By Rondell Conway

Alicia Keys was four years old when Whitney Houston made her music debut in 1985. Yet to hear Houston tell it, Keys is one of the few artists that inspires her today.

The six-time Grammy Award winner Houston told MTV News that she find inspiration in the work of the twelve-time Grammy winner Keys. Recalling how Keys’ 2007 hit “No One” made her feel good.

“When she performed at one of [Clive's] parties the year before last, I kind of looked at her, and it was when she had [the 'No One'] record out, and it was the only record that came on the radio that inspired me,” Houston said. “It made me feel good and happy, and I thought, ‘God, she’s on the label with Daddy [Clive Davis] here.’

So it was easy for Houston to ask Keys to produce the song “Million Dollar Bill” for her upcoming album I Look to You. The R&B/soul legend wasn’t so comfortable working with another current hitmaker, Akon, until he was handpicked by Clive Davis to deliver a particular sound.

“I wanted the record like ‘My Love Is Your Love’ with an island feel,” she explained. “I wanted an island record because ‘My Love Is Your Love’ is so huge … it has its own fashion with Wyclef. … I wanted that feeling, but I didn’t know who [could do that]. And Clive came and said, ‘Akon is the guy that we’re going to work with.’ And I was like, ‘OK, Akon. OK, I can deal with that.”

I guess real recognize real.

Akon . Alicia Keys . Hip-Hop/Soul . R&B . Soul . Whitney Houston Soul Summary