After 20 years as part of the Sony family, singer/songwriter Alicia Keys announced that she has fulfilled her contract with the major label, and is planning to go independent.
via HotNewHipHop:
The vocal icon recently shared her eighth studio album, and with this labor of love comes the announcement that Keys is now an independent artist. Twenty years ago, Alicia dropped her classic debut album Songs in A Minor, and with Keys, the singer has fulfilled her contract with Sony.
She first mentioned this while on her viral Twitter Spaces conversation that hosted a look from Jay-Z. At the time, Hov congratulated his longtime friend on her accomplishment.
“Congratulations, first of all, that’s an accomplishment,” he reportedly said, according to Genius. “The fact that you were signed to a label for twenty years is an amazing thing in itself, but the fact that you were able to complete your contract, not many people have been afforded that. That rarely happens for someone to maintain relevance through a contact like that.”
Keys’s proud husband Swizz Beatz never misses a moment to praise his wife and shared his excitement about her new creative season that approaches.
“Congrats my Love this is Big Big Big News and you deserve it to the MAX! 20yrs of greatness !” he wrote on Instagram “Groundbreaking and unforgettable moments ! I love that you have this freedom at this time in your life it’s rare!!!! Life begins now and this KEYS album is a true masterpiece that’s Raw uncut and no fake hype!! Thank you to everyone that supported since day one and those who now support ! @aliciakeys is just getting started let’s go [crown emojis] Shout out to all the independent woman around the world !!!!”
It makes sense that she would go independent after releasing her eighth album. KEYS hasn’t done that well on the Billboard charts, missing the top 40 during it’s first week release.
Plus the mixed reviews didn’t help. Quiet as it’s kept, Alicia hasn’t released a good full-length album since The Element of Freedom, and maybe the mainstream audience didn’t have the patience to listen to two dozen tracks on one album.
Going independent just might be what the doctor ordered, since she does have a hard core fan base that will always support her, and with two decades in the game, someone of Alivia’s caliber doesn’t need the backing of a major label to sell her music.
She’s got her talent, and then support of her producer husband Swizz Beatz who can guider her through the minefields of the music business.
Check out her video for Come For Me (Unlocked) feat. Khalid and Lucky Daye below…