"Alicia Keys"
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Hey, guys, so I go back home tomorrow to loss analyses. Ve been in your for quite some time. I ve really missed my dog, Ricky.

I haven't seen him good. Sorry in a while. Sorry, sorry, and i'm really excited.

sorry. Great to see. Does that that sound like i'm crying .

and it's miss sounds .

like i'm crying more.

what?

Is that like peanut butter toast?

I guess we trade.

so do .

there.

It's fifteen minutes shy of ten A M, and you're eating dessert.

Well, it's my breakfast.

really okay. I mean, best crispy are breakfast cereal, but when baked with marshmallows, I guess .

that kind of takes away and chase IT was .

some cow pus that's .

so walk me through just a little bit. Walk me through this morning because you've been out of town for a minute and you came home and there was a fresh pan of rice.

crisp e trees. Yeah, there was is actually, did you make IT? No, I didn't make IT. Somebody else made IT and but request or did .

they do do you say, hey, when I get home, I want a full pen of rest petrels right?

There is the person that I know that I like.

And when you say no, do you mean to say paid?

Maybe there's a little .

bit just a good friend.

And do you doctor up to rice crisp? Es, some people like to drop M, M, ms.

and right now, this is, this is done regular. I like breakfast. Just the breakfast.

Each other. Marsh mells will mention a really good point.

There's no, which is this and this like this in a milk .

is set for the melt to down marshmallow into a glue situation .

a little IT.

Well, we through.

well, we start .

the recasts process. I don't know how much have shown with us you .

what a wonderful ride home we had together with wonderful time spent we .

had in new york together in ork. We got to see your friend Robert to play, which was using, no.

it's called mick neel. Go see A A link. And center .

was so robber was so good, robber doni was so good in that play. Yeah, how cool is that to go there and see him do that? Just excel and beat IT.

IT was a lot of work. IT was very adamant to see or anything on stage is just a not shy you should try.

You are .

showing people you can do.

I think I can last long .

enough to book some sort of a broadway gig.

Has anybody ever done a broadway .

show wearing a dire?

Do know? sure. You know, I will say one of the things I enjoyed about going that night was before and afterwards with the various of new york, there's crowd seeing how many people you know in the community. Yeah, IT was really fun.

And yeah, that was it's good to see other people. It's just like, you know, just like this coast. Everybody knows everybody.

I really want so badly to do that, to do something on stage. Will you do .

you Better to be careful because to hear.

no, I I, I screaming IT. I I just don't know when the time would be the best time, the right time with the kids about stuff that i'm working on.

And it's a folk I almost as you know, I almost pull the trigger this fall to do .

something but you've done a bunch .

in the past right but but .

on a yeah but .

if I mean god .

dam is million got damn years ago um but I really was like I you know I said I was inspired by you and how great you were sate and it's true and I thought cot really looks like a lot of fun and seeing rover do IT looks like .

a lot of fun but you have no life. You go department .

part of the thing that appeals to me too is like, no, york is one of my favorite places, whole world of always wanted to live there. But I I worried if I just picked up and move there, I would be like, well, okay, what do I do all day? You know, because is an as an actor or dress or whatever, you know before you're working, you're not doing anything right you and doing doing a play would give me rehearsals all day. And then once a rehearsals are done, now get something to do at night and and then feeling .

a day is the day so that feels like a lot of the day. And crick me from wrong is taking over your help yeah .

it's pt physical therapy because you like, what mean I got IT, but it's it's three petite motions day after .

day every single day of like.

Place and Roberts play. If you remember, there's this one moment where the guy playing, his son, pushes among the couch. And the first thing I thought of was, oh my god, his leg must be killing because his leg hits the ARM of the of the coat, and this falls in the couch, falling in the couches, and horrible, because you get cushion. But when his leg hits the couch, monday, tuesday, wednesday, twice and and thirty day, friday and twice, and sary, you have to go get that, like pt of physical therapy, like figure out how to or wear like really a pad pad or something. Yeah the .

people with incredibly admirable, uh, true labor situations in the way they want to come through the microphone and blow your brain. I know oh, is he banging in his leg on a couch?

Wants, wants.

how do you like this bucket plan?

No, 没有。 妈呀。

is building buildings are fighting war.

I know totally. I get IT. I'm just in our little village. How many .

versions are Operating? A jack wither living.

By the way, I got home from new york to, you know, to our my our house here, and I and I forgot that I stabbed using a sheet under the, under the comforter yeah and the comforter and it's great yeah yeah. So I have you guys, you guys still sleep with a sheet and do because, yes, you can gets in your legs and you get.

I go one Better, I go one Better. amman. And I have two separate debates ah so that there's no midnight mid dash night fighting over the D.

V. I. I can cocoon myself SHE can cocoon her. You could knock on the door and coat and and enter her cocoon. If you.

if you know if it's especial, that's how the kids are made QQ .

not not cocoon. Enter, you're very traditional .

that permission to board well.

it's permission to board is the language he prefers and then flutter in like a butterfly permission aboard.

I'm sorry you, you're in the back tonight.

Wow.

wow. Yeah, I saw, I saw that trick from you. Jb, with the the separate device and very works.

right? yeah.

But don't you agree that the sheet sheet you get tangled up in?

That means I don't, I don't get IT .

yeah it's not the classist um .

transition into our classic guest, but um it's going to have to deal and what is an impressive number of grandma's to win?

okay.

Chon you go .

first any more than one?

Well, yeah I I would say one is very impressive. One is amazing. I never, but too like more than one, right?

IT wasn't a fluke.

Yes, correct. actually.

Well, three would definitely .

finites to.

