Alicia Keys's incredible 2019 Grammys performance [1] is just another in a huge list of unbelievable performances from her [2]. Every one of her songs [3] blows us away, thanks to her sheer talent not just with vocals, but everything down to her songwriting, piano-playing, and sheer musicality. (We're huge fans, what can we say?)
We put a lot of thought into it and pulled together our 11 absolute favourite live performances of hers from over the years, reaching all the way back to the early 2000s. Scroll through to see all of them — and the few guest appearances from other artists — and then relive that time she nailed her musical impressions [4] on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon [5].
Alicia Keys Plays 2 Pianos at the 2019 Grammy Awards
First of all, Keys played two pianos at once at the most recent Grammy Awards [7]. TWO! She did an impressive medley that included Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly," Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody," Juice WRLD's "Lucid Dreams," Drake's "In My Feelings," Ella Mai's "Boo'd Up," and Lauryn Hill's "Doo-Wop (That Thing)." She also intermixed some Coldplay instrumentals and rounded out the medley with her own "Empire State of Mind."
Alicia Keys and Jay Z Sing "Empire State of Mind" at the 2009 American Music Awards
Keys and Jay Z took the stage together for their song at the 2009 award show. She started out classic, with "Theme From New York, New York" before they both launched into their love song for their hometown.
Alicia Keys Sings "Fallin'" and "A Woman's Worth" at the 2002 Grammy Awards
In Keys's first Grammys, she performed her debut hit "Fallin'" and a remix of "A Woman's Worth." That same night, she took home her first five Grammy Awards, including three for "Fallin.'"
Alicia Here and John Mayer Sing "If I Ain't Got You" and "Gravity" in 2016
Keys and John Mayer go way back [8] when it comes to their music. For this 2016 performance in Times Square, Mayer joined Keys on stage for her song "If I Ain't Got You," which lost out on the song of the year Grammy to Mayer's "Daughters" years prior. With the addition of his vocals to the song, it becomes even better than we've ever heard.
Alicia Keys Performs "Girl on Fire" at the 2016 Apple Music Festival
Keys's performances just keep getting better year after year, and this rather simple performance of "Girl on Fire" is just so impressive. We also just love watching her stand in heels to play the piano for song after song.
Alicia Keys and Usher Sing "My Boo" at the 2004 American Music Awards
Keys joined Usher [9] onstage in 2004 at the American Music Awards to perform their huge hit "My Boo." It involved a lot of terrible early 2000s fashion but also incredible vocals from both of them.
Alicia Keys Sings "Fallin'" For AOL Sessions in 2011
Hearing Keys sing "Fallin'" really just never gets old. Hearing just her and a piano, though, somehow makes it even more impressive.
Alicia Keys Performs "Empire State of Mind" on Good Morning America in 2010
Hearing "Empire State of Mind" in New York City will always be special. Keys must feel the same, given how impressive her performance was for this episode of Good Morning America.
Alicia Keys and Maroon 5 Perform "Daylight" and "Girl on Fire" at the 2013 Grammy Awards
Maroon 5 helped Keys give "Girl on Fire" a bit of a rock spin on the 2013 Grammys stage. It was a fun twist on her song, with Adam Levine even pitching in on the vocals. Even Beyoncé was spotted jamming in her seat in the audience, so clearly it was a good rendition.
Alicia Keys Sings "If I Ain't Got You" on Live on Letterman in 2011
Keys stayed at her piano for this whole performance, and while it started off a bit simply, she added so many beautiful riffs throughout to show off her vocal capabilities. It's not a performance we've ever been able to forget.
Alicia Keys Sings "Star Spangled Banner" at the 2013 Super Bowl
It's incredibly difficult to sing the National Anthem, but naturally she nailed it. Fast-forward to four minutes in to see how she added her own little riff at the end, making it one of the best renditions we've ever heard.