Alicia Keys opens up about her friendship with Beyoncé 😍
She also debunks a rumour about herself
Pianist and singer extraordinaire Alicia Keys joined Fleur East, James and Matt on their Saturday Morning show on Hits Radio North East. They spoke about her new song 'Lifeline', her friendship with Beyoncé, and she also confirmed to the team that a rumour about her isn't true! 👀
Alicia was in town to talk about 'Lifeline' which is from the new film The Color Purple, starring Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks. The movie is the second adaptation of the musical of the same name, which is in turn taken from the 1982 novel.
The first film adaptation starred famous talkshow host Oprah Winfrey, who also serves as a producer on the new film, and as Alicia explained she's had a few calls from Oprah.
"Definitely multiple calls from multiple places," Alicia explained. "But you know, Miss Oprah, she's definitely a really, really special human to me, since I was a kid. And so anything that I know that she's a part of is a special thing, and I always feel very, very connected to her. She's an Aquarius like me, I feel like we have a kindred spirit and style, I've talked to her a lot about things just in my life."
She continued: "This is the historic a HERstorical moment, this film is so iconic, and to be able to bring it back for a whole other generation is so fresh, and yes the vibes are incredible."
Alicia then went to reveal how she and Beyoncé have also known each other a long time, and the pair recently 'connected'. "I feel like we were able to connect recently and we've known each other for so long," Alicia explained.
"You know, we both really started at the same time, same labels, same kind of moment. And so it's crazy when we sit down and just, you know, talk, break bread, we kind of look at each other like I can't believe that we're both here. You know what I mean? It's kind of it's kind of nuts."
She added: "But she's doing great. I mean, I'm so excited for her, amazed by her, she's incredible, it's a beautiful thing."
The conversation then turned to a rumour which has been circulating for a while, but sadly Alicia confirmed it wasn't true. Several places have previously reported that Alicia has a piano in EVERY room in her house, so if she gets inspired to write a song she's never too far from one.
However, Alicia has now confirmed that the rumour isn't true saying: “Not quite. You know, it would have been good, though I should have probably kept the legend alive.
“It's not in every room, but I think maybe what I was saying, or what it came from was… when I travel, I always bring a piano with me, you know, it's a keyboard. It's not like I'm bringing anything (big)."
As well as joining us at the Hits Radio North East studios, Alicia wowed commuters at a London train station, as she performed several hits, along with her recent release 'Lifeline'.
When was Alicia Keys on Hits Radio North East?
Alicia joined Fleur, James and Matt on Saturday 16th December, you can listen again through our app, or here on the website.
Take a look through films coming up in 2024:
Society Of The Snow
Release date: 4th January 2024
Cast: Enzo Vogrincic, Matías Recalt, Agustín Pardella, Diego Vegezzi, Esteban Kukuriczka, Rafael Federman, Andy Pruss.
Synopsis: In 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which had been chartered to fly a rugby team to Chile, crashed in the heart of the Andes. Only 29 of its 45 passengers survived the accident. Trapped in one of the most hostile and inaccessible environments on the planet, they have to resort to extreme measures to stay alive.
Good Grief
Release date: 5th January 2024
Cast: Daniel Levy, Ruth Negga, Himesh Patel, Celia Imrie, David Bradley, Arnaud Valois and Luke Evans.
Synopsis: Marc (Dan Levy) was content living in the shadow of his larger-than-life husband, Oliver (Luke Evans). But when Oliver unexpectedly dies, Marc's world shatters, sending him and his two best friends, Sophie (Ruth Negga) and Thomas (Himesh Patel), on a soul-searching trip to Paris that reveals some hard truths they each needed to face. Good Grief marks Levy's debut as a feature-film writer and director.
Lift
Release date: 12th January 2024
Cast: Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Vincent D'Onofrio, Úrsula Corberó, Billy Magnussen, Jacob Batalon, with Jean Reno and Sam Worthington.
Synopsis: An international heist crew is recruited to prevent a terrorist attack, and must pull off the heist on a plane mid-flight.
The Kitchen
Release date: Early 2024
Cast: Kane Robinson, Jedaiah Bannerman, Ian Wright, Hope Ikpoku Jr., Demmy Ladipo, Cristale, Backroad Gee, Xirone Russell, Teija Kabs, Rasaq Kukoyi.
Synopsis: The Kitchen is set in a dystopian 2044 London where the gap between rich and poor has been stretched to its limits. All forms of social housing have been eradicated and London's working classes have been forced to live in temporary accommodation on the outskirts of the city. We follow an estranged father and son that come together to build a relationship as they battle to survive in a system that is stacked against them.
SCOOP
Release date: 2024
Cast: Gillian Anderson, Keeley Hawes, Billie Piper, Rufus Sewell.
Synopsis: The inside track of the women that broke through the Buckingham Palace establishment to secure the scoop of the decade, leading to the catastrophic fall from grace of The Queen's 'Favourite son'. From navigating Palace vetoes, to penetrating Prince Andrew's inner circle, from the high stakes negotiations and rehearsal - to the jaw dropping interview itself. SCOOP is the insider account of the inner workings of the Palace and the BBC, twin bastions of the British Establishment, spotlighting the journalists whose tenacity and guts broke through the highest of ceilings - and into the inner sanctum and calculations of a man with everything to lose.
The Beautiful Game
Release date: 2024
Cast: Bill Nighy, Micheal Ward, Susan Wokoma, Callum Scott Howells, Kit Young, Sheyi Cole, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Robin Nazari, Aoi Okuyama, Cristina Rodlo, Tadashi Watanabe, Kazuhiro Muroyama and Valeria Golino.
Synopsis: The Beautiful Game follows a team of English homeless footballers, led by their coach Mal (Bill Nighy), who travel from London to Rome to compete in a global annual football tournament - The Homeless World Cup. At the last minute they decide to bring with them a talented striker Vinny (Micheal Ward), but he must confront his own issues and once-promising past, in order to help the team win the cup and move on with his own life. In Rome just as in life, everything's to play for.
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