It was too perfect an opportunity to pass up: Alicia Keys and Jay-Z will perform “Empire State of Mind” during the 77th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday, June 16. The show is set to air live on both coasts from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City (8:00-11:00 p.m. ET/5:00-8:00 p.m. live PT) on CBS, and to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
“Empire State of Mind” is featured in Hell’s Kitchen, the musical based on Keys’ early life and music which is nominated for 13 Tony Awards. That put it in a tie with the play Stereophonic as this year’s most-nominated production.
“Empire State of Mind” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks in 2009 and received three Grammy nominations the following year, winning two — best rap song and best rap/sung collaboration. It was also nominated for record of the year.
Keys and Jay-Z first performed the song together on Sept. 13, 2009, when they closed that year’s MTV Video Music Awards, held at Radio City Music Hall. They have performed it live together in New York on several other occasions — at Yankee Stadium before Game 2 of the 2009 World Series in October 2009; at Madison Square Garden in March 2010 during one of Keys’ Freedom Tours concerts; and in Times Square in October 2016 during Keys’ Here in Times Square concert special, televised on BET.
They have also performed it in other locations — in Berlin in November 2009 at the MTV Europe Music Awards; in Los Angeles later that same month at the American Music Awards; and in London in February 2010 at the BRIT Awards.
The Tony Awards are produced in collaboration with Tony Award Productions and White Cherry Entertainment. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss are showrunners and executive producers for White Cherry Entertainment, and Weiss will serve as director. Jack Sussman is also an executive producer. Ariana DeBose is a producer.