Watch Alicia Keys, Adam Levine Perform Heated ‘Holy War’ on ‘The Voice’

Alicia Keys opened her Tuesday Voice performance with her heartwarming single “Blended Family (What You Do For Love).” But she switched gears to the politically charged “Holy War,” alluding to the tension throughout America following the presidential election. 

“Due to the current climate, there’s only one song I can sing,” Keys told the crowd, as Voice coach Adam Levine launched into the song’s arpeggiated acoustic guitar pattern.

Keys’ live band recreated the studio version’s digital percussion with a moaning bass guitar. The lyrics, which reference wall-building, resonated with Donald Trump’s victory. “We can hate each other and fear each other/ We can build these walls between each other,” Keys sang on the chorus. “Baby, blow by blow and brick by brick/ Keep yourself locked in, yourself locked in.”

“Holy War” and “Blended Family” highlight Keys’ recently released sixth LP, Here. The singer detailed the inspiration behind the former track in a recent Rolling Stone interview.

“We get so afraid to talk to our kids about sex, or we wanna hide all of our body parts and don’t let anybody see the beauty of love and lovemaking, yet we let kids play Call of Duty all day and all night, and that’s, like, no problem? It’s very confusing and twisted,” she said.