[2] Keys had also either appeared on or produced material for several other artists, including work on Kanye West, Emeli Sandé and Miguel's albums.

"[5] Keys even explained that the album title is a slight reference to Katniss Everdeen, the central character in the adventure novel series The Hunger Games, of which she is a fan.

[6] Keys worked with a range of producers for Girl on Fire, including husband Swizz Beatz, Babyface, Kerry Brothers, Jr. and Jeff Bhasker among others.

[11] A portion of the album's songs have their narrator examining and struggling with a stifling relationship, while others touch on Keys' recent personal life, including marriage and motherhood.

[13] Pitchfork Media's Stephen M. Deusner views Girl on Fire as an album "about rebirth and renewal", writing that Keys "use[s] romantic tragedy as the engine for transformation.

[15] "Brand New Me", a slow-burning declaration of the narrator's independence,[14] was penned with Scottish singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé, as an autobiographical snapshot of Keys' life.

Josh Stillman of Entertainment Weekly praised her appearance on the show as a whole: "She carries herself onstage with cool and confidence – not showy or attention-seeking, merely comfortable – and speaks in a voice so smooth you could drape it over your shoulders.

"[19] He noted that Keys was backed by a six-piece band for songs such as "No One" and "If I Ain't Got You", but stripped the mood down for the "passionate solo renditions" of "Not Even the King" and "Brand New Me".

On November 20, Keys streamed a Google+ Hangout on her official YouTube channel live from her studio, to give fans a "guided tour" of the album.

Rock guitarist Billy Squier is also credited as a writer due to "Girl on Fire" including a music sample of the drum track from his song "The Big Beat" (1980).

[26] On November 19, "Brand New Me", which was co-written with Scottish singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé, impacted the urban adult contemporary radio in the United States as the album's second single.

[27] "New Day" served as the album's third single for international markets only, being sent to radio stations in France on February 21, 2013,[28] in Australia on May 17,[29] and finally in the United Kingdom on May 29.

[30] "Fire We Make", Keys' duet with Maxwell, was serviced to US urban adult contemporary radio stations on March 28 as the fourth single.

[42] In Rolling Stone, Jody Rosen called Keys a musical "iconoclast" and Girl on Fire "both her catchiest and subtlest album yet – and one of the best R&B records of 2012.

"[45] Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly wrote that "the music feels surprisingly intimate" when Keys plays her piano-based songs rather than the "jazzy smoothfests".

[37] Robert Christgau said Girl on Fire was "heartfelt, lively, and sweet—as r&b maturity statements go", while naming the title track and "One Thing" as its highlights.

He gave it a two-star honorable mention in his column for MSN Music,[46] indicating a "likable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy".

[47] In a mixed review, Ben Ratliff of The New York Times observed "so many clichés" and critiqued that the songs with Keys' personal "subtext ... quickly grow trite, in words and music.

"[49] Slant Magazine's Eric Henderson found the album to be "less a portrait of Keys's womanhood at a crossroads as it is another extension of a career spent predominantly navigating straight down the middle of the road.

"[51] Kitty Empire of The Observer quipped, "she's supposed to be on fire here, not just warming the piano stool",[52] while Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times viewed it as another "collection of handsomely crafted, gorgeously sung ballads interrupted by several overworked anthems about the value of perseverance.

Keys' previous album, The Element of Freedom (2009), had opened to sales of 417,000 units, "buoyed by its week-before Christmas release date".

[73] According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Girl on Fire was the 32nd best-selling album worldwide of 2012 with sales of 1.3 million copies.