Alicia Keys Drops Caribbean-Dotted ‘In Common,’ First Single in Three Years
The girl on fire has landed on a new, noticeably cooler sound.
Alicia Keys, whose last LP dropped in November 2012, released a brand new single last night (May 3) called "In Common." Where her last project was — for the most part — a reliably piano-tinged R&B affair, she's traded her preferred instrument for Caribbean-tinged dancehall accents.
"We used to talk till midnight / All those days that you stayed at my house / We were just passing the time / We were young and we ain't have no vows," she whispers through delicate verses before synth and clicky percussion kick in at the chorus. In short: It is definitely not the "Fallin'" funk or "No One" gaiety that have largely defined her artistic identity.
"In Common," written by Keys, Illangelo, Tayla Parks and Billy Walsh, is an early look into the singer's sixth studio album, which is due out later this year. While she's done little press about the project in recent months, she told Billboard in 2014 that her new work could change the state of her career.
"What I know for a fact is it's the best music I've ever done in my life yet and it's really exciting to be able to have this kind of growth, this type of opportunity," she said.
Keys will be Saturday Night Live's May 7 musical guest on an episode that recent Oscar-winner Brie Larson will host.
What do you think of the latest A. Keys track? Sound off in the comments.
Time Warp Alert! Look Back at a Collection of Celebrity Yearbook Photos: