ALICIA KEYS had to swallow her pride and re-record her vocals for JAY-Z's smash hit EMPIRE STATE OF MIND after the rapper raised concerns about the quality of her work.

The track has become an unofficial New York anthem since its release in 2009, but the singer/songwriter admits she was asked to do a second take for the tune after initially laying down her vocals while battling a little nasal congestion.

Keys opened up about the recording process during an episode of VH1 TV show Storytellers, which aired in the U.S. on Monday (12Nov12).

Recounting the meanings behind her songs and how they came about, she told fans she thought Jay-Z was calling her to congratulate her on a job well done, but instead Keys was left a little red-faced as she had to accept that she hadn't done her best on the track.

She recalled, "(He said), 'It's good, it's good, but maybe you need to hit it one more time.' I was like, 'What? Whatchu (what do you) mean?'

"I honestly felt a little some kinda way (annoyed). But you know, I was like, 'You know what? I can probably hit it one more time; I was kinda congested, it's true.' So I go into the studio in L.A. and now, I'm aggressive with it, now I feel like someone's challenging me, 'Oh, I wasn't good enough? Oh, OK.' So I go in, I hit it hard... put my little swag on it, send it back, like send! Bet you ain't have nothing to say now (sic)!"