On the heels of “Empire State of Mind” (Jay Z), Alicia Keys unveiled a special rendition of the song during a live performance recently. Adding a few lines, Keys also talks about growing up in New York and hearing her first song on the radio…(watch below).

In related news, Alicia says she fell in love with the idea of inspiring others through unique jewelry after meeting The Barber’s Daughters designer Gisele Theriault.

“I fell in love with the individuality of the pieces, but more than that, the words that were written on them really resonated with the songwriter in me,” Keys told WWD recently.  “I knew at that moment, for the first time, that through a whole other medium I would be able to spread inspiration, and that’s what got me started.”

As reported earlier this fall, Keys is due unveil a line of jewelry with unique messages next fall (2010).