Grammy-nominated singer Alicia Keys will perform “Empire State of Mind” at the New York Knicks Championship Parade Ceremony, with Knicks owner James Dolan announcing the plan. The track, released in 2009 with Jay Z, became a modern anthem for New York as the f
A giant city anthem is set to roll through New York as the Knicks turn their championship celebration into a full-throated homecoming.
Grammy-nominated singer Alicia Keys will perform her hit song “Empire State of Mind” during the New York Knicks Championship Parade Ceremony. Knicks owner James Dolan announced. Keys’ performance will come with the victory parade. a moment meant to feel like more than a lap around the city—especially for a team that finally ended a 53-year wait.
“Empire State of Mind,” performed alongside Jay Z, was released in 2009 and quickly became synonymous with modern-day New York. The song spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2009.
In a 2017 Billboard.com interview, Keys described the first time she and her team finished the track. They worried it might be too “New York,” that not everyone would understand it. She said. “Little did we know EVERYONE would understand it because it’s not just about New York. it’s about the HOPE that New York represents; the possibility. The chance to follow your dreams no matter who you are or where you come from.”.
Keys also tied the song’s staying power to what happens when people sing along. “When people sing the lyrics to that chorus they are reminded to dream as big as they possibly can!. That’s what ‘Empire’ is about!. It gives me chills!. In these crazy times, I hope we stay a city (and a country) where that remains true.”.
The Knicks championship run. in turn. was packaged around the same themes Keys spoke about—hope. possibility. and a belief that the next chance can still come. New York captured its first title in 53 years with a dominant 4-1 series victory over the San Antonio Spurs. The celebration now comes with another jolt of history: the Knicks’ run featured a 29-point comeback that set the record for the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.
With the parade set to deliver the city’s anthems and the team’s hard-earned spoils, Keys’ “Empire State of Mind” is poised to sound like the soundtrack of an improbable finish—one that ended in triumph, and now looks forward to a victory lap shared by millions.
Alicia Keys Knicks New York Knicks Championship Parade Ceremony Empire State of Mind James Dolan Jay Z Spurs NBA Finals 53 years Billboard Hot 100