Alicia Keys: A cool gift for music lovers

Alicia Keys' appearance at 8Wonder Winter 2025 is considered one of the most important milestones of the Vietnamese music market this year.

Alicia Keys performs at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland - Photo: Reuters

Not only is this the first time Alicia Keys - the 17-time Grammy Award winner - has performed in Vietnam, but she also represents a generation of "real quality" artists, something that audiences are always looking for.

Alicia Keys returns to Asia after many years

For music listeners of the 8X and 9X generations, Alicia Keys is not just a name but a part of memory.

It was the golden age of international music in the early 2000s, with the emergence of voices like Beyoncé, Usher, Norah Jones and Alicia Keys, who were distinct voices, feminine, powerful, tender and iconic.

That generation not only listens to music for entertainment, but also listens to feel and to think.

Alicia Keys sings If I Ain't Got You live at the iTunes Festival, London

Lyrics like "Some people want diamond rings / Some just want everything" or "If I ain't got you, baby" are the confessions of a generation searching for true value in life and love. For them, music doesn't need to be flashy, it just needs to be honest.

Alicia Keys has rarely been seen in Asia in her 20-year career. Her last tour in the region was during her Set the World on Fire Tour in 2013.

Alicia Keys is the main artist at the 8Wonder Winter 2025: Symphony of Stars music festival organized by Vingroup , taking place on December 6 in Hanoi. She will bring a large-scale performance with a live band and orchestra, promising to recreate the true soul and R&B atmosphere.

This is not only her first time coming to Vietnam but also a rare opportunity for Southeast Asian fans to enjoy live the voice that was once ranked by Billboard magazine as one of the Top 50 greatest artists of all time.

Alicia Keys at the Met Gala in New York, USA - Photo: AFP

Festival of 'real' artists

This year's event brings together two special names: Alicia Keys and Dimash, two artists from two different music genres but with one thing in common: both possess top-notch performing abilities.

Dimash, a Kazakh singer, is known for his rare multi-range voice, with a semi-classical - operatic influence. He is considered a "vocal phenomenon" of the world , conquering global audiences with his ability to sing in six registers and extraordinary stage presence.

Alicia Keys is the "contemporary R&B queen". Alicia Keys represents the spirit of singing real, playing real instruments, and inspiring real, as she once said:

"I always want my music to be authentic. When people listen, I want them to feel the real me, not the act."

When Dimash and Alicia Keys share the stage, listeners are reminded that emotion, technique, and soul are still the three elements that make music immortal.

For many generations, Alicia Keys’s performance in Hanoi is not only an entertainment event but also a reunion with youth. The songs that once sounded on CD players, on radios or on dates in their twenties will now be heard again directly and vividly through the voice of the artist who is associated with those memories.

Many people consider this a "year-end musical gift" when the weather in Hanoi is chilly, Alicia Keys' piano notes are played and the audience is immersed in an international-class musical space right in the heart of Vietnam.

This show is predicted to be one of the most memorable music events of the year, not only because of the artists' reputation but also because of the quality of art they bring.

Dimash Kudaibergen performs at the ABU Television Song Festival in Tokyo, Japan - Photo: inform.kz

The Journey of a Musical Icon

Born in 1981 in New York, Alicia Keys grew up in the tough Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. From the age of 7, she made friends with the piano, studying classical music by Beethoven, Chopin and Mozart before moving on to jazz, soul and R&B.

Alicia Keys' story is the journey of a street kid with extraordinary determination, rising to become one of the most talented and respected artists in the world. In 2001, at the age of 20, Keys released her debut album Songs in A Love, a work that took the world by surprise.

The song "Fallin'" sounded on all the charts, making her become a "young R&B star" honored with five Grammys in her first nomination. She sang, played piano, wrote and produced, a rare artist in an era where the music market is gradually dominated by technology and image.

Since then, Alicia Keys has continued to assert her class with a series of hits: If I Ain't Got You, No One, Empire State of Mind (collaboration with Jay-Z) or Girl on Fire. Her powerful voice, emotional timbre and simple performance style have made her an icon of "genuine" music, where emotion is placed above technique.

MAI NGUYET

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/alicia-keys-mon-qua-cho-nguoi-yeu-nhac-chat-20251023101644739.htm