Alicia Keys Unleashes Children's Interactive, Musical Storytelling App For iPad, iPhone and iTouch [VIDEO]

By Maria Vultaggio | October 26 2012 3:24 PM

Singer-songwriter and mother Alicia Keys was inspired by the relationship with her grandmother and to help children have an outlet to express themselves -- just released an immersive, animated storytelling app that is full of music and games.

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How time flies! “Songs in A Minor,” Alicia Keys’ debut album,” was released almost 11 years ago. These days, Keys, now 31, is a wife (to producer Swizz Beatz), mother (to baby boy Egypt) and on the verge of releasing her fifth studio album.

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“The Journals of Mama Mae and LeeLee” is about a young girl and her wise grandmother. Keys produced the music for the app, including its theme song, “Unlock Yourself.”

“I love the fact that we can introduce different cultures, different stories and different music to a child’s world through this app,” Keys told Mashable.

The app debuted on Oct. 25 for iPad, iPhone and iTouch.

It can be purchased for $3.99 app and prompts children to journal daily, with a different question being asked each day.

“Journaling is such a big part of my life and also just big part of my childhood in the way that I was able to have an outlet to express myself,” Keys, who has won 14 Grammy Awards, explained to Mashable.

“I think a lot of kids need that — need a way to speak about what’s going on in their life or what they’re feeling because we’re all such emotional people, and it helps when you can give it out and not keep it in,” she said.

The app currently comes with four songs and a playable piano, but more songs can be purchased through Bento Box.

“You come to this world and you get all of these stories, and you don’t have to leave the app to make it grow,” Bento Box creative director Janelle Pitchford, said to Mashable.

“As technology continues to advance, I feel it is so important to continue growing and fostering those indelible relationships as children tap into the digital landscape,” Keys continued.

"It does remind me of my world," the New York-born singer said. "The piano, the journal, music's such a big part of my life, the city, all of that."

Her fifth album, “Girl On Fire,” will be released on Nov. 27.