Alicia Keys paid tribute to Lena Horne in an article she wrote for Entertainment Weekly. The singer praised the R&B legend for opening doors and breaching color barriers in a time when the options and opportunities for black women were very limited. Keys became a super-fan of Horne after recently researching the legendary singer’s life. “I just got enraptured with her life and her world.” Keys was asked to play Horne once in a biographical film, and reveals that she always listens to Horne’s music on Sunday mornings, “Rainy Sundays in particular”. She goes on to voice regret over never asking the legend about rumors of her insecurity about her voice. “I’ve never been able to ask her directly, but I’ve read that she was very insecure about her voice. She didn’t feel that she had a beautiful voice. I feel totally differently: she had a very special and unique voice and style and quality. I hear a lot of sadness in her voice. I just love that melancholy tone that she has.” She added, “Lena Horne opened doors for all of us. That’s a major legacy she’s leaving behind.” Keys has a great deal of respect and admiration for Horne for her achievements in a time when “the options and opportunities for black women were very limited”.