Alicia Keys Features Swae Lee On Hypnotic New Track, 'LaLa'
By Favour Adegoke on September 11, 2021 at 12:35 PM EDT
Fans of Alicia Keys would recall that they got a great surprise last week when the superstar posted via Instagram about her new music coming out on September 9.
The announcement included an official cover art that revealed the title of the song as “La La” and features one-half of the hip hop duo “Rae Sremmurd,” Swae Lee.
The album art also showed an enchanting profile of the artist from shoulders up, with slicked-back hair and large gold jewelry on her neck. Her fingers were also painted gold while it rested on her shoulders.
Well, that day is here, and Keys must be feeling good having linked up with Lee to release the voguish new single.
It’s A New Day, And A New Dawn
Once again, Keys announced on Instagram that the song is available for streaming.
“Welcome to the #LALA. Stream it right NOW!!! This song is the beginning of a world you’ll never want to leave. We’ve been waiting for you here…..My brothers @swaelee and @mikewillmadeit went crazzzzzyyy!!!”
The song saw the 15-time Grammy award-winning artist tap into her creative juices as she exchanged flirtatious lines with the five-time Grammy nominee.
“Skin like whiskey/She’s cold like on the rocks,” Lee sings before Keys joins in, “Feelings get lost in the lala..”
The new single marked her first release since her last album “ALICIA” which came out last year. She also recently dropped some unreleased records to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her debut album “Songs In A Minor.”
The project has extra four bonus tracks, with two previously unreleased, and titled “Foolish Heart” and “Crazy (Mi Corazon).” Since the release of "Songs In A Minor," Keys has sold over 65 million records and gone on to achieve indelible history in modern music.
Interview With Zane Lowe
The R&B singer/songwriter spoke about Lee’s effect on the new single in a chat with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1.
“Swae is such a bright energy. He’s the real deal. He’s so authentic and for real,” Alicia Keys told Zane Lowe. “You know how you meet a lot of people and it’s different vibes, but his vibe is so genuine. His energy and how we just wrote the song. It just felt so, it’s just like it’s tumbling from, I don’t know where it came from.”
“What I love about it is it’s so unexpected because you might see Swae featured on my record and you might expect something, or you might not expect something. I’m not sure what people expect, but what I love about it is I personally feel like you never heard Swae like this before.” She added.
Keys also disclosed that she would be releasing a comic book project soon. The graphic novel would be named after her 2012 album "Girl on Fire."
Alicia Keys To Perform New Song At The VMA Awards
Keys and Lee will perform the song live for the first time at MTV Video Music Awards. The show will be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Sunday, Sept. 12.
This will be the sixth time Keys would be performing at the sixth VMAs, two as an individual and the rest as part of a collaboration.
Keys first climbed the VMA’s stage to perform in 2001 when she delivered her chart-topping hit “Fallin,” then in 2004 where she performed a mashup of her hit “If I Ain’t Got You,” and Wonder’s 1973 smash “Higher Ground.”
Other times included her teaming up with Jay-Z for the classic single “Empire State of Mind,” in 2009 and in 2014 with Nicki Minaj for “Girl on Fire.”
Who Else Will Perform At The Show?
The duo would join a host of other superstars to perform at the 2021 edition of the show. The list includes Justin Bieber, Travis Barker, Camila Cabello, Chlöe, Doja Cat, Jack Harlow, The Kid Laroi.
Other artists that would be appearing are Lil Nas X, Machine Gun Kelly, Shawn Mendes, Kacey Musgraves, Ozuna, Olivia Rodrigo, Tainy, and Twenty-One Pilots, Kim Petras, Swedish House Mafia, and Polo G.
The award ceremony would be hosted by Doja Cat and has planned to collaborate with nonprofit, 9/11 Day to honor the victims of the 9/11 attacks.
