Show appearance from 2017, Keys spoke more about her first phone call with Prince, the first step in getting his blessing for the cover:
Watch the full Apple Music Hits interview here. Also revisit Keys’ cover of “How Come You Don’t Call Me” below.
#VoiceFinale pic.twitter.com/VxNBrMndwO
pic.twitter.com/J9GjwBsHd4
#VoiceFinale @singmovie pic.twitter.com/6rDIeW1XBg
(@DiaryOfKeysus) 
and Unlocked 
Coming Soon. 
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(@chillin662) 