Alicia Keys performed “Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart” alongside Colombian superstar Karol G at a live event, and the personal story behind the duet gave it a weight that most collaborations don’t carry.
Keys shared the moment on Instagram and called Karol G her “sis.” She described the emotion she felt upon learning how much the 2009 track means to the Latin music star. “When I found out how much this song meant to her it was sooooo sweet!!!” Keys wrote. “That kind of love and herstory just hits different.”
“Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart” came out on Keys’ 2009 album “The Element of Freedom.” It’s one of the more emotionally raw songs in her catalog – a slow-burning portrait of the hollow, restless feeling that follows the end of a relationship. The song received significant radio play at the time. For Karol G to still carry it as a personally meaningful track more than 15 years later says something on its own. Keys found that out, and her caption made clear it hit differently because of it.
Keys is a Grammy-winning R&B and soul artist. Her career began with her 2001 debut album “Songs in A Minor,” and she has spent years working across genres and collaborating with artists well outside her home territory. Her 2012 album “Girl on Fire” became another touchstone, and she has continued to record and perform steadily in the years since. That kind of history makes moments like this feel earned.
Karol G has been one of the most prominent names in Latin music for several years. The Colombian artist built her audience in reggaeton and Latin trap. Her reach expanded internationally from there, with chart placements across multiple countries and a following well beyond the Latin music space. She’s been one of the most streamed Latin artists of the past few years.
The friendship between the two artists comes through clearly in Keys’ language. “Sis” is the kind of word people use for people they actually know. And “herstory” – a term Keys has used more than once to center women’s stories – framed the collaboration as something worth preserving, not just another concert moment.
Keys didn’t attach a video clip to the post, but the caption alone drove a strong response. The post crossed 1.8 million likes, a number that stands out even for artists at this level. Comments from fans of both artists filled in quickly, and a recurring theme was how unscripted the whole thing felt.
That’s what makes moments like this travel. Planned collaborations serve a purpose. But the ones people remember tend to have something real at the center. This one did.
No follow-up project has been announced. Whether the performance leads to anything in the studio or on the road remains to be seen. For now, it stands on its own terms.
