Over the weekend, numerous bands and singers gathered together in front of the Buckingham Palace to deliver a performance of a lifetime as part of Queen Elizabeth II's celebration of her Platinum Jubilee. Among the list of performers was Alicia Keys, and she has something to say about her setlist.
After performing in front of 22,000 fans and over millions of viewers worldwide, some users took online to criticize the former "The Voice" coach about her song choices.
Among the tracks she performed was her hit song "Empire State of Mind," released in 2009 in collaboration with Jay-Z.
The song, which is considered as a New York anthem, is heavily-familiar to fans as it is one of Keys' most iconic songs to date.
However, not everyone was happy that she performed the song in the United Kingdom during the Queen's 70th year as a monarch.
"absurdly funny to me that they got Alicia Keys to perform Empire State of Mind during a celebration of English monarchy. happy Jubilee, here's a song about that colony you lost," one fan wrote amid the Party at the Palace concert.
It turns out there's a good explanation why the singer chose to sing the track.
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Days after her set, Keys took to her Instagram account to share behind-the-scenes moments of her performance.
Even tho the 96-year-old monarch was not in attendance at the concert. The singer revealed she personally hand-picked the songs she's going to perform.
"Telling the boys that the Queen requested the songs that I'm singing. They were like, 'you can't refuse the queen.'" she said while riding a golf cart with her children.
Her 11-year-old son Egypt responds, "you can't refuse the Queen. It's against the law here."
During Keys' set, she performed four songs: "Superwoman," "Girl on Fire," "Cirty of Gods (Part II)," and "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down."
According to People Magazine, the longest-reigning monarch wasn't able to attend the concert because of her "mobility issues."
However, the outlet confirmed that she watched the show on television in Windsor Castle. Immediate Royal Family members were present in the event like Kate Middleton, Prince William, and their children, Princess Charlotte and Prince George.
Aside from Alicia Keys, big stars like Queen + Adam Lambert, Duran Duran, Nile Rodgers, Hans Zimmer, Mabel Elbow, Andreaa Bocelli, performed at the event.
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