Bono Guests on Alicia Keys Audiobook

Original Story by Aaron J. Sams (2020-03-31)

As we told you last week, Bono is one of several special guests who feature on the audiobook version of Alicia Keys’ new autobiography, More Myself: A Journey. The book was released this morning via Flatiron Books, and the audiobook was released by Macmillan Audio overnight. Bono joins Jay-Z, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, and Keys’ husband Swizz Beatz as featured guests on the audiobook version of the book, which runs just shy of 10 hours.

The audio book is split in to three sections, with a number of chapters in each section. In many of the chapters, Keys has someone introduce the chapter by telling a story about that time of her life. Bono appears twice, speaking about Keys, and his experiences with Alicia. Bono is heard at the start of Chapter 8, “Pilgrimage” and at the start of Chapter 14, “New Vision.” Bono just speaks, there is no performance on the audiobook. Additionally Keys also shares some stories about her time with Bono throughout the autobiography, including her first work with him, on 2001’s “What’s Going On?“ single, and detailing a meeting that she and Bono had with President Obama at the White House in 2011.

The audiobook is available on CD as well as a digital download, or streaming audio.

Opening “Pilgrimage” Bono is introduced as Keys’ “spiritual brother”. He speaks about meeting Alicia Keys, and spending time with her over the years. He speaks about how he recognizes a feistiness in her, but also a solitude in her from which the songs arise. He goes on to talk about her trips to Egypt, and how it became a critical moment for her, and how she returned with a deeper connection to “herself, her value, her artistry and her ancestry.” Bono speaks for about a minute in total. The chapter that follows sees Alicia Keys reading about her experiences planning and visiting Africa for the first time.

The chapter “New Vision” sees Bono talking about a day where Alicia Keys, President Obama and Bono had lunch in the White House. Bono grabs a guitar and he and Alicia sing “Norwegian Wood” and are later surprised by Obama’s talent as a singer, singing a Bill Withers song. Bono speaks for about two minutes in total. During the chapter that follows, Alicia Keys also tells the same story from her point of view.

Pete Souza documented that meeting on camera, photographing Bono with guitar with Keys and Obama in the room, sharing the photo on Instagram in 2011.

View this post on Instagram

This story is better than the photo. Back in 2011, the President invited Bono and Alicia Keys to lunch in his private dining room adjacent to the Oval Office. Bono asks where he should sit. Potus says sit wherever there's a chair. Bono sees a guitar case in the corner, a campaign memento from Rock The Vote event. Bono quickly tunes the guitar and starts playing/singing Norwegian Wood by the Beatles. Why? Because the second verse goes like this: "She asked me to stay And she told me to sit anywhere So I looked around And I noticed there wasn't a chair" In the midst of this, the President looks back at me and says, "How cool is this?"

A post shared by Pete Souza (archived) (@petesouza44) on

The audiobook is available now for those who wish to check it out. The autobiography will be available in stores and online today as well.

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