What about what would I do for you that be .

impressed, right?

If you double that, I would IT rage's. right? So that's what she's gone and done.

She's going to seek steam grandma's. She's also a best selling author, new york times less. She's a producer of film and television and broadway.

She's an entrepreneur of force in the world of activism. SHE has sold over sixty five million records and has had over five billion streams. We can talk about her music or skin, Caroline, her art collection or her broadway hit, which is receive thirteen tony nominations.

I've seen IT. It's incredible. Please welcome the one and only alecia keys.

Oh.

my.

God.

it's a very impressive intro. I didn't eb lish .

any of IT. wow. Hi, oh my god.

it's so nice .

to meet you. J text, couple of around three. You're you're the broadway king are clean and I think I say.

queen.

what? Tell me what show to see and I told him to see your show.

Oh my god.

goodness. I went with my seventeen year old daughter and we lost our mind. That's the so the good and the remind apology. I should know this, the actor that plays you or the version of you, what is? He was just stunning.

He's amazing. Her name is malia joy moon. She's yes, she's turn twenty two like she's, this is her very first kind of four into this world and she's the protected onest of hell kitchen name ali. So awesome.

What is that like? What is that in the most obvious dum answer opener? Yeah, I mean, dumb questions, right? Is what is that like to have gone to that process to go wow, this this phenomenal talent is seeing my songs and like playing a version of me ish kind of but what was that like? That must be crazy.

right? So hell kitchen is definitely is not autobiographical, but IT is based on my experiences growing up in new york. And so find in that power that that girl, that Young woman, is on the precipice of kind of know finding who he is and rebelling against all the people that want to confine her and keep her safe in a box.

And all those things are especially based in new york in the nineties IT. IT definitely required a certain energy. And that was actually really tRicky to fine, because you know, you can act certain things.

Yeah, he had he did have a like this intangible sort of swagger and comfort in her skin and this presence that was just magnetic from the very start, you know. And you just took key with the whole way through IT as .

the rest is hard to find that, son. No, definitely.

You know, workshop, we develop this piece for thirteen years, so IT definitely took quite a long time. But I think that the the coolest part is really, you know, when you do find those spirits and that energy, same with the mom who plays jersey shasha yeah being who is just like but .

she's exploding your .

brain 哎呀呀 even so， it's drilling.

I would imagine that maybe at the beginning thirteen years ago, you might humbly say that you're not Young enough to play that part right now. But I would disagree with you. But certainly thirteen years ago, IT must have been A A conversation at some point that you might play that part.

Maybe you know, I really I I I didn't plan to play the part. I mean, maybe there was conversations at times or maybe I would be like we could do some fun, limited moment of IT or something, but I realized that I really is. So it's so cool to be that just come to the theater, watch the show. I mean, I have to deliver .

a lot to watch IT. Remembering .

correctly that you that you did perform with them at the tony.

I did. I did. I did, you know, just harvest the new york energy .

that to be on stage with them and and do some of that stuff.

And and that was my first, that was my first. Tony, ever know a unique experience, super cal.

that have done, have you done a musical or or a play or anything as as an actor .

as an actor, I have not as a producer, I did a, uh a play called stick fy, which was one of the most written by a lady, a diamond. IT was one of the most like, unique, incredible pieces, but about a family, a black family. And Martha venia and IT was like, stunning. IT was really, really unique. That was one of the first ones and and so but this would be my first musical.

Would you do you have any design like what we were talking about earlier to go on stage and and and do a play as either as an actor or or, uh, dancer, singer, you know, the musical.

you know, I have to say that I have the a most respect for these artists. I think that are artists and musics are by far the most talented. You have to be a triple threat at all times. You have to deliver every single part of IT. I don't know if I would have that terminal in that capacity.

Yeah, you seem kind of limited in what you can do in this. No, for you for knowing you're sAiling IT.

no. But I was just talking about we were talking about before you came on that the stamina of IT you had IT, which is the steam of IT, not just going in being amazing, performing and singing in doing all that, but doing at night after night. It's mind blowing .

that you do IT Alice when you go on. And yeah, it's kind of like a it's .

totally like tour for shore. And tour is tour is hard. Tour is not eight nights a week, eight shows a week, eight shows a week. Not no, i'm probably doing five shows week maximum.

But I definitely .

and I think that's what as as the lead producer, the show and also just but I think me having that experience is definitely different for them because they know that I do understand the rigor and the power in the energy IT takes the harness to bring that together so they definitely feel like understood by me and I totally understand IT. So but it's it's incredible watching and work and and so yes, could I do IT? Yes, I could do IT, but I actually have I haven't done IT yet.

right? Well, maybe maybe you and i'll do two hand. I'll find something.

This is a great. This is where we make you. We're making .

news today. We're going to do IT together. It's so alesha so now speaking of the of house kitchen is the part you say it's loosely based on on europe ingin inspired by a the tell me about the the early part of that that story with the with the influence of the of the of the mentor and and in the piano playing um how how did all that how did you find the piano is that true the story there um how did take me through that start of the the musical sort of a fascination for you music .

fascinations are okay the just music fascination for me .

separate of the music .

and thank you for.

Yeah, I just tend flower.

How do how do you do music first?

Yeah well, I guess I I started playing I started playing piano, uh, around six or seven years old.

where people playing piano at home like that, like where your mom .

and dad super into IT, or you, they were. I was in my mother, SHE. SHE was definitely an artist, but not necessary musician. My grandmother, her mother, did play piano.

So I do remember when we would SHE would come watch me when my mother would have to go out to town for work or whatever. And SHE would play the piano if we visited her. And SHE they grew up in to little ohio.

