Alicia Keys worries about Rihanna

Alicia Keys hopes Rihanna is surrounded by "good people" as she fears the young pop star could fall victim to exploitation within the music industry.

When asked about the Umbrella hitmaker in an interview with the London Evening Standard, Keys insists she admires the singer's "style" and the fact she is "so unapologetic", but also voices concerns about young artists who work too hard.

She says, "It's such a tricky, crazy business, and when people are a little bit younger than me, I'm always hoping that their soul is good 'cause it can be such a soulless space. Who's really loving you and making sure that you're OK? Because everybody wants to make sure you're OK when they can get something from you, and they're getting a percentage from you. But they don't technically care if you're OK. They just wanna make sure you can stand so you can go to work. So naturally I am always thinking about people and hoping that in this very soulless place they can find completion."

Keys admits she doesn't know Rihanna personally, but hopes she is being looked after properly by her team.

She adds, "I don't know her personally like that. But I do know there's a lot of good people at Roc Nation (Rihanna's management company). And I do think that as we all get older, you start to be able to say, 'No, I'm not gonna take that from you any more.' So... I'm proud of Rihanna. Because it's not easy to stand up in this crazy world and make it and keep going and try new things. And find your way through it."