With much of the world stuck at home these days, people across the globe are looking for ways to come together virtually. For musicians, that’s meant hosting mini-concerts online. Everyone from Lin-Manuel Miranda to John Legend has belted out some tunes via social media. Now, Alicia Keys is set to join the game.
It was just announced that the “Girl on Fire” singer would be hosting an exclusive live performance on Valentino’s Instagram account. “A performance series dedicated to escape and community,” the luxury apparel brand wrote on their @maisonvalentino account. “Tune in to the first live performance today on Instagram Stories at 1 PM PST / 10 PM CET / 4 PM EST with @aliciakeys.”
This is the first of a series of live performances that will take place on the company’s Instagram, by renowned singers and poets. While details of future performers have not been released, these performances make up #ChezMaisonValentino. It’s “a project that includes the values of beauty, joy, fantasy, passion, inclusion, and romanticism that are at the foundation of the Maison,” said a Valentino representative in a statement.
Keys recently opened up to Rolling Stone about how she, her husband Swizz Beatz, and their two children were passing the time at home in the wake of the pandemic.
“We actually are pleasantly surprised that we’re doing all right with each other,” she said. “We love a good Monopoly game. We’ve been cooking together. We also do a little run or a little workout together in some capacity. We’re trying to create a schedule so we can keep up a normal energy to some degree. But it is definitely strange.”
Of course, the Grammy award winner is also turning to music to find comfort during these troubling times. “I love classics: Nina Simone, Lauryn Hill,” she said in the same interview. “There’s one artist that I’m super loving named Chika. DJ Tony Touch is somebody that I’ll play a lot if he’ll do a radio show, and just the energy feels really good. I also love meditative music if I’m feeling a little more down or just a little bit more anxious.”
Swizz Beatz has also used social media to put out music. He and Timbaland have been putting on “Verzuz” where they play pieces of their hits, and fans decide the winner.
