Since her lauded 2001 debut album, Songs In A Minor, Alicia Keys has cemented herself as one of the most impactful songwriters of her generation. A look at the liner notes on any of her eight studio albums will show her as a principal writer.
The 16-time Grammy winner, who has sold over 65 million records, has penned unforgettable classics in her discography, including but not limited to “Fallin’,” “If I Ain’t Got You,” “You Don’t Know My Name,” and “No One.”
Whether it’s a single on top of the charts or a fan-favorite album cut, Keys’ pen game isn’t to be played with. Her songs simply have a shelf-life that transcends time — literally. As a case in point, Keys wrote “Butterflyz,” a deep cut from Songs In A Minor, when she was just 14. (For context, she was 20 when the album was released.)
“That was the very first song I ever wrote. At least the first good song,” Keys told the Library of Congress in 2022 when Songs In A Minor was added to the National Recording Registry. “I’ve written other songs for sure, but that one was the one that started to reveal itself, that when I connected to my actual feelings and wrote what I was experiencing, it really, really made a difference.”

Then there’s “Is It Insane,” a jazz piano ballad from her 2021 album, KEYS. She unlocked the song from her vault, which she wrote nearly 20 years prior for The Diary of Alicia Keys. “Sometimes songs are just waiting for their time. And now this one has found its time,” Keys exclusively told Rated R&B in a 2021 interview.
For Keys, it’s not just about the right time but also the right place. Throughout her career, she has occasionally lent her pen to other artists within R&B and beyond. There have been instances when she has written a song that better suited another singer. Remarkably, she even almost gave away one of her biggest hits (more on that later).
Below are eight songs Alicia Keys has written for other artists.
Mario – “2 Train” (2002)
Written by Alicia Keys, Kerry “Krucial” Brothers, Paul L. Green
Keys contributed to two songs from her then-J Records labelmate Mario’s self-titled debut album. She co-wrote the teen heartthrob’s “Put Me On,” which also appeared on the Like Mike soundtrack, and “2 Train.” On the latter, Mario sings about a crush he occasionally sees on the train after school.
“So I meet her at the 2 Train every day / Ridin’ all the way to 110th / I get to hold her hand / Whisper in her ear,” he croons in the chorus. Keys is heard harmonizing with Mario in the bridge. He sings so convincingly that one may assume that there’s actually a 2 Train in Baltimore. (One runs in Keys’ hometown, New York City.)
Christina Aguilera – “Impossible” (2002)
Written by Alicia Keys
Before Keys wrote and produced Christina Aguilera’s “Impossible,” from her Stripped album, she almost gave her “If I Ain’t Got You.” Keys considered playing it for Aguilera since she had recently written it and the pop star had asked her to write a song. Keys shared the story with Stereogum in 2020. “So time passed and I hadn’t written the song yet. And [the label] was like, ‘Do you have anything for Christina?’” Keys recalled. “I remember I had just recently written ‘If I Ain’t Got You.’ I told my A&R at the time, ‘Let’s play her ‘If I Ain’t Got You.’”
Keys’ A&R at the time, Peter Edge, was not fond of the idea, despite Keys saying that she could “write a 100 more ‘If I Ain’t Got You’s’.” After some pushback, Keys wrote “Impossible,” another soul-stirring piano ballad, which she revealed was partially inspired by Aretha Franklin’s “Ain’t No Way.”
In “Impossible,” in which Keys appears in the intro, Aguilera confronts her lover about his lack of communication in their relationship, making it difficult for her to know how he feels at any moment. “I don’t know what hurts you, I just, I wanna make it right / ‘Cause boy, I’m sick and tired of trying to read your mind,” she sings.
Speaking about working with Keys, Aguilera told Rolling Stone in a 2022 interview, “I loved our little pre-conversation piece before the song starts. I had a really good time with her as an artist. When she came out with ‘Fallin,’ I was so inspired by that song and the fact that it didn’t sound like your typical pop song.”
