Alicia Keys has been engaged on “Hell’s Kitchen” for 13 years, so she discovered it serendipitous — along with thrilling — that on Tuesday morning her musical picked up 13 Tony nominations.

In an interview shortly after the nominations had been introduced, Keys was clearly heartened by the information. The present, that includes her songs and a e book by Kristoffer Diaz, is personal for Keys. The present is a few 17-year-old lady whose life circumstances have huge echoes of Keys’s personal upbringing — the only mom, the starvation for independence, the eagerness for piano, even the identical sponsored housing improvement.

These are edited excerpts from the dialog.

Congratulations! What do you make of this?

Whoa! I’m undoubtedly in a deep state of freaking out in a extremely nice, superior, grateful approach. I don’t know what’s taking place to me — I’m a songwriter and I can’t put my phrases collectively, however I really feel unbelievable. I’m so excited for everyone to be acknowledged.

Did you ever have any doubts, or had been you all the time assured about this one?

I’ve all the time felt actually good about it, and I do know that we’ve put the work and the time into it, and so I do really feel a way of power and pleasure round it, however you simply by no means know the way individuals obtain issues. You by no means know the way it all goes. And finally you possibly can’t create with that in thoughts — it’s a must to create along with your mission in thoughts.

Do you actually burn palo santo across the theater?

Completely! Each crevice, each backstage place, each dressing room, on the stage itself, within the theater, within the seats. Simply creating that good vitality.

Is it laborious to observe individuals carry out scenes that echo painful chapters in your personal life?

It’s painful and it’s thrilling and it’s emotional and it’s sincere. When Kecia Lewis sings “Good Option to Die” on the finish of the primary act, I don’t care what number of occasions I see that, it touches me powerfully and poignantly each time. It’s painful, however it’s additionally triumphant, ?

What’s it like so that you can see your songs in a very completely different context?

That’s the half that I discover to be essentially the most curious and essentially the most fascinating is how songs can proceed to evolve even to its composer. There’s something so particular about that. When individuals depart the theater, they are saying, “I by no means heard these songs like that earlier than.” And neither have I! There’s one thing actually super about simply the way it’s taken on a lifetime of its personal.

I do know you need this present to run so long as potential. What are the duties forward for you?

Sure, that’s the purpose. I do have many desires and plenty of manifestations to be on the extent of longevity of a number of the biggest items of theater which have ever existed. That will be such a deep honor. And so we’re simply going to maintain working and hold loving, hold believing. And , the remaining is as much as no matter divine alternative is supposed for this.