So if we went to ohio to visit gramma, SHE definitely will play piano. So he, he was A A person, play piano in my life. But the obsession with piano was felt kind of natural. I just, I was drawn to IT in this very natural way.

I would .

pass the steinway .

door on fifty seven, three. Yeah, I.

but did you sit down .

and that you started taking lessons? You, how long did you say .

you really like your .

little so did you sit and yeah, I I get this like, they're like, this is this and you, yeah.

I got this. IT was definitely not. As learning an instrument is not natural is it's difficult.

It's not especially as a Young person and you trying to find your focus and how do you like, put them all together. And the mb dexterous, you know, of using both hands at the same time. Two different things.

I remember when I first started plan, but whose one is my favorite composers by, I love the way, like the right hand will take IT and then the left hand will grab IT, but the you're left hand, i'm i'm ready. So my left hand is not as strong as my right hand. So the practice that I would take, the kind of be able to find the fluidity was really, really hard. So I definitely didn't remember being. And just like, oh, poof, I can play.

And but how about the box like impromptu and the fugues were like you're saying, like you have to oyler ders have to be firing with the left, but the right is train. It's easier to play the right. The right always plays the Melody, and the left is the foundation, the base.

So there's very few composers that right as intricately as book for the left hand. So it's kind of scars of your mind. That's why I look at a drummer and like, okay, I thought playing piano is heart german or you're going to have all limbs going all the time. Like, I don't .

understand and there's a drama .

I don't want to just sit back. There's this drama, a sword god is a spanner drama and his name is like stopping something made his name from. So you become quite bigger.

Instagram, this guy, I know this guy, do you know that guy? Yes, yes, he's the most incredible drum. Alyssa, you can't believe this guy what he can do.

It's one of those because I, I, I love .

drumming. I do. And there there are people out there who have integram accounts that are almost be solely on watching him play on his right right. They dramas are going like.

what the hell is?

And he like is release everybody does this on the left light and then he's got and he's got like a triple bed pedal, sometimes going at the same time like it's not but so you learn so you're learning that stuff like your and and then but there's a moment where where what I just like, he just hits you like.

I want the cross over from classical. Like when we were kids, we all kind of tip those classical piano lists. I stayed on that path for many, many years, and you went, went a minute. What this, this isn't classical. This is much cooler.

I think that, wow, I first I started to really discover, I discovered ja, z, and like unique, I really discovered dried piano. And that was actually .

really cool for me.

And you play is like a doing.

I like IT. You don't mean it's .

the beginnings of IT for sure. That is like the twice and you know and so it's really cool. And I remember my piano.

Ty, you used to make me play blind voted. And he was really trying to make sure that I could get out like, trying to look and just try to find. And IT was terrifying. I was like.

like lib. SkyWalker, right?

He was big on. SHE was big on. Like, never a sorry, I A A K. She's like, I would go back.

Never go back, just keep going forward, acknowledge.

I thought, just like just get role and just keep trying .

to find your way. I like.

you know, his work, but just just tried to keep.

We'll be right back.

And back to the show.

So you end up going back through high school. Did you go to like a performance art school?

I did. I went to a performer arts, uh, junior high school, like seven, eight, nine and an all the way through high school professional, performing our schools like a small version of the fame schools that was cool. And but there IT was more music.

IT was more vocal, singing, arranging. And that's where I met my teacher, mr. Z.

A, who actually, the charter of this liza jane in house kitchen is based, is is inspired by mrs. A, that teacher and my grandma. There are kind of a mixture of the two of them. And I met her there.

And he was a big influence, just one kind of like arranging ing and singing and harmonizing and creating and producing and as a woman, and also, when I put my eyes on me as a moon, and he was a woman that truly like, just do my mind was like, h. E's, this is crazy. And that was the mixture of classical and RMB and soul and blues.

And that's why I started to realize, and oh, you can merge and fuse these sounds. And then hip hop was a big inspiration for me just on the street in new york. So IT all kind of came again.

Now it's such an exit.

We hope that works .

out for you is that .

is that woman is that woman that was your mentor there at the performing our school SHE still with us?

yes. And the live ter night SHE plays piano for the misleader jane character in Kitty.

Oh my god, real.

That is so easy.

It's so that was going to my question, like did you get to see any of your success? So she's still hear with us .

and is a part .

of rewarding.

Is that very, very I mean, was a conversation and you know how brow is I quit like all industry is quite institutionalize ed, and there's a kind of a way that things go with the thing and you hire the people that are always hired in the thing, and you do the thing that always done in the thing. And so I was really a big, really big part of, and I think everything is evolving now to really start to break through those those traditions that are now ready to evolve. And so to really bring people into the mix that maybe aren't Normally in IT really craters another energy.

And I think you feel IT IT is an interesting um medium, right? Talking more about the abroad specifically the backbone of IT is supported by the folks had had been going there for years and years and years at the subscription audience. And I I bet that is a very complicated and discipline process to try a transition that with some conservative audience into the more modern takes on art and and what qualifies is entertainment nowaday and and dull, this sort of a typical stuff? It's a really a lot of interesting things going on there right now.

Why I would imagine. Do you think I wonder if if a lot of those people also, what percent of them, when you do sign for that, when that's your thing, you're kind of saying to a group of artists or a group of saying, take me on a journey, like open my mind to new stuff. I'm here. I want to see what is new like it's a little bit of both. You are .

ably yeah you I think people.

I think people want a great story. And I think that what happens is when you're able to deliver A A story, we if is a song, if it's a play, if it's a musical, it's, if it's theater, if it's a film, if it's a piece of art, like if you, if you're able to create this emotional connection, I do think that if you do IT in a slightly different way, but but they can follow the emotional art of IT, then people are open.

