Alicia Keys has been dropped by BlackBerry after the smartphone company lost almost a billion dollars. The Fallin’ singer will end her partnership with Blackberry at the end of this month after a year as serving as its global creative director, reported the BBC.
Keys was hired by the smartphone company last year when it launched its BlackBerry 10 devices. The BlackBerry 10 devices were designed in a bid to challenge the industry leaders, Apple and Samsung.
“We have enjoyed the opportunity to work with such an incredibly talented and passionate individual,” the company said in a statement.
During her time as creative director, Keys was involved with Blackberry’s Keep Moving project, which bought together musicians, writers, artists, filmmakers and athletes.
She encouraged fans to send pictures to the project to be used on her 2013 tour. She also worked on a Blackberry scholarship program for women wanting to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
According to CNN, BlackBerry 10 phones sold poorly, and the company was forced to take a nearly $1 billion loss on unsold devices in September 2013. That same month, the company announced it would cut 4,500 jobs — or 40 percent of its workforce — and that it would seek a buyer to take it private. Unfortunately in November 2013, BlackBerry abandoned its plans to sell the company and ousted CEO Thorsten Heins.
With such serious issues at hand, BlackBerry seemed to have little need for a celebrity creative director.
Keys herself landed in hot water after sending a tweet from an iPhone instead of a BlackBerry just days after her appointment to creative director; she later said her account was hacked.
