THERE was self-assuredness - even a tinge of feminist cool - as American R&B singer-songwriter Alicia Keys broke spontaneously into an anthemic track called Superwoman.

'Even when I'm a mess, I still put on a vest with an 'S' on my chest,' she belted with gusto. 'Oh yes, I'm a Superwoman.'

And 'superb' was the keyword.

The 27-year-old's voice was in top form as she wowed journalists at the swanky MO Bar in Hong Kong's Landmark Mandarin Oriental on a recent promotional trip there.

Dressed in a slinky black gown, she betrayed no signs of lethargy, despite landing just hours ago after a long-haul flight from her base of New York City.

Accompanying herself on the piano, she also unveiled two other tracks from her brand new album As I Am, namely The Thing About Love and Sure Looks Good To Me.

She polished off the night with a refreshingly stripped-down version of her signature hit Fallin', from her debut 2001 album Songs In A Minor.

The 'surprise' mini-showcase (which most journalists seemed to have already got wind of somehow) had kicked off right after a listening party of her new album held in a function room several floors up.

The next day, at the same hotel, she showed up with her hair tied back. She looked relaxed and ready in an olive V-neck blouse and denim jeans for a series of round-table interviews with media from South-east Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other Asian cities.

The only child of an Irish-Italian mother and a Jamaican father, she was extremely cordial and radiated a healthy glow - thanks to her flawless, bronze complexion. Not only did she shake hands with every journalist present, but she also engaged in pre-interview chitchat to put everyone at ease. She appeared genuinely enthralled about the mix of nationalities in the room.

About the inspiration for her latest single, No One, she explained: 'You have to fight for the good things in your life because something's always trying to get in the way and break them up.

'There's a realisation that no one can get in the way of a good thing, and that's the mixed emotions you feel behind that song - yearning, frustration and desire.'

After reflecting that it had been a 'profound year', she revealed that the most interesting thing she did this year was take a trip to Egypt, albeit one born out of 'total desperation and necessity'.

'I just had to get away and free my mind because I was feeling so bogged down and overwhelmed. So often we do everything for everyone else that we don't really do anything special for ourselves,' she philosophised.

'The trip allowed me to be alone and to listen to my own thoughts - not anyone else's or the madness around me.'

She also said exploring the pyramids, the temples and the tombs made her discover that 'things have their place in history'.

'That really inspired me to build my own legacy and not let anything get in the way of my dreams.'

Personal tragedy

WHILE Keys was friendly and articulate in addressing questions hurled her way, it became obvious that she was living up to her reputation of being zealously protective of her personal life.

There was a clear line between what she would gladly divulge and certain details she would rather keep in the dark.

One could only deduce from other reports that the recent 'struggles' and 'frustrations' alluded to in her replies have something to do with how she assumed responsibility last year to be a primary care-giver to her paternal grandmother who was ill with cancer. The latter subsequently succumbed to the illness.

This much we know: She was raised by her mother in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood after her parents separated when she was an infant. She had said in a recent interview that her grandmother had also played a significant role in raising her.

Not surprisingly, taking care of the latter cast a shadow over the production of her third studio album, which has its recording delayed due to her time off.

As Keys said: 'It wasn't a difficult album to make, but it was a difficult time.'

She clarified with a trace of melancholy: 'I had to figure out how to balance my music and the things I needed to take care of personally. For example, when someone is dying, is it the right time to do music?

'At the same time, I felt so inspired, faced with some of the most important things in my life.'

Musically, based on Keys' self-assessment of her album as 'Janis Joplin meets Aretha Franklin', one can expect an edgier sound where rock 'n' roll and vintage soul sit comfortably with R&B rhythms and her powerful, smooth vocals.

With the album's worldwide launch next Monday, she was quick to downplay the four-year gap between it and her second album, The Diary Of Alicia Keys.

'The funny thing is, when I break it down, I wonder, where did all the years go? After my second album, I was fortunate to be able to tour America, Europe as well as South-east Asia and other places I've never been before, for 2 1/2 years,' said Keys, who performed in Singapore at Suntec City in October 2004.

'This new album took eight months to make,' she said. 'In fact, all my albums took around eight months. I don't know how to rush music - it comes as it is supposed to come.'

The album's 13 songs bear the marks of her songwriting and producing talents, but on several tracks, she joined forces with long-time collaborator Kerry 'Krucial' Brothers, as well as acclaimed songwriters John Mayer and Linda Perry.

And Keys, a nine-time Grammy winner, has lost none of her hit-making touch (she has sold over 20 million albums worldwide, with over 73,000 in Singapore alone): No One has stayed at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks already, as well as on various charts like the R&B/hip-hop chart.

Aside from music, she is also a spokesman for the non-profit organisation Keep A Child Alive, which provides Aids medicine to infected children and families in Africa.

So if Keys indeed sees herself as a Superwoman, what then is her kryptonite?

'No one has asked me that before,' she said, laughing and raising her eyebrows. 'I love these kinds of questions.'

Then adopting a slightly more serious tone, she continued: 'What has weakened me in the past is love, because I have such a big heart to a fault. I can't help it - I always see the best in people and want the best for people.'

She added: 'In this past year, I have learned that you can't want for people more than what they want for themselves. So I've learned to let go of things and allow them to take a natural course so that they can become what they're meant to be, not what I try to make them to be.'

So was she talking about romantic relationships in a roundabout way? Once again, she wasn't telling, intent on not leaving behind clues that might jeopardise her privacy.

She would only say: 'What sustains my survival is also love - the love of people I can trust and believe in.'

As I Am will be released on Monday.