I think, I think that, I think that that's the heart of a lot of things. Even with a great song, you might completely create a new genre. But when you have that song that, you know, you can sing and you feel IT emotionally IT really doesn't actually matter ultimately. So I think there is something that people are looking for that .

connected is a real storyteller. Talking is about to say that .

can I can I ask you about that that because this a little off topic but um like speaking of drums, I always listen to like just the drums in a song. Most people listen to the lyrics. I've tried to listen to the lyrics and trained myself to be that kind of music in and enjoy music in that way.

But so often I can't hear what they're saying and so to go to your point about if it's you know you're telling a story through lyrics and through a song, do you ever battle with that when you're recording? And I just sounds Better to kind of not annunciata line, but then do you battle yourself going ever, if they miss that line, that kind of miss a part of the story? Do you ever have that struggle?

good. I mean, there is definitely lines that just because of the emotion of IT all the way that you want to deliver IT IT might not be as clear as ever, and definitely that more even now, like there is like this a this, this, this way of delivering that, not necessarily clear. But as the song writer, because I am the song writer, I do feel connected to won, to the wanting the lyrics to connect to each other. I want them .

be clear so that people can kind of fall. You should always think that song was I wanted know who dug is right.

I will be honest.

the last one of the last time I looked up lyrics because I was a part of the song guy just couldn't understand and now feel like, idiot that I didn't was concrete jungle where dreams are made of.

I was just like, oh yeah.

no, no, no. People have all times that they concrete jungle, wet dreams. Tomatoes, they have all kinds of crazy I have.

IT was an old song from the eighties called from a group of called till tuesday. Amy and SHE was hush, hush, share and yeah and the lyrics, hush, hush, keep IT down. Now voices Carry.

And all through high school, I was like, harsh, harsh. We go downtown. It's so scary, we wait, is a wait a second.

I wanted say um because J, B, you brought IT up what I said in mind. I mean, that song is a IT must .

be kind .

of anthem is an them is such song an iconic song about new york is so emblematic of a time there is part. I love that so I don't think that there's anybody who hears that song who doesn't turn IT up yeah and get and feel good and even those sort of like, you know, millennial White chicks are like, that's my fucking jam. Yes, I think it's replaced.

It's the modern day Franks, the traversing of new york, new york like it's like dabs.

the new and this is incredible. You feel not even not a burden. I don't want to say a burden, but but like just not a burden. That's because that has a negative connotation. But do you are you able to appreciate, to understand how meaningful that song is?

I, I, I, I feel so like stunned by many of the songs that become a soundtrack to people's life is like crazy. And for IT to just live and evolve and and continue to be like a staple like that, particularly from my hometown to me, that is my home town.

And the crazy is part is, you know, there was a moment where that song was not even gonna happen or wasn't going to happen with me, because there were some things at the time, and j was kind of trying to get in touch with me about doing the song. And at the time, the people that was working with IT, whatever happened IT just right, didn't get to me. And and he was going to have to move on because he was like, I don't know, it's not working out. I can't get a response.

It's not going to have literally just because he couldn't get in touch. But I find IT so hard to believe that J. Z.

Couldn't get in touch with Alicia. Reps were putting up too high.

IT wasn't progressing in the way they needed to have to make a heaven. And I was unaware of that. Fortunately, he was friends with friend of mine. And you know, that was kind of how we got a chance to connect the what what do you mean? You even heard from me here.

everybody outside, like my is everybody. The music world know everybody yeah.

you know, know, we definitely, you know a lot of people and you connect them a lot ways. And then sometimes, you know.

so there's no hot line.

Let me call this so thank good. Is that happen because man IT was IT would have been crazy for its and not happen. And so that and hearing the way that song has taken, you know just its own place in in the universe, what was that .

process like recording that song as much as you're comfortable talking about? Like how did that sort of so he gets in touch with you and he's like, what house tuesday eleven last was IT his .

song that he brought you into a vice versa.

He had begun the song so he was like, here's the five of IT. Here's the because .

you're a song writing on IT as well.

Yeah, correct. And there are also other tremendous song writers on IT. So it's like it's one of those songs that had that right collaboration of all the right people together and and and and so and I had the beginnings of IT, and I was starting to really take shape.

And when I heard that, I was like his layer s were even completely finish. He maybe had like a beginning of a verse. And but you could tell, you could just feel that that all the parts were just incredible.

And I was like me, we got to do this asset. And I remember as soon as I could do IT, I was in a lay. And and so I like art, I put IT.

Well, i'm in a lay, and I was in, I was there and I wasn't feeling the best. I was a little bit sick. I was on tour as a little bit run down. So I sing the song I gave my own and singing IT. I send IT back and he's like.

we will .

be in touch.

Do you think you could sing IT one more time? And I, what do you mean sing a one more time? What do you mean? what? I just me, but I was sick. And I mean, we can sing a new york in a lay is just like you got to be in the space.

so.

So we were able to take you back again. He was like, can you put someone that, like, when you go on, yeah ah can you do something like all that and then do IT one more time? He said that he had like, he had to think about how is going call me and tell me this for, like, a decent around the time.

Like, how do I say this in a way that he feels encouraging? But sure enough, I got back to my studio in new york. IT was the right time.

I felt much Better. We delivered the whole thing and that's when I like really got that magic. And that's the version that you hear when we we visited again, it's it's pretty funny. But IT was great.

You guys have you guys performed IT together? I think at the even at the tony, like I feel like he was like going .

to different stage. Maybe we the tone together, we performed that at the worlds series, the of the year, the yankee's world's series, that was one of the first place we performed, oh god. And then we did another one.

