Alicia Keys Earns A New Chart Hit — With Some Help From The Knicks
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- Hollywood & Entertainment Alicia Keys Earns A New Chart Hit — With Some Help From The Knicks By Hugh Mc Intyre,
- Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights.
- "Empire State of Mind," however, has proved to be perhaps Keys' enduring smash, the one that she may never be able to escape, not that she's likely trying to.
Hollywood & Entertainment Alicia Keys Earns A New Chart Hit — With Some Help From The Knicks By Hugh Mc Intyre,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Hugh Mc Intyre covers music, with a focus on the global charts.Follow Author Jun 28, 2026, 12:32pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Summary Alicia Keys' enduring New York anthem, "Empire State of Mind," co-created with Jay-Z, has seen a significant resurgence on Billboard charts. Following Keys' recent performance at City Hall celebrating the Knicks' victory, the track debuted on the Billboard Global 200 at No. 127 and Global Excl. U.S. at No. 155. This marks Keys' third entry on the Global 200, though it's her lowest-charting to date. Jay-Z, however, boasts more global chart success, with this being his fifth entry on Global Excl. U.S. and ninth on Global 200. The iconic hit also re-entered U.S. digital sales charts, landing at No. 4 on Rap Digital Song Sales and No. 6 on R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales, proving its lasting popularity.
Alicia Keys and Jay-Z debut "Empire State of Mind" on both of Billboard's global charts long after it conquered rankings like the Billboard Hot 100. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 12: Alicia Keys attends the 2019 Billboard Women In Music at Hollywood Palladium on December 12, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Getty ImagesBy the time she teamed up with Jay-Z to release "Empire State of Mind," Alicia Keys had already conquered the Billboard Hot 100 several times. She did so with her breakout single "Fallin'" nearly a decade prior, and in the years following that success, she'd racked up multiple top 10s and several additional champions.