Keyshia Cole – “(I Just Want It) To Be Over” (2005)
Written by: Lady L (Alicia Keys), Kerry “Krucial” Brothers, Keyshia Cole, Taneisha Smith
It’s not widely known that Alicia Keys wrote for Keyshia Cole — but she did. Keys teamed with the then-R&B freshman for “(I Just Want It) To Be Over” from her 2005 debut album, The Way It Is. Under the alias Lady L, Keys teamed with her close collaborator Kerry “Krucial” Brothers to pen the fed-up anthem. (The “L” in Lady L stands for Lellow, Keys’ alter-ego that is credited on “So Simple” from The Diary of Alicia Keys.)
Whitney Houston – “Million Dollar Bill” (2009)
Written by: Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, Norman A. Harris
In 2009, Whitney Houston returned with her seventh and final album, I Look To You. It was her first album since 2002’s Just Whitney. Keys co-wrote and co-produced the album’s final single, “Million Dollar Bill.” The dance floor-ready anthem, which samples Loleatta Holloway’s 1977 disco groove “We’re Getting Stronger (The Longer We Stay Together),” features additional vocals by Keys.
Regarding “Million Dollar Bill,” Houston said in an interview, “It made me feel good. It was a feel-good song. I figured if it made me feel good it would make a whole lot of other folk feel good.”
In a later interview, Keys revealed, “When I was in the studio, I felt so grateful because as a producer, as a writer, as an arranger — everything that I am for myself — I was able to do that with her. She was very comfortable with me. So I would get everybody out of the studio and we would just work on every tone, expression and note.”
Jennifer Hudson – “Angel” (2011)
Written by: Alicia Keys
“Angel” is one of three songs Keys wrote and produced on Jennifer Hudson’s sophomore album, I Remember Me. She co-wrote and co-produced the disco-inspired “Everybody Needs Love” with Swizz Beatz and the empowering “Don’t Look Down” with Salaam Remi.
On “Angel,” Hudson assures her lover a safe haven, offering solace and protection with all her heart like a guardian angel. “Let me be your angel / Through the golden door, I will come running / When you need someone, I’ll be your angel / When you wanna fly, I will come running / And we can touch sky,” Hudson belts in the chorus.
Marsha Ambrosius – “With You” (2011)
Written by: Alicia Keys, Marsha Ambrosius
Marsha Ambrosius’ bedroom banger “With You,” from her debut solo album, Late Nights & Early Mornings, was initially intended for Keys’ third LP, As I Am. The British singer revealed in a 2011 interview that Keys had asked her to come to the studio to write for As I Am. “There were a couple of other records, but this was the record she didn’t choose for that particular album,” Ambrosius told Rap-Up.
Since they were labelmates, Ambrosius asked Keys for “With You,” and “she was all for it.” Keys ended up putting “Go Ahead,” a song she co-wrote with Ambrosius, on As I Am. “With You” captures the trembling anticipation of a lover’s embrace in the bedroom. “I wanna uh, uh, uh with you,” Ambrosius purrs in the chorus.
Emeli Sandé – “Hope” (2012)
Written by: Alicia Keys, Emeli Sandé
“Hope” is a powerful ballad from Emeli Sandé’s debut album, Our Versions of Events. Over warm piano keys, Sandé optimistically envisions a world where “change isn’t hopeless” and “that a child doesn’t bear the weight of a gun.” It speaks to some of the harsh realities — that we still face today — with dreams of a more peaceful world.
Sandé and Keys wrote “Hope” in New York City after the 2011 England riots. The British singer described the song to Q Magazine: “It was like a prayer.” Keys also teamed up with Sandé on Girl On Fire, in which they wrote three songs: “Brand New Me,” “Not Even The King” and “101.”
Miguel – “Where’s The Fun in Forever” (2012)
Written by: Alicia Keys, Miguel, Warren “Oak” Felder, “Pop” Wansel, Steve “Ace” Mostyn
Keys and Miguel co-wrote “Where’s The Fun in Forever” at a session in Jamaica. The euphoric song contemplates how the awareness of mortality inspires us to cherish today because tomorrow is never guaranteed. “Where’s the fun in forever / You gotta celebrate,” he sings.
“Where’s The Fun in Forever” is from Miguel’s 2012 sophomore album, Kaleidoscope Dream. It was intended for Keys’ album Girl On Fire. However, the track didn’t make the cut and Miguel asked her if he could save it for his album. “She let us keep it, and I was so relieved,” Miguel shared in a Spotify commentary.
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