Maybe IT was like the A M, or something like that. So we maybe three times, like three or four times we said we did one. Ri took over time square. And the whole time square and every like building had going .

to looked that up too. Was that shot that must .

be on youtube that was .

insane that I mean, by the way, also not just in new york, if you're in times where your blocks away, where you grew up, but you're right there.

Now I remember getting off the stage and I was like, I, if this is my last day.

yeah.

i'm good. I'm good. I feel like i'm good.

That's why said, walked, walk out of an army once.

and they had all the horses I could handle. 嗯， so did you.

did you, did you ever allow yourself .

to even dream of of things like that when you were a is is true when you when you sign your first record with the first record label at what .

did .

you did you think? Well, I am starting nice and Young here. Things are looking good, something like performing in times square, getting tony grammies all that stuff that is possible. Did you allow yourself to dream that pig?

I feel like there's there's, there's things that you definitely dream of. And I do feel like the the big stage singing in front of the mirror, like one day my song. I do remember having those moments because you are, you know, you look at a Whitney houston, Michael Jackson, you like, man, maybe one day would have be like that. I remember for them like that. I do recall that when we know speaking at the time square, when we did take over time square, I remember feeling like I never dream this big before, like I never even thought that something like this.

So what does that do to make you nervous when he hits you like that as you get like, does IT are you like? I I know I am deserving of this. This is wear, this is freaky.

Or did you like, you know what? I worked hard. I deserved to be here. Like what was the emotion behind that when you first .

felt that I definitely have gone through? I don't this phase for sure that I, but I think .

that .

in that .

moment I felt like this a genuine, this like unbelievable in gentle, like we shut down the entire time, squatters, two thousand cops out here, making sure that all the people have their place to be. We have every screen. We meticulous chose how each screen is reflect the songs we're singing.

I was like this, john, mayors come in out. J, Z, coming out. quest.

Love is playing and drums. And like, this should is at a control. yeah.

I more felt like a disbelief, like a address, excitement. Pinch me. How did this happen if you.

I bet, because like you said, like having that moment of saying, like I never dreamed this big, this is beyond what I thought. You almost don't have a chance maybe to be nervous because you have no preconceived notion of being .

in this situation is .

a good I mean, you feel nervous because just I feel like that's a healthy emotion like you know you you feel those that's why I guess it's a general work. You feel like that energy and you feel like, wow, let me let me and I think what I do remember, the especially in stand, I remember feeling like I was starting to talk to myself about being comfortable, being great.

I wanted to become comfortable being great and not somehow kind of getting in my own way for IT know. And and that's actually a conversation that I have to have often with myself, like you are going to take this moment and you're allow to execute this moment of the highest capacity as opposed to, like, i'm a fuck this up this i'm gonna go right this, you know, all these things that we allow. And so I just like I remember was talking to myself in that way so I was like go, like go, go, just go and .

and I felt is so solved.

I know that .

I don't need to write, because to that I never have to worry about getting being great. So I don't have to worry. Do you .

say .

that something .

at least where .

did .

you know? I mean, we were talking about that that sort of writing this songs like and all the right, when did you start once the moment I most interested when you you're playing and you're learning how to play and you're going to and you developing your skill and all in your artist and then when do you start writing song? When do you have the audacity to write a song like I couldn't have the guys to? You know.

I love that question my first, the the first time I had the audacity red song was a eleven and and IT was actually a really important moment because I had lost my grandfather, and that was the first kind of big loss in my life.

In that way, I just felt so like, wow, I didn't know what to do with IT and and that was the first time that I was moved to write because I felt something that was so genuine that I had to write the thing and that was, that was the basis of how I learned how to song, right? And so that's actually my style of writing. I write because I feel the thing to write.

And so and so, even though I was a, you know, a sad time for me, I do feel like a connected me with the idea of how do you bring out whatever that emotion is into real life. And so that was when I first role, that was my first on my second song I wrote at fourteen. And that was that actually made IT on my first album.

And that was kind of like, because that was my first love, and I just had this feeling, and I know I felt that feeling before, and so I wrote that type of feeling down. And that's always called butterflies. And that's on the first, that's on the first element. And that was kind of my first other one. And then from there, you know other things kind of flow well.

so that now so that first first one was songs in a minor.

yes.

yes. And was A A big hit, massive success yeah and and so when you've walk into your second album, did you did you allow yourself to be great or were you playing defense? You know how early on did you did you start to kind of lean forward and and go? Okay, let's get going and to have a long career here.

I mean, IT was definitely always the talk of the soft more jeans. So I mean, people always say like that when IT yeah you get your whole lives to reach your first, then you like two months through the next one or whatever IT is.

But I remember feeling pretty supported to be able to go in and just start to craft and play IT was my I had just come off my first tour that was like a mind bender because I was like, where are these people doing here? Why are they good? And when I was able to kind of let release that and be back into a quiet space back in new york, if I were really nice, is to be like in that in the universe, I didn't at the time, I thought I had to work every hour of every day, of every minute of every second, because I had to, like, deliver this, this thing.

So I didn't understand the baLance yet of you actually enjoy and then create. And I didn't have that down yet, but I felt like I had time to create. And then all of a sudden, once we found the first song, then time kind of got cut you in their lake.

