CLIVE ON KEYS: BMG LABEL GROUP CHIEF PAYS TRIBUTE

Here is the text of Clive’s remarks:

She is a young renaissance woman. She writes music; she arranges music; she produces music. But there’s more than that, much more than that. She touches people’s hearts and souls. Her music is honest. Her music is pulsating. Her music is melodic. Walk down the street of any city in the world and you’re apt to hear someone singing one of her songs. She is also a poet of the streets and already one of the best ambassadors to the world that music has ever had. I would venture to say that if you took a poll of people all over the world to choose what musician under 30, no under 40, best exemplifies the highest quality of contemporary music, she would be the choice by a landslide. She’s learned to give back from the day she had anything to give back. Her “Keep a Child Alive” charity exemplifies what is clearly her mantra: Aim as high as you can and make sure you deliver and hit the target.

I could go on and talk about her nine Grammys and the millions of albums she’s already sold around the world with only three albums having been released. But that is already well-known and she is more special than that. Tonight is more special than that. I’ll just summarize by saying that after all my years in the music industry, I’m prouder than ever that I’m a part of the industry because she is in it. I know that everyone in this room knows that there’s no musical revolution going on right now. There’s too much conformity, too much imitation, too much embarrassing and demeaning and childish behavior. And then, on the other hand, there’s this young woman who will not conform, who will not be pigeonholed, who understands the beautiful history of music, soulful music, classical music, jazz, blues, hip hop music and is proudly translating our culture, with freshness, originality, dignity, and an eye full of twinkles and fire to millions all over the world. What a great choice the Recording Academy has made and what a pleasure it is for me to present tonight the 2007 Recording Academy Honors Award to Alicia Keys.