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Alicia Keys

 
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Alicia Keys, Singer

Alicia Keys
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  • Born: 25 January 1981
  • Birthplace: New York, New York
  • Best Known As: Singer of the hit R&B single "Fallin'"

R&B singer Alicia Keys released her first album, Songs in A Minor, in 2001. She was only 20 years old. The album featured the hit singles "Fallin'" and "Girlfriend" and rocketed Keys to stardom. (Her good looks -- she's of African and Italian descent -- helped, too.) She won five Grammy awards in 2002, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Fallin'." Alicia Keys also has been a prolific soundtrack artist, recording songs for movies such as Men in Black (1997), Shaft (2000) and Dr. Doolittle 2 (2001). She has also appeared in the movies in acting roles. Her films include Smokin' Aces ((2006, with Andy Garcia) and The Nanny Diaries (2007, starring Scarlett Johansson). Alicia Keys's other music albums include The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003) and the live album Unplugged (2005). Her 2009 single with rap impresario Jay-Z, "Empire State of Mind," was one of the biggest hits of the year.

The singer is no relation to talk show host Alan Keyes.

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singer; songwriter; pianist; music producer

Personal Information

Born on January 21, 1981, in New York, NY; daughter of Terri Augello, a paralegal and occasional actress, and Craig Cook, a flight attendant.
Education: Graduated high school from Manhattan's Professional Performance Arts School; attended Columbia University.

Career

Singer, songwriter, pianist, producer. Released first album, Songs in A Minor, 2001.

Life's Work

Just three weeks after being released, Alicia Keys's debut album, Songs in A Minor, was certified triple platinum. Suddenly you couldn't open a magazine, turn on the radio, or tune into MTV without encountering the stunning biracial Keys. With her classical training on the piano, soul-stirring lyrics, and heart-stopping voice, Keys had become a bona fide superstar. Not just another pretty face singing catchy pop, Keys wrote most of the lyrics and music, played all of the instruments, and co-produced the album. Of Songs in A Minor Keys told Worldpop.com, "[it's] a journey through my life from the time when I was 14, when I wrote the first song on the album.... All the things I went through, and experienced.... That's where the title comes from as well, A Minor is one of my favorite keys to plays in, and A is the first letter of my name so it really just talks about songs from me." The album eventually won the artist five Grammy Awards. And her fame was solidified and proven real with the release of her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, which debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200 Albums list and garnered the artist six more Grammy Awards.

Music Before Everything

Keys was born on January 21, 1981, in New York City to an Italian-American mother and an African-American father. Her parents did not stay together and Keys was raised by her mother, Terri Augello, a paralegal and sometimes actress. As a child, Keys didn't see much of her father, Craig Cook, however, they remained on good terms. Despite the difficult life of a single mom and the poverty in which she often struggled, Keys's mother was determined to nourish her child's budding passion for music and enrolled Keys in piano classes. Keys told Rolling Stone, "I've had a deep love for music since I was four... . Music came before everything, everything, everything. I would risk everything for it." Despite her commitment, Keys was aware of the financial strain the lessons put on her mother's meager salary and once begged to quit. "But my mom would tell me, 'Quit what you like, but you're not quitting piano.' She didn't care what it cost," Keys told Newsweek. With her mother's support, Keys learned classical piano by the time she was seven. At eleven she began writing songs.

For her high school education Keys was accepted into the prestigious Professional Performance Arts School in Manhattan where she majored in Choir and continued her piano lessons. After school she worked on her voice at a local Police Athletic League girls' club. At the same time, Keys's manager, Jeff Robinson, began booking Keys at music-industry shows. "We wanted people to see that I played piano and sang," she told Rolling Stone. Keys's life became a whirlwind of studying and singing, practicing piano, and performing onstage. At school her academic talents soon paid off. At age 16, Keys graduated early and was promptly accepted to Columbia University. At just about the same time, her musical talents also began to reap rewards and Keys found herself in a bidding war between major record companies. In the end Keys signed a deal with Columbia Records. Used to juggling both academics and music, Keys decided to stick with both Colombia's. However, just four weeks into her freshman year, Keys walked away from the university. "I couldn't be in the studio at night and keep up with class," she told Rolling Stone.

Waited and Waited

Her decision to quit school soon seemed questionable as industry red-tape at Columbia Records began to ensnarl Keys. She managed to score some recording time and was even given a black baby grand piano by the label, yet her talent languished. "I felt that they wanted me to be a clone of Mariah (Carey) or Whitney (Houston), and I couldn't do that. I'm not the sequined dress type, or the high-heeled type, or the all-cleavage type. I'm not coming like that for no one," she told Newsweek.

When the deal with Columbia finally fell through, the legendary music producer and president of Arista Records, Clive Davis, stepped in. Responsible for the careers of musical powerhouses such as Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Santana, Davis knew Keys was special the first time he saw her perform. "[It was] at a Christmas showcase when she was just seventeen," Davis told Rolling Stone, "I was struck immediately by her voice and beauty--it was stunning. She had everything that an artist can want." Keys was just as smitten with Davis. "Clive was the only executive that ever asked me, how do I see myself, how do I see my career. When he asked me that question, I knew immediately that's where I had to be... .What he sees for me, I see for myself," Keys told The Daily Telegraph.

At Arista with Davis's support, Keys finally began to record her album. However, just as Songs in A Minor was nearing completion in 1998, Davis was ousted from Arista and Keys was put on hold again. In classic Keys style she put this setback in perspective and learned something from it. She told Rolling Stone, "[i]t built my character and tested my confidence, gave me patience and better prepared me for the whole game." By 1999, Davis had formed his own label, J Records, and Keys promptly signed on as one of the label's first acts. After years of false starts and record industry mayhem, Keys was finally able to record her first album. Keys, however, was not frustrated by the delays. As she told www.mtv.com, "Ultimately, what is four years in an entire lifetime? That's the outlook I like to take on it. Nothing before its time. And the time is now. Believe that!"

