“New Singer Alicia Keys Sitting Pretty With Smash Debut Album ‘Songs In A Minor’”

Alicia Keys, photographed by Tony Duran on the cover of JET magazine for their August 13 issue in 2001.

For her cover story, Margena A. Christian speaks to Alicia about her new debut studio album and a bit about the 20-year-old’s personal life.

Amongst the success of the album, Alicia comments on the rising popularity of “Fallin’”, and the fact that the single was even being featured in TV soap commercials: “Isn’t it crazy? I think it’s crazy,” she says to JET about the song’s impact. “In fact it kind of sounds like a soap opera song. I was thinking, ‘Hey, wait a minute!’”

JET comments about her marriage between classical and soul music, she adds: “I am truly blessed that people are really into it. But I really didn’t know that I was doing it,” she admits. “It was kind of something that comes natural to me, studying classical for so long and having a love of soul and R&B music. It’s kind of something that fused together by itself. I think people are always ready for something different.”

“People who don’t know me ask me if I’m an MC,” she chuckles. “They always ask me, ‘Do you rhyme?’ I say, ‘Well, I could rhyme if I wanted to.’ They get a kick out of it. I think classical music has a notorious reputation for being a little stuffy, and I think this just kind of brings it down to earth.”

Alicia also mentions the possibility of returning to college after leaving as her career was kicking off: “I have always been working toward this. When it was finally looking like it was jumping off, I was like I see an opportunity to really do this…I think school is important and I want to definitely go back even if I have to so an Internet college course.”

Here she also reveals the inspiration for the albums second single, “A Woman’s Worth,” which came during a Thanksgiving family dinner: “I was watching TV when a L’Oreal commercial came on. At the end it said, ‘Because I’m worth it.’ I said, ‘Oh, my goodness! Damn, I’m worth it! That’s hot!’ Time passed and I played it on the piano and recorded it. I started thinking how important it is to feel like you’re worth it. If you know you’re worth it, you won’t let people treat you any which way. In a relationship you are worth the special things—not just monetarily, but sweet little things. As a woman, you’re worth it.”