Sparks to Fly on Alicia Keys' Tour
Alicia Keys wants to follow no one but Jordin Sparks.
The reigning American Idol champion has signed on to open for Keys on the platinum-selling chanteuse's upcoming As I Am tour, in support of the Grammy-winning album of the same name.
Their two-month North American road trip kicks off Apr. 19 in Hampton, Virginia, and will touch down in 25 major U.S. cities, Toronto and Montreal before winding up June 18 at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Although Sparks' self-titled first album fizzled on impact, selling a disappointing 119,000 copies its first week out to give her the weakest chart debut for an Idol winner (10th place), the 18-year-old songbird from Glendale, Arizona, continues to charm with her live appearances.
Sparks, the daughter of former pro football player Phillippi Sparks, performed the national anthem before a hometown crowd—and more than 97 million at-home viewers—at Glendale's University of Phoenix Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday, and she's scheduled to take the stage this weekend in New Orleans as part of NBA All-Star Weekend.
Her big-game credentials in place, Sparks will also head off on tour fresh from being named Outstanding New Artist Thursday at the 39th NAACP Image Awards.
Keys, a four-time winner at the Image Awards and a pregame performer at the Super Bowl, scored two Grammys on Sunday, Best R&B Vocal Performance and Song for "No One," to go along with the other nine she's scooped up over the years.
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