Alicia Keys Reveals She Almost Gave ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ To Christina Aguilera

Published: Saturday 19th Sep 2020 by Ryan

Alicia Keys is a bonafide music powerhouse, but one of the songs that helped establish that status almost went to another artist.

The ‘Show Me Love’ singer recently revealed to Stereogum that ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ almost went to Christina Aguilera.

Her words below:

“She reached out and was like, ‘Would you write something for me?’ And then it came through so many emails. What a voice! I know I could write something fire for her. So time passed and I hadn’t written the song yet. And [the label] was like, “Do you have anything for Christina?’ I remember I had just recently written ‘If I Ain’t Got You.'”

However, when she played the song for the ‘Genie In A Bottle’ singer her A&R shut that down. She didn’t believe that it was a big deal and that she would come up with many more songs just like it.

Instead, Keys went on to write ‘Impossible’ with Aguilera in mind, saying:

“So I went off and wrote ‘Impossible.’ I went to cut it with her and I love how she sounded on it. It was such a cool vibe for us to be able to work together during those times. But I will never forget that I would have given away ‘If I Ain’t Got You.'”

‘Impossible’ went on to appear on Aguilera’s 2002 acclaimed album, ‘Stripped.’ 

We are all the more thankful that it turned out the way it did. But what are…

Your thoughts?

[Photo Credit: Instagram]

Comments 25

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  1. 🍭marilyn monh-O-E🍭(da one & only) September 19, 2020

    I’m glad ms keys kept the song coz we knew xtina gonna over singing If I ain’t got u and will added those non sense crazy vocals, like “say what!!” “Huh!”

    • 🍭marilyn monh-O-E🍭(da one & only) September 19, 2020

      She shoulda kept impossible from the stripped album too 💁🏼‍♀️💁🏼‍♀️💁🏼‍♀️

      • 🍭marilyn monh-O-E🍭(da one & only) September 19, 2020

        Oh honey! Impossible is a boring song💁🏿‍♀️💁🏿‍♀️💁🏿‍♀️💁🏿‍♀️ U can keep it 💅🏿💅🏿💅🏿 Trashy ashy bish 🤳🤳🤳please go to hell

      • REPENT September 20, 2020

        You talking like alicia ain’t boring on all of her songs

  2. Diabetes UNBOTHERED September 19, 2020

    2 WASHED UP has beens that couldnt survive FATHER TIME like bey did. LEMONADE put the final coffin in these Lessors career, bey is too advanced for them to keep up with. sometimes I wonder if bey does it on purpose 😂

    • 🍭marilyn monh-O-E🍭(da one & only) September 19, 2020

      The gift & a**-s-h-I-t albums are already inside the coffinS, like mummy in tombs. Long dead

      • Diabetes UNBOTHERED September 19, 2020

        The Queen’s DIL(03) album outsold Stripped(02) album. DIL sold 5 million while Stripped only sold 4 Mill US.

        Also THE GIFT (a SOUNDTRACK) sold 54k 1St wk and EVERYTHING (a MIXTAPE) sold 100+k first week and 500k overall and both went #1 WORLDWIDE. Xtina last album did perform much better than THE GIFT. they both had to have performed better than that Garbage Alicia just released tho LMAO

        Why hasn’t Alcias SALES PREDICTIONS been released yet? 😂

      • Diabetes UNBOTHERED September 19, 2020

        Xtina last album DIDNT perform much better than THE GIFT both DOA 😂

      • Don’t touch my hair September 19, 2020

        Liberation did better than The Gift and Homecoming in worldwide sales
        Stripped sold more than DIL
        14 million vs 10 million

    • #WAP September 19, 2020

      Then why have their debut albums sold significantly more than Beyoncé’s?

    • Fenty Beauty September 19, 2020

      Beyonce is more has been and a flop than Xtina and Alicia.

  3. Liam September 19, 2020

    Impossible was one of my faves from the album…..I would love for them to work again tbh! I think Christina would have slayed If I Ain’t Got You she knows when to restrain those vocals when she’s ready.

    • Slick September 20, 2020

      I agree 100%

  4. Diabetes UNBOTHERED September 19, 2020

    Why hasn’t Alcias SALES PREDICTIONS been released yet? 😂

    • #WAP September 19, 2020

      Have you checked your blood pressure today?

  5. eric September 19, 2020

    “Impossible” is not one of my favorites from that album. I can imagine Christina singing “If I Ain’t Got You”, but I don’t think it would’ve done for Christina what it did for Alicia.

  6. Diabetes UNBOTHERED September 19, 2020

    idk which flop is more BORING HAGgorilla ARGUElera or HOME WRECKING OffKeys

    • Fenty Beauty September 19, 2020

      They both sing better than yawnce

    • B3yfløp September 19, 2020

      Beyonce peaked at 2008-2013, everything went downhill after that. She’s a FLOP now so deal with it.

      And make sure to monitor your blood pressure, you morbidly obese trash.

  7. Keith September 19, 2020

    I would LOVE to see the ladies work together again!!!!

  8. Charli+Cheer+Up September 19, 2020

    They go way back with a collab? Wow! I wanna see them both as coaches on The Voice one day 😉

    • non+ya+biz September 19, 2020

      christina said she’s never going back to the voice

  9. Steve September 19, 2020

    Christina would have wrecked the song by over singing.

  10. REPENT September 20, 2020

    Xtina would’ve sang it better

  11. onfiling.com September 20, 2020

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