Alicia Keys’ Graphic Novel Is Inspired By 1 of Her Hit Songs
Most know Alicia Keys as a talented singer, songwriter, and piano player, but did you know she’s also an author? The Grammy Award-winning artist used one of her biggest hits to inspire a graphic novel.
The Alicia Keys song that inspired her new graphic novel
Keys released “Girl On Fire” in 2012, and the song quickly became one of her biggest hits. Big events in the singer’s personal life inspired the tune: her marriage to Swizz Beatz and the birth of the couple’s son, Egypt.
The single was certified six-times platinum, sold 2 million copies, and peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Ten years after the release of “Girl On Fire,” Keys announced that the song had inspired a young adult graphic novel, also titled “Girl On Fire.”
“‘Girl On Fire’ is such a special song,” she told CNN. “I mean, who knew that this song would have this kind of energy, that it would hold and create? [The book] has been in the works for about five years.”
The singer co-wrote the book with Andrew Weiner, with Brittney Williams contributing the illustrations.
“The song … has been such a powerful statement,” Keys said while appearing on The Tonight Show. “And I wrote it when I didn’t feel on fire. I wrote it when I felt like I couldn’t make it [to remind] us that there is nothing that stops us: we are on fire. And to see this transform into a book that can hopefully do that for so many others…I’m super grateful.”
What is ‘Girl On Fire’ about?
“Girl On Fire” follows the story of 14-year-old Lolo, who is growing up in New York with her single father and her brother. When her brother has a gun pointed at him by a cop who mistook him for a criminal, Lolo discovers powers she never knew she had.
Her powers don’t stay hidden for long, and Lolo must stand up against a drug dealer who wants to use her powers for his gain, as well as reckon with the return of her mother. A dreamer who has always had her head in the clouds, Lolo now has to summon all her bravery to stand up for herself and for what’s right.
Will Alicia Keys turn the graphic novel into a movie or show?
“I think the metaphor is that we all have a superpower and what are we gonna do with it? You know, how are we gonna discover it?” Keys shared with CNN. She also mentioned that she’s already considering turning the novel into a movie or TV series.
“Some people are very good at the novel situation and can kind of have their imagination run wild. Some people really want to be immersed in a world that they can see the color and they can read it on the page,” Keys explained. “I think that does lend itself very much to potential films, potential series, all these pieces of this incredible girl Lolo that represent all of us.”
Readers are excited not only by the exciting storyline but by the BIPOC-centered storyline, as well as art that shows all different body types.
