" Girl on Fire " was inspired by Keys ' giving birth to her son Egypt and marriage to husband Swizz Beatz . Keys recorded a three-track suite for the song , consisting of the main version in addition to two remixes . The first remix , titled " Inferno " , adds two new verses from American hip hop artist Nicki Minaj , whilst the second mix titled " Bluelight " strips back the drums and piano leaving a sparse bass-led production and re-recorded " smokey " vocals . " Girl on Fire " opened to extremely positive reviews from critics , with many praising Keys ' vocals and the song 's production . Keys performed " Girl on Fire " for the first time at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards on September 6 , 2012 , where she was joined by Minaj and American gymnastics gold-medalist Gabby Douglas . The song has sold over 4 million paid downloads in the United States
2012 MTV Video Music Awards
2012 MTV Video Music Awards
Girl on Fire (song)