Alicia Keys celebrates her 25th anniversary since her breakout single “Fallin’.” On February 18, the 17-time Grammy Winner stated that she is the Music Women sharing the spotlight event in West Hollywood. She further shared that looking back at her younger self feels “crazy and wonderful”.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Keys said, “I’m not sure how I wrap my head around this whole existence called life”. She recalled how she navigated early fame by learning as she went. “And just thinking back to that girl in me at that time and how she had no idea, none. That she was completely what you call ‘fake it till you make it’ that’s what she was doing and she did a damn good job”.
Released in March 2001 when she was just 20, Fallin’ became an instant success, spending six weeks at No. 1 and helping launch her debut album, Songs in A Minor. The project went on to earn her five Grammy wins in 2002, cementing her place as one of R&B’s defining voices of the era. Keys said she now appreciates the determination and authenticity she carried at the start of her career. “The more I grew, the more I learned,” Keys explained. “And so I think about her and I’m so appreciative of her because she was strong, she was clear. Even though she didn’t know everything, she knew what she didn’t want and she knew what she had to hold onto and that was authenticity and truth and honesty and music”.
She continued, “So I’m very proud because I recognise her in me today. So that’s a beautiful thing. So to be able to come all this way and have all these years to be creating and to have not even hit the tiny bit of where I’m going is a really, really exciting thing. So I’m grateful.” “And Gerson said, ‘I know this girl is up to stuff,’ even before I knew I was up to things. And so that’s the pure example of how you really create an avenue for somebody, and so she did that for me. And now we’re doing this together is just the icing on the cake,” Keys added. Reflecting on her journey, she said she still feels excited about what lies ahead, adding that she has only begun to reach her full creative potential.