Alicia Keys, JAY-Z Exude Hometown Pride With “Empire State Of Mind” Performance At 2024 Tony Awards
Alicia Keys and JAY-Z reunited for a performance of their classic 2009 collaboration “Empire State of Mind” at the 2024 Tony Awards, held at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater in New York City.
On Sunday (June 16), Keys capped off a medley of performances showcasing her hit broadway production, Hell’s Kitchen, with a rendition of her and Hov’s Grammy Award-winning duet, albeit with a slight twist.
After being wheeled on stage while playing the piano, Keys begins her set by launching into the opening verse of her own 2014 single, “Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down,” with Hell’s Kitchen star Maleah Joi Moon joining her onstage while belting out vocals alongside the native New Yorker.
As Keys is flanked by a harem of dancers, the songstress engages with her hometown crowd, asking, “Are we in New York City tonight,” before adding, “Are we at the Tony Awards tonight,” both inquiries eliciting a raucous response from the audience.
“Had to do something crazy, it’s my home town,” she then yelled, with JAY-Z appearing on a screen to deliver his opening verse from the original version of “Empire State of Mind.”
Performing from a separate location within Lincoln Center, the Brooklynite, clad in a Gucci Jacket similar to Keys’, is joined by the singer following his verse, with dancers and members of the Hell’s Kitchen cast taking to the stage.
Keys and JAY-Z’s reunion occurred on a hallmark night for Keys, whose musical Hell’s Kitchen was a big winner at the 2024 Tony Awards, garnering 13 nominations, including Best Musical. Despite losing in the Best Musical category to The Outsiders, Hell’s Kitchen cast members Maleah Joi Moon and Kecia Lewis-Evans both took home hardware.
Moon won the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, and Lewis-Evans earned the trophy for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
Loosely based on Keys’ life, the singer curated Hell’s Kitchen‘s score to include some of the music stars’ biggest hits, mixed in with new, original compositions.
See Alicia Keys and JAY-Z’s 2024 Tony Awards performance below.
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