Source: Hits Daily Double
Alicia Keys did not get the top spot, but only because Susan Boyle is freakishly dominating the charts, but she did have a great debut week. Element of Freedom sold nearly 406,000 units to take the #2 spot. Although, Element of Freedom falls short of the numbers produced by As I Am, it’s still one of the best debuts this year. It certainly did better than Chris Brown and Rihanna combined, unlike I predicted (eating crow). In fact Chris Brown’s album fell hard (yea yea yea) to the #32 spot.
I guess Karma is on Alicia’s side, and her album sales are proof. Congratulations Alicia Keys, although I’m not necessarily a fan, it’s great to see R&B on top (#noshade).
Element of Freedom reviews were mixed, with many people saying it lacked depth, but flowed well. Alicia Keys for the very time in her career was surrounded by controversy regarding her alleged affair with Swizz Beatz. In a recent interview with Telegraph UK, Alicia Keys says she was emotionally connected to this album and that people don’t know anything about her or her relationships (except for what Mashonda and Swizz Beatz told us on twitter):
But I think that, in the past, there was a lot more of an extreme caution. I put up a wall against myself, and I know for a fact that I’ve purposely broken that wall down – for my own wellbeing and to be able to be connected to my feelings and my thoughts and my emotions, and not to have to put on this, kind of, emotionless armour. It was like Teflon, and really, I used to put it on all the time. But I don’t wanna be that person.’
People don’t know me for whatever silly rumour or lie they heard, or for silly gossip magazine c—,’ she says. ‘I’m fortunate; that’s not what my life circles around. From the beginning I’ve had to juggle and weigh the silly things people say – and I’ve learned that they’re meaningless and they’re mostly inaccurate. So I don’t worry about it, because there’s nothin’ for me to deal with. I know exactly the person that I am and I feel very proud of who that person is.’
There’s too much darkness in the world. Everywhere you turn, someone is tryin’ to tear someone down in some way; everywhere you go, there’s a feeling of inadequacy, or a feeling that you’re not good enough. I want to bring a certain light to the world. And that’s what I’ll do from now until forever – until my last breath.’