Now movement, lets go. 嗯， so but I I did. So that was actually a very difficult process because I was continuing to write and promoting the record before the record was. And that was that that was hard for me as like twenty two or twenty one or whatever I was at that time. And I remember just asking, because I in europe, and we started in europe, and I asked them to please sit me in a in a restaurant for whatever, eight hundred hours of interviews that we were doing, so I could see the apple time we in paris, I said, just want to .

see the iphone .

tower yeah.

really actually that's a really great move. I really my head, you're like, hey, if I want to be stuck here doing this, I want to look at something. Yeah, I my experience to be kind of good. No, that's a really good sign of self care. You've got like a healthy dose self care.

And you speaking of self care, you ve got, you've got a, you've branched out into A A is how would you qualify a skin? Caroline? know?

I will call that a lifestyle. I will call that a lifestyle brand. But IT is based and it's called so care, and IT is based in these offerings of skin care or body care that would really give you the opportunity to connect with a deeper part of yourself. And so we have affirmations on every bottle, and everything is kind of know these Crystals and ancient rituals and all these beautiful organic .

ingredients that really tell that the skin .

thing is working to listen.

I'm just happy that we not gone to use this record because i'm like, great. I could .

just jump out the shower release.

So thank you. Thank you.

Yeah is the best .

and we will be right back.

And now back to the show.

Now the the going back to allow you to be great. I would imagine the roots of that, if not for beta, was given to you by a an adult in your life when you were Younger um and if that was your mom, do you um have you had that count you if you have children now, are they have you had that yet? Do you enjoy sharing that and and helping you know these these little birds jump out the nest?

I do I mean, it's really is really incredible the conversations that we have and also just like observing them and seeing what they're feeling and what they are experiencing and also allowing them to draw their own conclusions too, which is which is, you know, unique because I think sometimes as parents or as people who have more experience is going to kind of lay your holding on a person and sometimes .

cut some corners for them.

You do you like, you're just listen to no.

but kids, that home and parents are the last place kids and people, kids listen to, right? IT seems like the older they get with first teenagers, you guys tell me our kids, but that always seems like their lessons and the inspiration and the motivation always come from outside sources, which is awesome. Because as a parent, you're like, Jason, like you're saying, you're just like but listen to what i'm telling you.

They need to like make their own scars .

yeah because it's not.

Do I have all boys and my teenage boys there? Like but don't take my word for IT. I mean, no, I only got this far.

I'm and they're like they're like, sure whatever. Exactly right?

I think that I do think they definitely get a laugh, especially now like all of of phones and social media like crazy, the amount information that they're getting, which some of IT is like you know incredible, like they are actually leaves and bounds ahead of us in so many ways. And some of IT is just like, man is so much to figure out was real and was not real. And you know, what do you learn from that or what do you take from that? So I think I think although they are getting a lot of information from outside, they do know if you open the door, they do know that they can trust when they speak with you, that they can go to to share their thoughts.

That is a safe yes, i'm always that's a good point. I'm always surprised. I'm not going back when I just said. I'm always surprised when there are kids. There are parents who've done who've done correctly where the kids do listen to what their parents saying, they do listen. And there's a there's a respect there that the parents have taught the kids that as they get older, they actually listen to when the parent say, I witnessed both, both sides, both version.

I think they hear you sometimes they might not do what you want them to do or your hope and they do, but they are they do internalize what you say. yeah. And IT comes out at in different points.

and i've started hearing more and more lately. And I I think I believer in IT is as as articulate as you can be, as as profound as you can be, what the shit you tell your kid, really the thing that penetrates and holds with them as example, like they watch you they watch you do what you do and and not what you do and um yeah living a good example I think is the best thing you can give your kid.

I think that's true. I think that goes for kind of all relation ships to I think just with people in general and you know have a good friend, we talk about this all the time, which is you you can't really coach people up. You can only model IT and yeah especially people you're really close with.

It's really tough in in your personal relationship to coach me just say like you need to be doing this or hey, this is how and all you can do and certainly goes jb to what you are saying like IT goes like that for your kids. You just model IT and you just behave a certain way. And your kids, what I know, again, no expert, but my kids, my reaction, this stuff gives them a lot of information right there if they get a bad grade, or if they get a thing like that, if how I react to IT is really important.

informing them on how they thank .

you I want to talk about almost at a time here we let you get back in your busy life but your your passion for uh art um and your your considerable collection with your husband um talk to me about that. I know that you you enjoy you enjoy um discovering and supporting new and emerging artists. And did you did IT start with that, your fascination with with art, your passion for art, or or did that was that part that became sort of the philanthropy of at all?

Man, no, I mean, my husband really is an incredible lover of art and he is has an uncanned ability to really identify artists that are are going to be, you know, the next, next, next. And so it's unreal. And so and that's because he actually, he actually we are artist.

Obviously he also is an artist who who draws and paints. And so there's this there's this real, genuine love for the art that I think comes from being artist and connecting with artist and also, you know, being a position of owning our art and being the custodians of art in a way that like is is protecting IT. I just displaying IT and so yeah, but you're .

displaying IT too, right? Isn't your collection a portion of that on tour right now?

IT started at the bricklin museum. It's called, it's called giants. We called the giants because it's it's all these oversize works of artists, and IT is also, we consider the artist in, in, in the exhibition giants of their craft masterpieces and .

hate the jets. And where and you .

hate the jets was who the .

artist love you.

who the .

artist really interest. So jeal, who the artist that you really that are exciting you right now and they don't have to be new. And like what are the things .

there's so many incredible, unbelievable artists I mean on in giants? We actually just opened IT at the high museum. So it's touring now in a land at the high museum and men, all of the artists in this exhibition are completely tremendous.

Jordan cael is a beautiful Young artist that we adore. Amy sherrod is super incredible. And when you when you see these works of art, it's it's unbelievable.

