New York City native Alicia Keys will perform her 2009 hit “Empire State of Mind” at City Hall following the Knicks’ championship parade Thursday.
Keys, who will take the stage at about 1 p.m., announced the performance via a FaceTime video with Knicks player OG Anunoby, which was posted to her social media platforms.
In the video, Anunoby, who was the Knicks star in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, tipping in the winning basket, asks Keys, “The city’s been asking for you, are you pullin’ up?”
Keys responds, “If there’s a time for you to smile, it’s right now,” a nod to Anunoby’s stoic personality.
She continued, “How could I not [show up]. This is my city, and the city’s on fire. There’s so much love in the city.”
Knicks fans were seen singing “Empire State of Mind” after defeating the Spurs in the championship-clinching Game 5 on Saturday.
Keys wore a Knicks jersey during her performance for the documentary “Alicia Keys: Girl From Hell’s Kitchen” during the closing night of the Tribeca Festival on Saturday in New York City.
The Knicks’ tickertape parade will start near Bowling Green and travel along Broadway to City Hall. Jay-Z, who recorded the song with Keys, has not indicated if he will be there for the performance.