U2's Bono Frightened of Alicia Keys - Audio Ink Radio Audio Ink Radio

U2’s Bono Frightened of Alicia Keys

2011-12-02

Story by Cat Badra

U2 frontman says Alice Keys ‘can do anything’

Bono seems like a friendly chap who wouldn’t be intimated by anyone. But, there’s one person who came make the U2 frontman wobble in his boots: R&B singer and pianist Alicia Keys.

“I was terrified the moment I met her. I was shaking in my boots,” Bono said at the premiere of Keys’ documentary, Keep a Child Alive with Alicia Keys, according to the New York Post. He went on to say that Keys possesses an irresistible “lioness energy.”

Bono and Keys previously met while taping a cover of Marvin Gaye’s, “What’s Going On,” with various other musicians for a tribute recording. Bono was immediately captivated by the lovely performer. “I was very moved by her singing of course,” he said. “But what was interesting [were] the hard questions afterwards, and I think it’s those hard questions that she asks that lead her.”

Keys’ film shadows her jaunt to South Africa last year to visit locations backed by her HIV and AIDS charity, Keep a Child Alive. “Everyone’s got heart, but actually you have to have the head for this,” Bono said of Keys’ charity efforts. “You have to be tough and strategic. You have to be demanding. The money has to be spent well. All these things take a certain intellectual rigor … [Keys] can do anything.”

U2 recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of their blockbuster album, Achtung Baby, with five different re-mastered, re-releases, packing concert footage, a new documentary and an even reproduction of Bono’s famed sunglasses. The release brings together musical heavyweights such as the White Stripes and Depeche Mode.

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Cat Badra

Meet the expert - Cat Badra is a music writer for Audio Ink Radio and a range of other music, sports and lifestyle publications. She's a graduate of Michigan State University with a master's degree in theater and speech. Contact her at cat@audioinkradio.com.