Alicia Keys is one of many young singers who idolized Whitney Houston. And her wildest dreams came true when she wrote Houston's final hit, "Million Dollar Bill," and the pair became such close friends that Keys later inducted her into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.
They first met at a party hosted by Clive Davis, as Keys recalled in her Hall of Fame speech. "She marched right up to me, and she said, ”You are gonna write a song for me,'" the singer stated, per Rolling Stone. Houston later told MTV News that the song "No One" by Keys was "the only record that came on the radio that inspired me" in 2009. "It made me feel good and happy," she insisted, adding that Keys was working with Clive Davis as well. "I thought, 'I got to get to know her. I got to have a camaraderie with some of the people that were on the label.'"
They bonded over making "Million Dollar Bill" together and came up with nicknames for each other. "She called me Meema, and I called her Meema," Keys revealed at Houston's funeral, reflecting on their connection. "Such a beautiful human being," she added. "Call you for no reason at all but to say hi." The singer also spoke about the influence that Houston had on her, Brandy, Monica, and other young female musicians: "I think she's an angel to us. She's been an angel to us, you know."
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