Alicia Keys snubs out cigarette branding from gig

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Philip Morris International has pulled down billboards and posters promoting an Alicia Keys concert Thursday in Indonesia's capital after the singer protested the cigarette company's sponsorship.

The logo and slogans of A Mild cigarettes, produced by a Philip Morris affiliate, featured prominently in promotional materials for the concert.

The Washington-based Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids anti-smoking organization initially drew Keys' attention to the company's association with the show.

In a letter released by her record company, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, she said she had asked the company to stop the branding.

"I am an unyielding advocate for the well-being of children around the world and do not condone or endorse smoking," she said.

Philip Morris International did not say whether it was demanding its money back, nor reveal how much it had paid to sponsor the event.

"Whether tobacco sponsorship of music events leads to youth smoking is a matter of serious debate," the company said in a statement received Thursday. "Having considered the facts in this specific instance, we have decided to withdraw all branding associated with this concert."

Alicia Keys Talks About AIDS, Music

Grammy award-winning R&B superstar Alicia Keys is busy with a world concert tour and a budding acting career, but she still finds time to help children with AIDS in Africa.

In an e-mail interview with The Korea Times, Keys talked about her documentary ``Alicia in Africa: Journey to the Motherland,'' her music and upcoming movie.

Keys, co-founder of the Keep a Child Alive foundation, recently released a documentary of her trip to South Africa, Uganda and Kenya. Directed by South African filmmaker Earle Sebastian, it shows inspiring stories of children and families affected by AIDS and Keep a Child Alive's projects such as providing anti-retroviral medicine for children with AIDS.

``It is a truly remarkably uplifting, inspiring and fantastic documentary, just really about the resilience and the beauty of life there. It's not something that makes you feel helpless and hopeless after you've seen it. Instead, it makes you feel totally motivated and excited,'' she said.

The documentary can be viewed or downloaded for free on www.aliciainafrica.com. Keys is very passionate about helping people with AIDS in Africa, and hopes people will be inspired by the documentary and make donations.

``We're so confident that people are going to be moved by what they see that they're going to want to donate right there. I think it's a really innovative way to get people involved in what's going on and not make them feel like they're forced to donate. It makes them feel inspired to become involved,'' she said.

Keys is still considered one of the best singer-songwriters around today. For her third album ``As I Am," the 27-year-old American artist confessed she was more experimental with her music.

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