Fifteen-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Alicia Keys has released KEYS II, the deluxe edition of her 2021 double album, Keys.
The expanded edition features new songs with Brent Faiyaz (“Trillions”) and Lucky Daye (“Stay”).
On the former track, Keys keeps the first verse and chorus the same as the original sultry tune “Billions.” Faiyaz comes in on the second verse, singing, “Baby, where you gon’ find that love? / Someone that don’t do too much, someone that don’t lose your trust / Someone that’ll pick you up when you feel down.”
Keys previously collaborated with Faiyaz on “Ghetto Gatsby” from his sophomore album, Wasteland.
“Stay” is a heartwarming ballad that describes the chemistry between two lovebirds. “You send my heart away / You give me more than I can take / When I don’t know what to say / You can read it on my face / And we don’t let time fade us / ‘Cause the love’s right here, right here to stay,” Keys sings over a beautiful piano.
KEYS II also includes a Black Coffee Remix and Kaskade Radio Mix of Keys’ 2016 track “In Common.” Both remixes originally appeared on the Japanese version of Keys’ sixth album, Here. (The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart.)
Getting back to KEYS II, the album includes the previously shared songs on KEYS. Like its predecessor, KEYS II consists of an Originals side, which pays tribute to her signature sound, and an Unlocked side, which features reimagined versions of the originals with co-production by Mike WiLL Made-It.
“It speaks so much to just like there being no limits, which is what KEYS is all about,” Keys told Rated R&B, in a 2021 interview, about the Unlocked side. “It was all about imagining and dreaming in a way that just opened up the possibilities.”
Keys also explained the concept behind KEYS to Rated R&B. “It is an invitation for all of us to show up to ourselves and not hold back any part of ourselves,” she said. “I think a lot of us oftentimes feel like we have to dim it down and small it down. No, I refuse it anymore. I invite us all to refuse it because there’s a power and a special energy that we all have.”
KEYS features guest appearances from Khalid (who appears on “Come For Me” with Daye), Pusha T, Lil Wayne, Swae Lee (“LALA“) and Brandi Carlile. It’s the follow-up to her 2020 album, ALICIA, which won Best Immersive Audio Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards.
It looks like the stars are aligned for Keys. She gets to celebrate the release of KEYS II tonight (Aug. 12) in her hometown, New York City, at Radio City Music Hall show. The concert is part of her ALICIA + KEYS World Tour, which is currently on its North American leg. She will play in major cities, including Toronto, Detroit, Cincinnati, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta. The tour concludes Sept. 24 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Upcoming tour dates are listed below.)
In April, Keys released “City of Gods (Part II),” a stripped-down version of the New York City anthem she originally appeared on with rappers Fivio Foreign and Kanye West. “Part II” was released on her independent imprint, AKW Records, marking the beginning of a new chapter. (In December 2021, Keys announced KEYS would be the final project under her contract with RCA Records.) The original version of “City of Gods” was recently certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling more than 500,000 equivalent units.
Stream Alicia Keys’ new album KEYS II below.
Upcoming ALICIA + KEYS World Tour Dates (North America)
Aug 12 — New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
Aug 14 — Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
Aug 16 — Detroit, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
Aug 18 — Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
Aug 19 — Cleveland, OH @ Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
Aug 21 — St. Louis, MO @ Saint Louis Music Park
Aug 23 — Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
Aug 24 — Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
Aug 25 — Denver, CO Bellco @ Theatre
Aug 28 — Seattle, WA @ WAMU Theatre
Aug 29 — Vancouver, BC @ Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
Aug 31 — Portland, OR @ Theatre of the Clouds at Moda Center
Sep 2 — San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
Sep 3 — San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
Sep 5 — Inglewood, CA @ YouTube Theater
Sep 6 — Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
Sep 7 — Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
Sep 9 — San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU
Sep 10 — Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Federal Theatre
Sep 13 — Houston, TX @ Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
Sep 14 — Dallas, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Sep 16 — Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live Arena
Sep 17 — Orlando, FL @ Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts
Sep 18 — Tampa, FL @ Hard Rock Event Center
Sep 23 — Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
Sep 24 — Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater
