Canadian Musician contributor Jeff Gunn is back with another installment of his “A Conversation With…” series. In addition to his own solo career and a line of guitar method books called Hidden Sounds, Jeff is also the guitarist for acts such as Emmanuel Jal and Kae Sun. In this edition of “A Conversation With…”, Gunn speaks with Alicia Keys’ backup vocalist, Whitney Keaton.

If you have had the pleasure of going to Alicia Keys most recent tour, Set The World On Fire, then you have heard the soulful sounds of Whitney Keaton. In addition to being a featured vocalist, Keaton and her husband RAII (who also tours as a supporting vocalist with Keys) have been given a segment in Keys’ show to perform a duet, which has helped them to build a fan base while developing their onstage chemistry and work ethic.

Born in Champaign, IL, Keaton has been singing her way to the world stage since she was a child.  Keaton is clear to point out that her musical beginnings can be traced to her church, where she sang with the choir every Sunday under the direction of her mother and aunt. In 2007, she moved to New York City and landed a lead role in an off-Broadway production of Dreamgirls. At the same time, she also began attending open mic nights and singing backing vocals with various local artists. In addition to live performances, she worked at a social service agency as an instructor with middle school students. It was here that she heard from a co-worker about an open audition for backing vocalists for Alicia Keys. After missing a chance to sing on the first day of auditions because of the extremely long line of hopefuls, she returned on the second day and was asked to return for several call-backs before landing the role of backing vocalist with Alicia Keys.

Since then, Keaton has performed worldwide with Keys on the As I Am (2008), Freedom (2010), and Set The World On Fire (2013) tours.  Her husband, RAII, would join her on tour after landing a supporting vocalist role in 2012.

Beyond touring with Alicia Keys both Keaton and RAII are simultaneously working on their debut album called A Time For Everything.  They have performed several shows in support of their album in New York City.

I recently had the opportunity to ask Keaton a few questions… (more…)