Alicia Keys wants to collaborate with Radiohead: ‘Together we’d do something amazing!’
"I think we'd hit it off," Keys told Rolling Stone UK last night at an event to launch her new Apple Spatial Audio collection.
By Nick Reilly
Alicia Keys has said she’s keen to work with Radiohead, after opening up on her love of the rock icons.
The legendary singer discussed the group during a one-off appearance at London’s Abbey Road Studios last night (April 11), where she was unveiling her new Spatial Audio collection on Apple Music.
The new collection sees the New York star’s memorable classics being re-recorded using the state-of-the-art technology. One of those tracks given the spatial audio treatment is ‘101’ – a 2012 collaboration with Emeli Sande.
Discussing the song, Keys explained how she and British star Sande had worked on the track during the day, before heading to a Radiohead concert in the evening. She explained that her excitement for the gig meant that the group’s sound had subtly found its way into the song.
“While we’re here, me and Radiohead should do something together,” Keys told an assembled crowd of invited guests after playing the song. “Let’s figure that out!”
Speaking separately to Rolling Stone UK after the appearance, Keys said she believes a collaboration between herself and the Oxford band would be the “most incredible thing”.
“I love Radiohead so much,” she said of the group – comprised of Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O’Brien and Philip Selway.
“I love how they think about music. I love how moody their music can be, but I also love, melodically, the directions that they go in. I love how their sound gets so big but it still feels like it’s intimate. There’s just this tension that goes on in what they and I think together we would do something amazing.”
She added: “I think we’d hit it off. I think I’m gonna make that phone call.”
Last night’s event celebrated the upcoming release of eight of Alicia’s albums in Spatial Audio on Apple Music, after they were re-recorded, remixed, and re-imagined her work using Dolby Atmos technology. The re-recorded material will be available exclusively on Apple Music from April 28th.
“I would definitely say the most special thing about this experience is that Ann Mincieli and the engineers I worked with on this were able to take the raw files from the very, very beginning and reimagine every single mix,” she said of the new project.
“So there’s no template going on here, there’s no like ‘take the two track and just spread ‘em however’. It’s real reimagining of all the songs: all the music, all the tones, all the vocals, all the instruments – all of it. So, it really, really is special. Plus, to be able to be here and listen in this magnificently historical room of Abbey Road!”