Get ready to party!
Alicia Keys is once again hosting the biggest awards show in music this year. The singer will take the stage for the 2020 Grammy awards, and she spoke with Billboard magazine about all the surprises she's got up her sleeve and took a walk down memory lane before the release of her upcoming 7th studio album A.L.I.C.I.A which will debut early next year.
"I wanted to create this lovefest where we could celebrate each other's greatness and just have fun," she shared about her plans for this year's Grammys. "We're all trying to make our way through a very chaotic time, and we all just need a little celebration—to feel like we're with friends, like somebody actually cares."
When it comes to people actually caring, Alicia is on the forefront of helping create much needed change within the music industry. "It's obvious shit is upside-down. There's not enough balance of power," she shared. "With a woman like Deborah [Dugan] in a leadership position—that is obviously necessary. [Hosting] felt right for me, because I knew that a lot of women were nominated, and that it was really about the women for the show. "
Although she's come a long way and is undoubtedly one of the most successful recording artists in the game, Alicia couldn't help but take this opportunity to reminisce about how far she's come. It's been a long road since her first appearance on a Grammys red carpet in 2002.
"It was strange because here is my biggest dream, and I was like, 'I'm from Hell's Kitchen. I can't even speak right. What am I doing here?'" She shared. "And then this unbelievably magical night culminated in validation. You know that foggy, sick, headcold feeling? That, mixed with the exhilaration."
While she has more than earned the ability to rest on her laurels, the singer knows there is still so much work to be done, and wants this year's show to break even more barriers. "If we're not all growing and evolving, then pack it up, because what's the point?"
The 2020 Grammy Awards ceremony will be broadcast live from the Los Angeles Staples Center on Jan. 26, 2020, starting at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT on CBS.