Alicia Keys caught some flack for performing “Empire State of Mind” over in the UK for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee — but she wants everyone to know the queen picked her own songs.
via People:
On Monday, the Grammy winner shared a behind-the-scenes video on Instagram chronicling her preparations for the big show, which celebrated the 70-year reign of the Queen, who “personally” requested the setlist.
“Telling the boys that the Queen requested the songs that I’m singing,” Keys shared in the clip as she sits with her sons in the back of a golf cart. “And they were like, ‘You can’t refuse the Queen.'”
“You can’t refuse the Queen. It’s against the law here,” her 11-year-old son Egypt responded.
The Queen did not attend the concert due to her ongoing “mobility issues.” PEOPLE has confirmed that she watched the show on TV at home in Windsor Castle; however, Prince George and Princess Charlotte joined their parents Kate Middleton and Prince William in the royal box for the star-studded show.
Keys opened up about how she planned to celebrate powerful women with her performance.
“We here at Buckingham Palace. We are about to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee, which to me is for all the queens,” she said with a wink.
The “Fallin'” performer also shared her own excitement about performing in front of Buckingham Palace ahead of her performance.
“Today was amazing, just to see where we’re performing. The content that would usually be placed on a screen is all going to be projected onto the palace,” she revealed. “I can’t wait to see how it looks, just sprawled with those beautiful songs, that 80-piece orchestra, the music, now with this look together with Moschino. It’s about to be crazy.”
Watch Alicia’s video below.
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