Alicia Keys loves Shawn Mendes.

The hitmaker speaks to ET Canada’s Keshia Chanté about being a mentor for young artists like Mendes, to which she gushes: “Oh, I love Shawn!”

Keys says of giving advice to younger people in the industry, “I’m definitely a great ear, I think that it’s a safe place to speak. It’s hard, because you don’t know who to talk to.

“I remember feeling like that too, I feel like that now!”

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The musician adds, “I’m a genuine person, so I’m not a phony, that’s another thing.”

Keys later adds, “So they love the Shawn…

“That’s right, he’s Canadian! Come on, Canada!”

The singer goes on to give advice to artists getting into this game at a young age: “I try to talk. I feel like one of the things that’s helped me a lot is realizing that I have to have a relationship with myself.

“I think a lot of times you get so used to listening to everybody else, especially if you come into a space quite young, you know, everybody’s telling you what to do. And you get confused about your obligations for everything.”

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She insists that whether it’s just putting your phone down at dinner, meditating or journalling, it’s important to take that time away for yourself.

Tune into “One-on-One with Alicia Keys” airing Friday, Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Global, and streaming live and on demand on STACKTV and the Global TV App.