“It Means So Much To Be Honored”

As Alicia Keys joyfully accepted the award she encouraged the crowd to be themselves:

 “I gotta be honest with you — it means so much to be honored as an innovator because when I first started out, nobody was like, ‘Look at that tomboy from Hell’s Kitchen who graduated high school at 15, the one with the braids, who seems obsessed with her broken down piano … what a fantastic innovator she is.’ Nobody said that. It was like, ‘Who is that? What is she doing? What is she wearing?’ I’m telling you the — even when I first got signed it wasn’t about what new ideas and sounds can Alicia bring? It was more like, ‘How do we make her fit into this mold?’ and I think that’s what a lot of people experience in life.”

“Appreciate Our Individuality”

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Keys continued to implore the crowd to embrace what made the unique:

“I looked inside my heart and I realized that I am here to just do me. We are here do us, you know? It’s crazy … I know how it feels … all we can think about is how to be liked, and how to be accepted and we contort ourselves and change ourselves and starve ourselves and abuse ourselves and hate ourselves and instead, all we gotta do is just love who we are. That’s all we gotta do. All we really need to do is appreciate our individuality and embrace what makes us unique because in the end, you’re remembered because you’re different. Because you’re special.”

“I’m Finally More Myself”

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Keys concluded: “I’m finally more myself than I’ve ever been and even though it’s a constant process, I encourage you to continue to find the power and the beauty and the unique story in your own journey.”

The 15-time Grammy winner has released six critically acclaimed studio albums, including her mullti-awar winning debut, Songs in A Minor.