While speaking with Rapup.com earlier this week, Keys' longtime producer Kerry "Krucial" Brothers said that he couldn't reveal much, but the singer is already in the studio.
"We do got a release coming this year, but I can't speak on it yet. Last week we was in the studio working on stuff," he told the site.
"The writing is the same. The only thing changed is the schedule. We leave earlier now. No more to-the-crack-of-dawn stuff - at least not for now," he added.
The new album will follow Alicia's smash 2009 release The Element of Freedom.
Keys has also made headlines in recent weeks after she and Jay-Z took home the Grammy for Best Rap song for their collaboration on Jigga's "Empire State of Mind."