Alicia Keys Pops Up at ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ to Salute Yolanda Adams’ Broadway Debut, Talks ‘Beautiful’ New Holiday Song
Alicia Keys had an eventful Friday, November 21, showcasing her multifaceted talent in music and theater. The 17-time Grammy winner not only released a new holiday song, “Hell’s Kitchen’s a Merry Little Christmas,” but also made a special appearance at the Shubert Theatre alongside the cast of her semi-autobiographical Broadway musical, *Hell’s Kitchen*. This special event marked the Broadway debut of Grammy-winning gospel singer Yolanda Adams, who joined the cast as Miss Liza Jane. During the performance, Keys and Adams shared the stage, celebrating Adams’ new role and delivering an emotional rendition of “Empire State of Mind” before Keys took to the piano for a mini-set that included heartfelt covers of Prince’s “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?” and Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”
In an interview with *Billboard*, Keys elaborated on the inspiration behind her holiday song, explaining that the idea for a festive track for *Hell’s Kitchen* emerged a year ago but only came to fruition this year. The song creatively blends the classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” with the musical’s opening number, “The Gospel,” featuring contributions from principal cast members, including Yolanda Adams. Keys expressed her excitement, stating, “The holidays are such a beautiful time to celebrate that warm, festive feeling. We wanted to bring some *Hell’s Kitchen* energy.” The recording was produced by Adam Blackstone, a long-time collaborator of Keys, who serves as the music supervisor and co-orchestrator for the musical.
*Hell’s Kitchen*, which premiered at the Public Theater in late 2023 and moved to the Shubert Theatre in March 2024, has already made a significant impact on Broadway, garnering 13 Tony nominations. The musical features a book by Kristoffer Diaz and has already seen accolades, including Kecia Lewis winning for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. With a North American tour launched in October 2024, covering 30 cities, Keys expressed her pride in the project, stating, “That’s such a huge accomplishment… I just can’t believe how good they are.” In addition to her Broadway endeavors, Keys also released a collaboration with Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti, marking her first time singing in Italian, and hinted at new music in the works as she prepares for her next studio album. The busy day underscores Keys’ ongoing evolution as an artist and her commitment to exploring new creative avenues.
Alicia Keys
had a busy Friday (Nov. 21). Not only did the 17-time Grammy winner release a new holiday song and guest on a single from an Italian vocal legend, but she made a special appearance alongside the cast of her semi-autobiographical Broadway musical,
Hell’s Kitchen,
at the Shubert Theatre. Keys was in the house to deliver a mini-set as part of an “encore sessions” performance, but she was also there salute to the Broadway debut of Grammy-winning gospel singer Yolanda Adams, who just joined the cast as Miss Liza Jane.
After belting the “Empire State of Mind” finale with the cast, Keys and Adams took the stage together. “First of all, I’m grateful,” said Adams, hugging Keys. “All that dancing made me feel younger, but my feet say no. I have to thank Alicia for saying, ‘Hey, what do you think about…?’ And I’d already thought about it, and I tried it, and I love it.” When Adams left the stage, Keys was in her element, blissfully relaxed at an upright piano while crooning her cover of Prince’s “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?”, duetting with cast member Durrell “Tank” Babbs on a gorgeous cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and singing “Underdog” before sending the ecstatic audience out into the streets of Manhattan (incidentally, not far from Hell’s Kitchen).
Just hours before dazzling Broadway, Keys spoke to
Billboard
about “Hell’s Kitchen’s a Merry Little Christmas,” which hit DSPs on Friday. She says the idea of a holiday song for her
Broadway musical
Hell’s Kitchen
was broached a year ago. “For different reasons it didn’t come together,” she tells
Billboard
. “This year we knew we wanted to do it, so we put it together now.”
“Hell’s Kitchen’s a Merry Little Christmas” mashes up the standard “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” with the musical’s opening number, Keys’ “The Gospel.” The recording features Adams along with principal performers including Amanda Reid, Phillip Johnson Richardson and Jessica Vosk.
“I love it so much,” Keys continues. “It’s such a beautiful version. Of course, the holidays are such a beautiful time to celebrate that warm, festive feeling. We wanted to bring some
Hell’s Kitchen
energy.”
The recording was produced by Adam Blackstone, Keys’ longtime collaborator who also serves as music supervisor and co-orchestrator for the musical. “Our process of bringing the music to life for
Hell’s Kitchen
has been so thrilling and exciting,” Keys says. “We had no idea that someone as phenomenal as Yolanda Adams would be joining the cast. The life of
Hell’s Kitchen
has just been such an incredible experience.”
With a book by Kristoffer Diaz,
Hell’s Kitchen
premiered at the Public Theater in late 2023, moving to the Shubert Theatre in March 2024. It was nominated for 13 Tonys, with Kecia Lewis, who played Miss Liza Jane, wining for best featured actress in a musical and Maleah Joi Moon, as Ali, taking home best actress in a musical at the 2024 Tony Awards. The original Broadway cast recording, featuring the three brand-new songs Keys penned for the musical, came out in 2024 and hit No. 1 on
Billboard
‘s Cast Albums chart.
The first North American tour, meanwhile, kicked off during October in Cleveland, with 30 cities on the schedule for its first year.
“That’s such a huge accomplishment,” Keys says. “And I’m so excited the country will get to experience it — even if you can’t come to New York — in a city near you. And this cast is unreal. I just can’t believe how good they are.”
The holiday song isn’t Keys’ only new music to drop on Friday. It coincides with the release of her feature on “L’aurora,” a new single by Italian vocalist Eros Ramazzotti. “It’s my first time singing in Italian,” she says. “It’s such a beautiful process to continue to learn and try things that are new and different, so I’m really excited about that.” Keys is also working on new material as she works toward a follow-up to her last studio album, 2021’s
Keys
, and 2022’s holiday effort
Santa Baby
.
“I’m writing right now, creating new music,” she says. “It is very, very special. I just feel like I’m getting better and better, so that’s all happening. There’s a lot of phenomenal things bubbling, but I just take my time — just like
Hell’s Kitchen
, just take my time putting it all together. It’s just a beautiful time of no limits. That’s how I look at everything.”
