Keys says she makes choices based on what she loves When Alicia Keys performs, she usually exudes some sort of Zen-like intensity. When Keys talks, that same calm yet strong force is also apparent. The 27-year-old New Yorker, who grew up in gritty Hell’s Kitchen and started taking classical piano lessons at age 7, is readying the U.S. leg of her tour — launching Saturday in Hampton — to support her fourth album, “As I Am.” The disc, which bowed in November, has sold more than 3 million copies, including 742,000 its first week — the largest first-week sales for any female R&B artist.

Talking to a group of reporters by phone recently, the songstress-musician proved herself a bright, insightful young woman, the type who considers her answers carefully and then relays them with obvious intelligence. Among other topics, Keys discussed her recent soul-searching journey to Egypt, the future of her acting career and how she chose the opening acts for her tour.

Q. How did your trip to Egypt change your perspective on yourself and your career?

A. That trip was definitely the most crucial thing I’ve ever done for myself, in my life to date. It was a very difficult time I was dealing with, and it just came to a point where I really needed to run away, honestly. And I needed to get as far away as possible. . . . I never quite knew why I chose Egypt, honestly.

When it came out, I was on the phone with the travel agent and he was like, “Where do you want to go?” [And I said] “Egypt.” It just came out of nowhere. And I was like, I want to sail down the Nile. I want to see the temples, the tombs, the pyramids. I want to be moved. I want to see something I’ve never seen before.

And it turned out to be the best choice I’ve ever made.

Q. What makes Ne-Yo and Jordin Sparks good fits for your tour?

A. When you’re putting together a tour, you’re reaching out to people, or people are reaching out to you that have something that they want the world to hear. . . . Sometimes the selection depends on who actually has a record out.

So I think Ne-Yo is a good guy. I think he’s a great songwriter that is going to be around for a while. . . . And Jordin — she’s such a sweetheart. She’s just starting out. People gave me a shot when I was just starting out, so I’m happy to give somebody a shot when they are.

Q. How serious are you about your acting career? Would you ever consider a great role ahead of a tour or a new album as a priority?

A. I’m very serious about it, actually. I’m so serious that I don’t want to just do anything. Would there ever be a point where I would put a role in front of a tour? I don’t really look at it like that, doing one over the other. . . . If something feels right and it’s calling me and it’s something important to me for whatever reason, I would do it.

Q. Besides being artistically successful, you have a lot of other causes that are dependent on you. So how does that add pressure to your life?

A. I try my best to really do everything I do from a very pure place. When I do music, I love it. When I’m doing any film I’ve chosen, it’s because I love it. When I’m doing my annual Black Ball for Keeping a Child Alive, it’s because I love it.

When I’m going to Africa on a pilgrimage, it’s because I love the way that I can see the changes that have been made and know firsthand what other ones need to be made.

Do I get overwhelmed? Absolutely. Everybody gets overwhelmed. Are there days when I’m mad or think I surely should have said no to one of these things because it’s a bit too much? Yes. But I try my best to really make choices for the things I truly love.