The singer tells ET all about her upcoming 'Keys to the Summer Tour' and finally debuting her musical 'Hell's Kitchen.'
Alicia Keys is hitting the road again for her most adventurous tour yet. The 42-year-old singer is embarking on her Keys to the Summer Tour on June 28, and she gave ET's Denny Directo an exclusive first look at the incredible setup she has in store for her fans.
"I'm thrilled, I'm so excited," Keys tells ET about her upcoming tour, gushing about the expansive stage custom-made for her shows. "Honestly, the lights, the content, these big, huge screens and everything is just really artistic, beautiful, powerful and fun. Because [these are the] keys to the summer."
The tour kicks off June 28 at FLA Live Arena in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and makes stops in cities including Atlanta, Boston, New Orleans, Salt Lake City and Seattle before closing Aug. 2 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. Keys excitedly boasts about the completely redesigned production and staging built to amplify the singer's piano-driven tunes.
"Everything is brand new, and it's a 360 show. So when everybody comes in, they're going to be gathered around the stage, hanging out, feeling amazing," Keys explains. "This is my first 360 show ever, where we'll be right in the middle of all the people. [I'll] say it's the best show I ever did. I feel [like] it's just amazing. I'm grateful to have been in the music sphere and really have so many memorable moments. And I tap [into] those moments and IPs, but sometimes it's shocking, you continue to be able to grow into things you never did. And it's really thrilling."
Describing the planned shows as "fluid," the GRAMMY winner adds that she wanted the 360 stage to make fans feel "so immersed" in the concert experience as it's "more personal" and "visually special" to her.
"I was freaking out, I was screaming and I was like, 'It's better than I even thought,'" she shares of her initial thoughts on the stage design. "There are some really special pieces. We're using a lot of lasers on this show which creates edges and lines that are very special and sculptural. And obviously, it's just a new way for me to perform. I'm figuring out now kind of how I utilize this perimeter and how I want to kind of work the room with it."
Now, when it comes to the most important element of the tour -- the music -- Keys shares that she's planning on some surprises for her fans.
"I am opening the show with something that I think you would never, ever expect me to," she teases. "It's one of [my fans'] favorite songs of all time but you would never expect me to open the show."
While her fans stew on that thinker, Keys adds that it's been "tricky" putting together the setlist during the months of rehearsal. "You have to put together all these components without fully knowing how everything's going to land because, naturally, it evolves over time. So that's why we had to work to really prepare the content and put the music to the concert and things like that. So it's been a minute, but I've been fortunately touring since last summer as well, so this is totally different."
She warns, "If you saw the Alicia + Keys World Tour, you have not seen anything like [what] you're gonna see [on] this Keys to the Summer Tour."
"So you're gonna hear things that you maybe never heard and you're gonna hear things that you can't believe [are playing]. It's gonna bring you to places where you're like, 'This is my favorite one,'" she promises. "They do have all their own stories, and they have all their own memories attached to them, so it does take me back to the moment we were writing it or what we were talking about and all these things. It feels so good."
This tour is particularly special for Keys because she gets to bring her family with her. The singer shares her sons, Egypt, 12, and Genesis, 8, with her super-producer husband, Swizz Beatz.
Beatz is also dad to daughter Nicole, 14, with singer Jahna Sebastian, 16-year-old son Kasseem Dean Jr. with ex Mashonda Tifere, and son Prince Nasir, 22, with Nicole Levy.
"Fortunately it's in the summer, so my family gets to come and hang out with me and and that's the best because we do fun things in different cities," she says. "Because you want them to experience it and that's really beautiful. So I love that. They like the road, they're having a ball. I do have pictures in my room and just keep the element of love around me."
The singer reveals that her eldest might get more involved with the tour than most expect. "Last year about this time, he jumped onstage, and he put together a whole piano moment and it was really incredible. He was so not shy that I was just like, 'Who are you?' Because I'm shy!"
"He sprouted up so he might feel that energy and get up there and kill some tunes. People love him because he plays a lot of anime songs," she adds, sharing that although Egypt might not want to pursue music professionally, he does enjoy exploring when he can. "You know, they grow up around music, and they're so creative themselves. It's so beautiful to be able to give them an opportunity to try. [But] it's scary and so, to see them be willing to go for it, it says so much about our kids and this next generation coming up. They're gonna go for it, they're gonna have a good time. They're gonna try it and do their best. It's incredible."
Meanwhile, Keys has another project in the wings that she's been working on for years. Earlier this month, news broke that the singer and Pulitzer Prize finalist playwright Kristoffer Diaz were premiering their coming-of-age musical Hell's Kitchen in the fall.
Inspired by Keys' life story, the musical follows 17-year-old Ali, who is "desperate to get her piece of the New York dream." The official synopsis reads, "Ali's mother is just as determined to protect her daughter from the same mistakes she made. When Ali falls for a talented young drummer, both mother and daughter must face hard truths about race, defiance, and growing up. Ali feels trapped, until the sound of a neighbor playing piano opens the door to an unexpected friendship and a radically different future."
Keys tells ET that the musical has been in the works for over 10 years, gushing that being able to finally premiere it is "out of this world."
"It's been so long, just to be able to get it to this place. But now it's perfection. It's beautiful. It's powerful." she gushes, complimenting the work of her collaborators, Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown, who choreographed the musical, and Tony Award nominee Michael Greif, who directs.
"It is going to be the most incredible New York story," she adds. "And no matter where you're from, you can come to this story, you're gonna see your family, you're gonna see yourself. Ultimately, it's a love story between a mother and a daughter. And when I tell you, you're gonna love it. We have some of your favorite songs and a really great amount of new music."
Alicia Keys' fans have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming months! The Keys to the Summer Tour kicks off on June 28, and Hell's Kitchen will begin previews at New York's Public Theater on Oct. 24, with an opening night of Nov. 19. The engagement will run through Dec. 10.
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