Alicia Keys and Jay-Z recently collaborated again at the 77th Tony Awards to perform their song Empire State of Mind. Reports suggest that their segment was prerecorded and was shown to the audience through a video screen on the stage. The event was held at the Lincoln Theater in New York City on Sunday, June 16.
The duo’s performance of Hell’s Kitchen’s song wrapped up with the help of a performance by the cast of the musical live onstage.
While performing, Alicia said, “Are we in New York City tonight? Are we at the Tony Awards tonight?”
She addressed the crowd from the stage and said, “Had to do something crazy. It’s my hometown.”
“Brooklyn. New York City in the Tonys tonight,” said Jay-Z while closing the performance.
After the cast’s performance, Keys ran into the audience; however, Jay-Z appeared in the video. He rapped and captivated the attention of stars such as Nicole Scherzinger and Brooke Shields. As soon as their gig concluded, artists such as Angelina Jolie, Anthony Ramos, and Ashley Jini Park applauded, expressing their love for the performance.
In addition, Alicia Keys teased the performance on her X handle on June 15.
1 Dream. 1 Song. 1 Billion streams 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
— Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) June 15, 2024
Thank you! We love you. What’s next….👀🤫 pic.twitter.com/r1wftG2IA7
Hell’s Kitchen grabbed two wins at the event held on Sunday. Maleah Joi Moon won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and Kecia Lewis was honored with the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
The Jukebox musical has music and lyrics by Alicia Keys. It is loosely based on her upbringing in Manhattan in the 90s. Notably, the musical first ran at The Public Theater in October 2023, with its Broadway debut at the Shubert Theatre on April 20, 2024.
