"Karma" is a song by American singer and songwriter

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

, taken from her second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, ''

The Diary of Alicia Keys ''The Diary of Alicia Keys'' is the second studio album by American singer Alicia Keys. It was released on December 2, 2003, by J Records. The album was recorded at several recording studios, and production was handled primarily by Keys with cont ...

'' (2003). Written by Keys, Kerry Brothers, Jr., and Taneisha Smith, the song takes influence from

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

and

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

. It was released as the album's fourth and final single on November 1, 2004, by

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG's record labels in late 2008 at the end of their merger. It was distribut ...

. Peaking at number 20 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 17 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

, it's the album's only single not to top a ''Billboard'' chart. A

mashup Mashup may refer to: * Mashup (culture), the rearrangement of spliced parts of musical pieces as part of a subculture * Mashup (education), combining various forms of data and media by a teacher or student in an instructional setting * Mashup (mus ...

of "Karma" with

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

's 1972 hit "

Superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic (supernatural), magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly app ...

" titled "Karmastition", produced by Go Home Productions, was also released.

Composition

Sheet music for "Karma" sets the key of

D minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed ...

with a tempo of 100bpm.

Content

In the song, the narrator's lover who had left her returns and wants to start a new relationship, but she has moved on. Her lover is now in the position she was once in, and in being rejected receives their just desserts ("what goes around comes around"). The title references the popular conception of

karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

as getting what one deserves.

Music video

The music video for "Karma", directed by Chris Robinson and Keys herself, was filmed over three days in August 2004, with parts shot in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and at

Casa de Campo The Casa de Campo (, for Spanish: ''Country House'') is the largest public park in Madrid. It is situated west of central Madrid, Spain. It gets its name 'Country House' because it was once a royal hunting estate, located just west of the R ...

resort's

Altos de Chavón Altos de Chavón is a tourist attraction, a re-creation of a 16th-century Mediterranean–style village, located atop the Chavón River in the city of La Romana, Dominican Republic. It is the most popular attraction in the city and hosts a cultu ...

amphitheatre, in

La Romana, Dominican Republic La Romana is a municipality and capital of the southeastern La Romana Province, province of La Romana, opposite Catalina Island, Dominican Republic, Catalina Island. It is one of the 10 largest cities in the Dominican Republic with a population ...

. At the

2005 MTV Video Music Awards The 2005 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2005, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The show was hosted by Diddy at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. The big winner of the night was Green Day, who ...

, the video earned Keys the award for Best R&B Video.

Track listings and formats

* US 12-inch single :A1. "Karma" (album version) – 4:12 :A2. "Karma" (instrumental) – 4:11 :B1. "Karma" (KrucialKeys DJ mix) – 3:20 :B2. "Karma" (acappella) – 3:45 * European CD single # "Karma" – 4:15 # "

Diary A diary is a written or audiovisual memorable record, with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digita ...

" ( Hani mix) – 3:49 * European CD maxi-single # "Karma" (radio edit) – 3:37 # "Diary" (Hani mix) – 3:49 # "Karma" (the Reggaeton mix) – 3:32 # "Karma" (club mix) – 3:18 # "Karma" (video)

Personnel

*Alicia Keys – lead vocals, backing vocals, piano * Kerry "Krucial" Brothers – producer, digital programming,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

instrumentation Instrumentation is a collective term for measuring instruments, used for indicating, measuring, and recording physical quantities. It is also a field of study about the art and science about making measurement instruments, involving the related ...

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is a Guatemalan-American record mixing engineer. He has been credited on albums for high-profile pop, R&B, hip hop and rock acts. He has worked with artists including Rihanna, Kanye West, Katy Perry ...

– mixing *Herb Powers Jr. – mastering *Joe Romano – horn *David Watson – horn

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

Karma
at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

{{Authority control 2003 songs 2004 singles Alicia Keys songs J Records singles Music videos directed by Chris Robinson (director) Songs written by Alicia Keys Songs written by Kerry Brothers Jr.