During her Billboard cover shoot, Alicia Keys took a look back at some memorable moments in her career, including her debut music video, her very first time attending the Grammy Awards, and her performance at President Obama’s inaugural ball.
Kicking off with 2001’s “Fallin’,” Keys takes a look at her very first music video, noting that she will never forget the experience of making it. “This is baby Keys you’re witnessing on the screen,” she tells Billboard. “I came up with the concept for the visual, but to see it all come together the first time ever…I cried.”
Next, Keys is shown a picture of her from the 2002 Grammy Awards, carrying her five statuettes in her arms. Speaking of her very first time attending the event, the singer reveals that she was actually very sick that night and could barely even sing.
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“It was the biggest night of my life,” she adds. “That night, I won five Grammys…it was crazy, totally overwhelming and amazingly unforgettable.”
After watching a clip of her 2004 visuals for “If I Ain’t Got You,” Keys notes that the song is one of her favorites and recalls that it wasn’t necessarily the easiest video to shoot.
“I loved being on top of the Harlem buildings, playing the piano,” shares Keys. “It was freezing. That fur coat was not for nothing, and me trying to pretend like my hands weren’t frozen while I was playing, amazing acting, Oscar nominee, because I was frozen.”
“But I look like I’m having a real moment,” she adds with a laugh. “And I did, obviously, because ‘Ain’t Got You’ is one of my favorite songs I ever wrote.”
Taking a look at a photograph from Obama’s 2009 inaugural ball, where Keys is seen singing alongside will.i.am, Beyoncé, Faith Hill, Jamie Foxx, and Adam Levine, she admits that she actually doesn’t remember that picture. “I need more photos in my life,” she admits. “This is kind of my first time really coming back to this moment. This is special. That’s powerful, very powerful. Considering everything, extremely powerful.”
Watching back her 2012 video for “Girl On Fire,” Keys states that she loves the colors and the feeling in the visuals, as well as the women and the generations, and emphasizes the importance of reflecting all of the “powerful and strong” women in the world who are “on fire.”
“I love this song,” she continues. “I love how people respond to this song. I love the little girls that come up to me and sing the song. It makes me just feel like if I did nothing else, I was able to give that energy to so many people and I love it.”
You can watch Alicia Keys react to more of her career moments above.
Be sure to tune in to Billboard‘s 14th annual Women in Music event on Dec. 12, where Alicia Keys will be honored with the American Express Impact Award for her work with She is the Music. The event and red carpet pre-show will stream live from the Hollywood Palladium at YouTube.com/Billboard starting at 9 p.m. ET.