"Just take some piano classes..."

“Just take some piano classes, please? You’ll be the next Alicia Keys.” My mom tried to enroll me in every class possible when I was a little girl but nothing made me more nauseous than the idea of piano classes. Now, over ten years later, my fingers awkwardly fumble upon the black and white plastic of my 61-key midi keyboard. I sit for hours trying to think of inversions, chord progressions and the right key signature for my own songs wishing I would’ve taken my mother’s advice. Now a budding singer-songwriter, I know I could never be like Alicia Keys. I was supposed to be exactly who I am, just like how Keys is one of my role models.

I feel as though if this question was asked to a lot of people, a handful of names would be chosen but ironically, I don’t think Keys’ name would be one of them. I think she’s the name of which people forget until they remind them and then they feel foolish for forgetting her. How many black female musicians do we have of whom are classically trained and yet still palatable to the average ear? Her hits like “Fallin”, “If I Ain’t Got You”, “Girl On Fire”, “Unthinkable”, “No One”, “Show Me Love”, and many more are undoubtedly classics. I know that anyone could sing at least 3 of them. Even years ago in the early 2000’s her beautiful ballads like “Butterflyz” and “Diary” had maturity that was beyond her age. She told stories in songs like, “You Don’t Know My Name” and “How Come You Don’t Call Me” that painted her as an average and relatable love-stricken woman. I think what was most impressive about Keys. Even through her elegance, she was someone that anyone could understand.

Personally, I will admit that Keys' decision to go natural had an impact on me, a Gen Z growing up in a digital world saturated in perfection. Something else to keep in mind is her sensuality that doesn’t require her to reveal too much. While there’s nothing wrong with a woman embracing her body and showing it to the world, Keys also reminds artists like me that we don’t have to in order to be successful.

Keys is a mother, a wife, a musician, an activist, and is one of the leading women of the organization, “She Is The Music”. I’m a part of SITM and there are plenty of opportunities and resources for women in the industry. She reminds me that women can and must wear multiple hats to compete in this world. We have a presence that speaks volumes and that resonates in Keys’ persona but especially her music.

My mom doesn’t cry often, but when she does, she does so in private. I peeked through the crack of her bedroom door and she sat on the edge of her bed. The light of the lamp glowed on her skin. I don’t know if it was a figment of my imagination or if my mother shed a tear as she listened to the lyrics that bled from her phone that night. The music was faint, the volume was low, but I know that Alicia Keys’ voice was the one speaking to my mother that night.

“Cause I am a Superwoman

Yes I am / Yes she is

Even when I’m a mess

I still put on a vest

With an S on my chest

Oh yes, / I’m a Superwoman”

Now a 21 year old young woman, I can see why a song like that would bring someone to tears. Who is more flawed, more silenced, yet more deserving of being celebrated than women? Alica Keys wraps the womanly experience in classic melodies and weaves them into her own relatable stories.