On March 1, Alicia Keys released her first graphic novel, Girl On Fire—named after her fifth studio album, which turns 10 this November.
The coming-of-age young adult book, which has been in the works for the past five years, follows a young Brooklyn native named Lolo Wright who discovers she has telekinetic powers and does her best to use her newly found power for the greater good. In an Instagram post, Keys explained, “This is definitely a story for us about the superpowers we have inside of us that are yet to be revealed.”
Just one week following the book’s release, it was revealed on Tuesday (March 8) that Girl On Fire has already ranked No. 1 on several of Amazon’s bestsellers lists including Fantasy Manga, Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Girls’ & Women’s Issues, Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Prejudice & Racism, and Teen & Young Adult Science Fiction & Fantasy Comics. It is also quickly climbing the Top 100 Books list, jumping from No. 76 to No. 44.
On writing the novel inspired by her 2012 single, the mother of two shared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, “This song has been such a powerful statement and I wrote it when I didn’t feel on fire. I wrote it when I felt like I couldn’t make it, when I saw my [female] friends and family members feeling defeated and reminding us there is nothing that stops us. We are on fire. So to see this transform into a book that can hopefully do that for so many others, I’m super grateful.”
Girl On Fire is co-written by Andrew Weiner, illustrated by Brittney Williams, and features Keys’ song titles as chapters to describe what happens next.
Check out your first look inside Girl On Fire below, along with Keys discussing her new novel on Good Morning America.