Alicia Keys is a breath of fresh air on the music scene because she’s as far from a cookie cutter pop star as one can get. This multi-talented songstress continues to impress us with her originality and heart with infectious songs and moving lyrics that touch our souls. She’s also breathing new life into fundraising and philanthropy by exposing new generations to the plight of others. Through her foundation, Keep A Child Alive, she’s raising awareness of how HIV/AIDS is impacting young people in Africa. And since today is World AIDS Day she is doing her part to bring attention to this cause. Her New York City concert will be broadcast live on YouTube tonight at 8pm and will feature songs from her forthcoming album, “The Element of Freedom” (due December 15th). But that’s not all she’s doing…
Mesfin Fekadu from The Associated Press reports that Jay-Z’s collaborator on “Empire State of Mind” will announce a contest during her concert through which five winners will get the chance to go to Africa with Keys. She was so moved by her first trip there that it prompted her to take an active role in fighting the AIDS pandemic there. Winners will take a five day journey next year with the singer and visit the places and some of the people that touched her life. (She’s been to several cities in South Africa as well Uganda.) Anyone can enter the contest by visiting Keys’ website, Keep A Child Alive, or by you can automatically be entered by texting to a specific number and making a $5 donation. Although this is a great way to raise donations, this is more than a publicity stunt—clearly this cause has meaning to Keys. She’s actually hopeful that the winners lives will be transformed too.
“Some will probably not want to come back, some will totally want to stay so that they can be a part of just all this beauty that we’re spreading and light that we’re spreading. And some will come back and say, ‘I’ll never turn my back,’ which is what happened to me,” said Keys.
I am so happy that Keys is doing this in the midst of all of these excessive holiday commercialization. I hope that it some way it forces us to look beyond our own little worlds and encourages us to help someone else—not just in Africa but here at home too.
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