Singer, songwriter, mother and now author, Alicia Keys, does it all. Her book More Myself: A Journey, is out now and so far the reaction has been “incredible” according to Keys.

“It’s so crazy.. Amazing to share this story, well all of our story.” The book shares stories from Keys life as well as the overall life lesson of how you become who you are and not what everyone wants you to be. “It’s literally the most least expensive form of therapy,” Keys reveals to Elvis Duran on Elvis Duran and the Morning Show Wednesday, April 1st. “It really does bring you into a place that you remember things that maybe you wouldn’t have.”

What is her favorite story from the book? The story, she says, is the one where she wrote about how her song Empire State Of Mind “almost didn’t happen.”

She tells Elvis, “Apparently Jay [Jay-Z] was trying to reach me.” She says he wanted to create this ‘ode to the city.’ “He was trying to find me and reach me,” he did it in all the ‘right way,’ “Checked in on the agents, managers, and he was not able to find me… finally he called me directly. Jay-Z told her he has this song that he thinks ‘is going to change everything.’ The people working with her had never even told her he reached out, she hadn’t even heard of the project. Well thank goodness Jay-Z tracked down her personal number because how could we live in a world without Alicia Keys and Jay-Z singing Empire State of Mind.

When asked if she knew who would have been on the song if she never got the call, she said she wasn’t sure. “I’m very glad he got ahold of me. It’s one of the most important songs.. for all of us. I think it was just meant to be.”

We have been seeing Alicia Keys a lot lately, despite the quarantine. She most recently teamed up with iHeartRadio and FOX to be the opener for our iHeartRadio Living Room Concert on FOX this past Sunday. “It was like nothing I have ever experienced before,” Keys says about the experience, “It felt like this crazy mixture of emotions. It was just me, myself… it was much more internal, so much more personal and quiet.”

She also has been helping us out in iHeartRadio’s music-to-light show with Empire State Building. Every night this week, Alicia Keys’ song Empire State of Mind, is playing on Z100 New York, as the iconic building performs a light show to the song. “I was so proud to be a part of that light, that love,” says Keys.

Be sure to check out Alicia Keys’ new book out NOW as well as her performing on another showing of our Living Room Concert on FOX, Monday, April 6th. In the meantime, listen to her entire interview with Elvis Duran above.

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