Here

Here is the sixth studio album by American singer and songwriter Alicia Keys. It was released on November 4, 2016, by RCA Records. Keys recorded the album in 2014 at the New York–based Jungle City Studios and Oven Studios with producers Mark Batson, Swizz Beatz, Illangelo, Jimmy Napes, and Pharrell Williams. The singer had finished writing and recording material for the album before she found out she was pregnant, which put the record's release on hold. Here received positive reviews from critics, who applauded the raw and urgent quality of the music and its exploration of social struggles and African-American life. It debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 and became Keys' seventh album to top the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. By May 2017, it had sold 131,000 copies worldwide. The album produced two singles–"In Common", included only on the international editions, and "Blended Family (What You Do for Love)". Background and development Here was Keys' first album in four years, following Girl on Fire (2012). Keys said that she was not planning a hiatus, but after she finished recording material for the album, she found out she was pregnant which "put a different time spin on things". On September 8, 2014, Keys uploaded the music video to a new song called "We Are Here" to her Facebook page, accompanied by a lengthy status update describing her motivation and inspiration to write the song. It was released digitally the following week. Keys was also working with Pharrell Williams on then-untitled Here, first set for a 2015 release. In an interview with Vibe, Keys described the sound of the album as "aggressive", as one of the songs on the album was titled "Killing Your Mother" (later retitled "Kill Your Mama"). Keys also played the piano on a Diplo-produced song "Living for Love" which was featured on Madonna's thirteenth studio album Rebel Heart (2015). In November 2014, Keys announced that she would be releasing a series of children's books; the first book released was entitled Blue Moon: From the Journals of MaMa Mae and LeeLee. Keys gave birth to her second child, son Genesis Ali Dean, on December 27, 2014. In June 2015, Keys performed at the BET Awards 2015 with The Weeknd. Keys played the character Skye Summers in the second season of Empire, first appearing in the episode "Sinned Against", which aired on November 25.