Jamsiah baz is paired with gordon parks. So you see the photography society, the lens from the thirties, thirties and the fifties and sixties up to jum bear, starting in the eighties. And IT just really shows the pass off of the .

inspiration. I'm the super, super dummy. I ask all who doesn't, who wished they understood IT. But, you know.

but sean, we talked about this to the summer, which is, i'm so new to IT, I realized about five. Not i've always known this, but I said this many bunch of artists this summer. And I kept saying, I have this crazy blinds pott in my life, which is I never appreciated art in a way, or I never understood IT and never spent the time. And I feel like .

we don't go to museums.

I felt really delicate, or galleries.

or go to show, because I go the museum and to be a canvas of painting that is from the floor of the scene. That is mass that takes the whole wall. And it's just painted one color, just painted black, just painted, painted red, or whatever IT is.

And i'll go, I could have done that. That's dump. And then some of you go, no, that's .

brilliant because and then i'll go met was night I met summer, a man and hung out a couple times. I went to his house. He is a friend of a friend to rishi Johnson son.

And he's got all this art and she's got all this and a bunch of his owner and I like and and he was the guy I said, I go with. I be once with you. I don't know anything about art and and liberty. He was so kind and he goes, I got you. So we started talking and he started kind .

of like educating me and it's dude.

and what's really what I found, as you know, I started reading biography on artists and gives you such a sense of who they are yeah. And then when you do that, then you started to appreciate .

their person how you found soccer, right? Well, like you are learning about of the players and the whole drama behind the team, just like anything.

Yeah and when I discovered the blend .

of ice crispy es mars, I was like, yeah, when eating the marsh mallows in the.

he's a he's a test kitchen for the craft food corporation.

IT does IT while we record. Let me ask you super done practical question. You say all, all these pieces of these works are are large scale.

How do you? You live in your city. You can have the wall space to house all these things.

Where do where do a lot of them live? Or they just kind of, do you lend them to museums? Do they always on tour? Like how do you go about buying large pieces?

Well, this is the first time that the exhibition, this particular version of our collection, because this may be represents about thirty percent of the collection. So this particular part of the collection is touring for the first time and IT is actually the first, the first um touring exhibition of color ever in any of these museums of a private collection. So this is, this is really a very, very important and special thing.

And we one of the things we did realize is not only is is IT really giving so much exposure to so many brilliant, brilliant artists have any g patterns and micon tomis tik. I mean, you go that when you see this exhibition, you do have to see IT. IT is stunning.

There's also a book that goes along with IT. The giant book is spectacular. But but otherwise there would be in storage and as much as you IT has to be kept safe and and stored properly.

But how beautiful IT is that people from all walks of life can go see this art until your point feel actually connected to IT, not just like they're seeing something that they don't really connect to you. And you see these works, you like you, you see things in your life, you see your emotional and really brings you to beautiful spaces. And for everybody, not just certain box of life, for certain people to to be exposed is really the point.

is so generous, you guys to do that, to let the public so for you .

to otherwise people .

would have no chance .

to see all this stuff if you did have all the wall space, you know some big huge play. You the fact you're touring IT is filling throp c in enough itself. So that's that's very. Very coolly.

you guys, it's a public service. I'm just i'm just looking IT up. It's it's so cool. So it's it's right now at an island is high museum, right? Yeah and then and I was the broken museum.

So do you still .

get nervous .

performing at all? We were before we talk about a gentle as nerves. So do you get like, before you perform, you get at all nervous anymore? You just like, now I got this, i've done this. I know this.

It's in me IT can IT depends. You know, as i've when i've been on tour for six months, i'm good. I'm like, okay, no, i'm doing at the beginning, I think of everything there is. There is such a beautiful feeling of, like to I have this is this gonna.

right? So yeah.

but I think is really cool because you do get a chance to kind of like you you you just give IT a shot so I definitely can feel nerves when i'm when I am crafting something new or you know even just, you know start creating news music soon and even that i'm like, how do I want to start that? How do I want to create this space for that? What do I want to feel like? So I even think about that.

What do I want to do? And this is a beautiful book called the sage warrior by a woman in valley car. Who's this incredible? She's, she's know, she's a lawyer.

She's an active as she's A A woman who just, she's a rider. He does all this incredible stuff. And SHE pair this book with this album of music that that represents the team of the book.

And I said, you know, when I started to, I just wanna in a room, and I want to read the book and hear the music, and I want to like, what does that make me feel? And so just create a space for, like, how do you create or what do you want to bring out of yourself? It's it's scary and but just allow the space for you to do IT is is the first step with so yes, do I even get nervous? So to you, to your point, even get nervous kind of writing songs, writing new songs more or performing for the first time when I believe that or know a lot of times when is just me if i'm doing a piano show only I feel the most nervous because I like men. I know anything to .

cover up or ah .

ah is i've learned that also okay to just make mistakes and like you yes.

I know. And that's the thing that got me out of being a classical music. P is like to perform live because I did IT for like you know fifteen years at twenty years and like and every single time I would go out like for to compete in competitions or whatever IT was.

So I just wanted to ship my pants everything of time. And what's the joy like? And because if you're playing by to in our shop and our mother, whoever IT is the notes of the notes, like those are the notes.

And if you miss them, everybody here is that at least the people judging you here, right? And so you can, you can miss IT and go on, but in your IT breaks you down the second you start missing a passage. And you know, I was performing in college ones with with this most circle share on the orchestra behind me.

And I blanked, unlike for half a page, I stop playing. And the order to kept going, I was like, oh my god, i'm sweating and like coming. It's just me and state .

two thousand people .

and i'm like and then you finally, I don't know how I got back in, but you just get back again and like, I know what i'm out. I'm not doing this not a career.

