For an artist who has a house full of Grammys, Alicia Keys is about to get her most special one yet.
The Recording Academy announced on Thursday that the singer-songwriter will receive the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at the fourth annual Recording Academy Honors, taking place Jan. 30, 2025. The Global Impact Award was established in 2023 to celebrate artists for their musical excellence as well as their entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and their overall impact around the globe.
“From her timeless music to her unwavering dedication to uplifting others, Alicia has made an indelible impact on the world,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement, “Her artistry knows no bounds, her advocacy inspires meaningful change, and her influence has profoundly shaped culture.”
Over the course of her career, Keys has won 16 Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year for her breakthrough hit, “Fallin’.” That ties her with Adele as the fourth-most-awarded woman in the history of the awards. She trails only Beyoncé (32), Alison Krauss (27), and Aretha Franklin (18). Among Keys’ 32 overall nominations, she also contended for Album of the Year in 2005 for The Diary of Alicia Keys. And this year she’s up for Best Musical Theater Album for Hell’s Kitchen, the Broadway musical based on her life and featuring her songs that earned 13 Tony nominations and won two: Best Actress in a Musical for Maleah Joi Moon and Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Kecia Lewis.
Hell’s Kitchen currently leads Gold Derby’s predictions for Best Musical Theater Album with 18/5 odds based on the combined forecasts of almost 2,000 registered users. Close behind with 19/5 odds is Merrily We Roll Along, which was composed by the late Stephen Sondheim. Just two years ago another Sondheim production won the Grammy, the cast recording of Into the Woods featuring Sara Bareilles and Brian d’Arcy James. We’ll learn if Keys will prevail yet again, 23 years after after her first recognition from the Recording Academy, when the 2025 Grammy Awards are handed out on Feb. 2.
