Alicia Keys Surprises 2024 Tonys With Jay-Z ‘Empire State of Mind’ Performance

Alicia Keys made a big splash at the 2024 Tony Awards. Her musical Hell’s Kitchen, a production inspired by her musical catalog, was nominated at the award show, and the Grammy-award-winning singer used her time on-stage to get the audience on their feet. “Are we in New York City tonight? Are we at the Tony Awards tonight?” she asked as she walked down the stage and said, “Had to do something crazy. It’s my hometown.” Cameras cut to Jay-Z, who performed his rap outside for their duet. She later joined him outside of the venue to finish off the performance. 

The audience was pleasantly surprised; Nicole Scherzinger and Brooke Shields could be seen smiling when Keys and Jay showed up on the big screen. Angelina Jolie, Anthony Ramos and Ashley Park were among those giving a standing ovation at the end. 

According to The New York Times, there’s a reason Keys went outside instead of Jay joining her on stage at the Lincoln Theater. Thanks to savvy production, the reunion was pretaped and carefully edited seamlessly to make it appear they were together live. 

Keys spent 12 years creating the musical, which is also loosely based on her life growing up in New York. Some of her hits, including “Girl on Fire,” “Fallin’” and “No One,” are incorporated into the production. The musical is directed by Michael Greif (who directed Rent in 1996), written by Kristoffer Diaz, and choreographer Camille A. Brown. Keys’ musical partner Adam Blackstone is also involved.

The musical follows 17-year-old Ali—a biracial girl who finds solace in the “symphony of the street,” and with the help of her piano teacher, discovers her strength and her voice. A NYT review says the music and choreography of Hell’s Kitchen make the production a “must-see.”

“The characters are definitely inspired by the city, inspired by my experiences of individuals and people. And I think that’s what gives it the richness and the relatability that you experience when you come,” Keys recently told VIBE. “To me, that’s why it feels so good, how art does imitate life because you’re able to take the experiences, those fundamentals, those emotions, those connections, those layered, complex behaviors of humanity and put it all together into these stories that really, really hit you.”