The beginning of a new week brings more Heardle hints! Today’s track is a shimmering piano ballad but can you distinguish who is tickling those ivories? If not, we’re here to help you out with a few hints.
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If you aren’t familiar with Heardle, the browser trivia game tests out your musical prowess with a new song every day. The game will play a small section of an intro to a song. If you recognize it right away you can guess the title and earn your bragging rights. If not, you can reveal a bit more of the track until the title and artist come to you. You get six shots to get it right before the game is over.
To up your chances, we’re going to give you a few hints to help you solve today’s Heardle answer. Without further adieu, here they are!
5 HINTS FOR TODAY’S HEARDLE
1. This song was released by a 15-time Grammy winner in 2003.
2. The singer has said the song was inspired by the death of fellow R&B artist Aaliyah, who died in a plane crash a few years earlier.
3. Several remixes of this track appeared on the accompanying album, including collaborations with Usher, Kanye West, and a Spanish-language version featuring Arturo Sandoval.
4. The song is a staple amongst TV talent show auditions –The American Idol judges have surely heard the song covered on countless occasions.
5. Finally here are some lyrics from the track: Some people think / That the physical things / Define what’s within / And I’ve been there before.
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SPOILER ALERT: TODAY’S HEARDLE ANSWER
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That opening piano trill is the work of the incomparable Alicia Keys – did you guess it right?
A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs by the age of 12 and landed her first record deal at just 15 years old. The New York native, born Alicia Augello Cook, changed her last name to Keys, aptly branding herself as a piano virtuoso.
After disputes with her first label, Columbia, Keys went on to release her debut album, Songs in A Minor with J Records in 2001. The album was critically acclaimed and commercially successful, selling over 12 million copies worldwide. The album spawned her Billboard Hot 100 hit, “Fallin,” and earned her five of her eventual 15 Grammy Awards.
Her follow-up album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, was released in 2003 and again garnered widespread acclaim. “If I Aint Got You” acted as the second single for the album, peaking at number 4 on the U.S. charts.
Keys has said the song was inspired by the death of Aaliyah, the September 11 attacks, and other devastating world events of the era. She said the song is about “how material things don’t feed the soul.”
The song stayed atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts for six weeks and earned her two Grammy nominations, including her win for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Along with her talents in music, Keys has been honored for her humanitarian efforts, being awarded Ambassador of Conscience by Amnesty International in 2017. She also co-founded and serves as the Global Ambassador for the HIV/AIDS nonprofit “Keep a Child Alive.”
She most recently released a stripped-back version of her Donda 2 collaboration track with Kanye West and Fivio Foreign. The reimagined track features newly-penned verses that pay tribute to her home city, New York. Listen to it below.