No, it's psychologically really and .

then you want a tony for plane girl by itself on which .

was a chAllenge that I wanted to come that such a great point, because I was like, if I member going to live my life and get over this incredible nerves I have about performing the people for human.

I just have to tackle.

You go right through IT.

Did you play on stage? Did you play every night?

Every day, all by themselves with a pig grand piano, though? Raps, live front. Start, finish.

Oh, that's nice. What .

I .

know. But thank .

you. Very good.

but go home. I was just say at this, you know all three of us have either lived or stayed in different parts of new york city. Is there a favorite and .

yours a favorite part?

Yeah, because we all kind of we .

all just got back from there. We all just got back from there. But yesterday .

we came back. I mean, somewhere between harland and house kitchen is definitely my yeah, I feel like i've always been a west girl. I really like IT there.

IT has the energy. Obviously, health kitchen was well as raised and then harm. I didn't a let IT growing up in my teenage years, and there was an obviously, harlem was also a different place than IT was. IT was just so unique, and the culture is just so clearly its own university. And so there was so much that I received from being able to be exposed to that. So I say somewhere between harder and his kitten even even now um you know I spend a lot of time of town um and I just really like you so i'm kind of uptown west somewhere in that universe midtown harm and how kitch you .

get back .

into incredible city in your life and you're just an absolute delight i'm so so happy to say I could listen to .

you taught you so ah you're so unbelievably in touch with yourself and you're able to articulate so well your connection with yourself if it's yeah it's unbelievable cool thank .

you guys yeah yeah i'm really glad to to to be able to be a party your crew today yeah so you guys keep put .

out .

all this incredible stuff.

I can't wait to see .

what you do next. Yes, I look you up .

on the.

yes, yes, thank you again.

thanks. thanks. All right. Thank you. She's just like, yeah, I mean, a listener.

I wish you could have seen the sunshine on her face. I know SHE had a grin on her face the whole time. Yeah.

like that somebody was like, this is what i'm going to do. This is fulfilling to me and i'm mechanical stopped the rest .

of my life and the way she's able to to deliver how she's feeling and talk about her experience, her past experience, where she's at now like the facility that he has, the that I obviously don't have pretty great. I found IT remarket.

Did you find me as eloquent?

yes. Well, I point of losing you. Are you going through a canyon?

I try not. I try not to find you. Put that way.

you know, there is one song that I loved by her, but we're going to get to IT later. It's called goodbye SHE actually were a .

song goodyer before I say that you so sorry.

you take putting your .

stake in your thanks for you, that you're ready.

What are you doing? You're a disaster. You're crashing from that recipe now.

sure is. What can you hear if I play IT on here or no no.

probably have to pay for IT. What's your question?

My question first. Oh, the art thing like like I wish I give anything to be in the now .

to see that show he well .

that ah and also just to like learn about art. I just.

well well, you don't have you don't have to be and there there are ton of as as he was saying that her husband is identifying emerging artists, there are, as you can imagine every day, tons of great Young artists that you can go and you can kind of and and you what you do is you, I know people who know about, so I started asking them questions and just go, i'm going to ask you the demise question. You know what? Who do you like? Something like that anywhere is good.

So but you don't even, but not even what's good because the good is different for everybody. You mean just who do you like? And then you start identifying with other people and you you have to be the ultimate Alberta a of of what's good to yeah yeah because you can't rely on other people's opinion on our that I mean, that shirt drives them.

Commerce were saying, too, is that like you said early, we are missing that in our lives like that, that an entire, a modular, there is a section of life that we can easily go by. And we have gone by up .

now this way. I put this way, and I know about you guys, I I would look at like a Jackson polk my entire life, and i'd be like, do that thing which you know, he didn't do. Like me is go, I could do that.

I could just drop some fucking in paints plant on the thing. And then he started reading about his life, and then he started about reading about where he was when he was doing those particular painting and what was going on. And you have a different appreciation for what you did. And when you start to factor that in IT changes the way you look at IT and appreciate.

did you see this yesterday? The story came out yesterday with this kid. This guy found a picasso and a bit a picasso painting in the in a basement somewhere. And is this is years and years and years and years and years, you know and the mom, you know, didn't know what was a pocono a brought IT over to the kitchen sink, use just so open water to clean IT off and then hang hang on their wall look at in the background there you see in the background yeah yeah of their house and they didn't know what a picasso she's like well, just put this paint up and they just found out like this week that is a real .

because the whole fucking time .

their family in the background of .

their family photos, no. And then they know the people that kind who lived in munich and they kept, he was kept taking the train to switch. They're like, what's set up with this student.

Then he had a butcher do on him. They go back to his apartment and they they bust through the wall. They realized he's got billions of dollars worth of art behind dry wall and is after in this apartment it's .

like alen from world war two.

probably that you bunch, but on account, but quite literally billions of dollars worth. So there are all sorts of things about their worth. Is kind of amazing, dubious.

When you start to get the commerce of IT too, like you go, where do you store? They know about the whole system of duty free sort of port art stories that exist at airports in the world, a few different places. yeah. So they have these these big, cute and warehouses that like the utmost security, and they stay there. And because they're not technically in that particular country, they can store .

them their tax free.

Is this art? Is this art h IT look as shown?

And I can I say this, and this going to seem like a cheap job, but I want to look like it's not art, it's fat, that is fat. IT looks like you're .

both .

finding your favorite .

favorite a kiss a so what's your.

Smartness is one hundred percent organic and artists handcrafted by benet barbecue, Michael gray, Terry in, rob .

ARM, jeff smart .

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