R&B songstress Alicia Keys is closing out 2016 with a bang.
Last week, Mrs. Swizz Beatz surprised fans with the exciting news that she’ll be releasing her long-awaited sixth studio album titled Here, on Nov. 11. To give listeners a taste of what’s to come from her first full body of work since 2012’s Girl On Fire, Keys premiered her new single “Blended Family (What You Do For Love)” featuring A$AP Rocky, on Thursday.
In celebration of all the new music, the talented musician headlined a free concert in Times Square on Sunday night, where she brought out a handful of top-notch musical guests including Nas, QuestLove, Q-Tip and John Mayer. Each artist on the bill lit up the stage and had the crowd in an uproar, but the biggest surprise of the night came when Keys was joined on stage by fellow NYC native Jay Z for an unforgettable performance of their Big Apple anthem “Empire State of Mind.”
Check out a clip from the magical moment below.
It was only a matter of time before they performed this live in #TimesSquare. @aliciakeys & @S_C_ come together for 'Empire State of Mind'. pic.twitter.com/5GKDQ67TM2
— Times Square (@TimesSquareNYC) October 10, 2016
Never one to shy away from using her platform to address social issues, Keys also fired a thinly-veiled shot at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Stopping just short of calling him out by name, the singer had no qualms about letting the audience know exactly what she thought of Trump’s vile comments about sexually assaulting women in a 2005 video tape released last week.
Alicia Keys throws shots @ #DonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/BMYLcoY8yK
— ITSBIZKIT (@itsbizkit) October 10, 2016
Nothing like great music and a little truth to start the week off right!