Alicia Keys is revving up the engine of her comeback campaign.
Four long years have passed since she released ‘Girl On Fire’ – which, after selling less than 700,000 copies in the US, is easily her worst performing album to date.
Motherhood has been her priority in the time since (she gave birth to second son Genesis in 2014), yet the singer-songwriter is finally piecing together the puzzle that is her career re-launch.
Details below…
Billboard reports that after a brief stint at Maverick (home to Madonna, Britney Spears, and Fifth Harmony), Keys has ended her management agreement with the firm.
Instead, her longtime friend and co-manager Erika Rose has stepped up to shepherd the songbird’s career alone.
The pair have been working together since 2010 when Keys inked a deal with Red Light Management – her business home after departing the team that launched her career into the stratosphere, Jeff Robinson’s MBK.
Speaking on Rose’s new appointment, as well as her upcoming album (which she says is coming this year), the 35-year-old said in a statement:
“Erika has played an instrumental role in my artistry since day one. She is a strategic manager who makes smart decisions and understands the balance between business and creative endeavors. I feel a great sense of trust and clarity knowing she will be holding the reins of my career as my business partner. This is the best music I’ve made yet and the best time of my life is yet to come.”
We really hope that last sentence rings true, because (save for a few songs) ‘Girl On Fire’ was a frosty fright.
Unlike most in today’s budget-challenged business, Alicia was not short on promo slots or spend on her last outing. Indeed, one need not look further than the endless list of stages she graced to scream that LP’s title track. Yet, the reality is that the project itself was the pits and the public did not connect with it accordingly.
Hence, here’s hoping Rose has the midas touch to help Alicia’s career bloom again. She is incredibly talented and has an unparalleled pen-game as well as an ear for melody. So fingers crossed she’s been baking the business in the studio and that her team has a plan in place to ensure the public are more welcoming of what she has on offer this go round.