Made a Major Debut

Songs in A Minor debuted at number one on the Billboard Album Chart and both the record industry and the music-loving public took notice. The first single on the album, "Fallin'," immediately went into heavy rotation on both the pop and the R&B radio stations. The album is a fresh mix of old and new, mostly R&B with a strong dose of hip-hop and a splash of jazz improvisations, all wrapped up with a classically-trained musician's sensibility. "I was born in Hell's Kitchen and spent a lot of time in Harlem, and I was exposed to a lot of different types of music, from Biggie (rapper Notorious B.I.G.) to Nirvana to Miles Davis to Nina Simone and back to classical," Keys told USA Today. "I think it was inevitable that I merge all of them I do now."

As the album held tight at the top of the charts, Keys began a dizzying schedule of tours, benefit appearances, photo shoots, and interviews. She became an MTV regular, performed at awards shows, and appeared on late night talk shows. Fan sites blossomed on the web. She bagged an MTV Music Award and scored five nominations for the 2002 American Music Awards, far outdistancing her nearest rival. Keys had become the music industry's new "it" girl. Not only could she sing, play piano, and write music, but she was also heart-achingly gorgeous.

Being Alicia Keys

Even though Keys had been training as a performer, singer, and songwriter nearly her entire life, her seemingly overnight explosion onto the music scene A-list had some crediting her success to Davis and his infamous hype machine. Just before the album debuted, Davis sent Oprah Winfrey a personal letter asking for Keys to appear on an episode of Oprah. While it is true that Davis is one of the few music industry insiders with the power to get Oprah's personal attention, it was the music that convinced Oprah and her crew to book Keys. For her part, Keys dismissed not only those that blamed her new fame on the hype surrounding her, but she also dismissed the hype itself. "I just have to continue doing what I've always done, and that is be who I am... . It's just Alicia. I like to be onstage, I like to write music, I like to make music. And that's really what the point is," she told MTV.com.

In 2003 Keys released her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. The album quickly reached the same level of success as the first one and was nominated for a Grammy award for Album of the Year, among others, and the song "If I Ain't Got You" was nominated for Song of the Year. The Diary of Alicia Keys eventually won six Grammy Awards total. With her success firmly established, in February of 2005 Keys was asked to sing "America the Beautiful" before the Super Bowl XXXIX in Florida, an honor which the young singer was happy to accept.

In April of that 2004 Keys decided that she wanted to do something good with all the fame she had and joined the nonprofit group Frum the Ground Up to help teens with self esteem and goal making. During her tour to promote her album The Diary of Alicia Keys, she visited an inner-city Chicago middle school to discuss the importance of having and following one's dreams. She had plans to visit schools in Atlanta, Washington DC, and New York City as well. Looking for other ways to get out the message that anyone could achieve their dreams if they only believed in themselves and worked hard, Keys teamed up with the WE Network for another cause. PR Newswire announced that Keys would be taking part in a new Women's Entertainment (WE) program, WE Empowers Women, an organization "supporting health, education and mentorship programs designed specifically to address and support the modern lives of women and their families." The show began airing October 1, 2005.

In June of 2004 Keys published her first book of poetry, called Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems and Lyrics. The book includes lyrics from her famous songs as well as poems from her journals and notebooks. After some of the poems she clues readers into what she was feeling and thinking at the time she wrote them.

In October of 2005 Keys released her third album, Alicia Keys: Unplugged. Critics lauded the album as being one that highlighted the excellence of Keys' voice and melodies. Chuck Taylor of Billboard magazine said of the album, "Alicia Keys' "Unplugged" is that rare album where an artist not only capably demonstrates her well-entrenched poise and ease, but reveals more warmth than in the confines of a studio." The album was her third to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. She was the first woman to have her MTV Unplugged album debut at the number one spot on the charts. And Keys was looking for other ways to expand her artistic skills. In 2006 Keys was scheduled to appear in the movie Smoking Aces as a killer, a role that should stretch the music star's skills in a large way.

Awards

Best New Artist, MTV Video Music Awards, 2001; two nominations for Best Artist, Lady of Soul Awards, 2001; five nominations, American Music Awards, 2002; six Grammy Awards for The Diary of Alicia Keys, 2005.

Further Reading

Periodicals

  • Billboard, December 18, 2004, p. 60; September 24, 2005, p. 67; October 1, 2005, p. 94; October 22, 2005, p. 68; October 29, 2005, p. 71.
  • The Daily Telegraph, (London), August 4, 2001.
  • Entertainment Weekly, October 14, 2005, p. 148.
  • Jet, December 13, 2004, p. 58; April 25, 2005, p. 38.
  • Newsweek, July 23, 2001.
  • People, August 27, 2002, p. 125; May 4, 2005, p. 36; October 17, 2005, p. 93.
  • PR Newswire, January 13, 2005; September 14, 2005.
  • Rolling Stone, July 5, 2001; November 8, 2001.
  • School Library Journal, June, 2005, p. 190.
  • USA Today, April 20, 2001, Life Section E.
Online
  • www.aliciakeys.net.
  • www.jrecords.com.
  • www.mtv.com.
  • www.worldpop.com.

— Candace LaBalle

Answer of the Day:

Alicia Keys

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Alicia Keys  
Alicia Keys
Happy 25th birthday to songstress Alicia Keys. Keys was nominated for five Grammy Awards this year, including Best R&B Song ("Unbreakable") and Best R&B Album ("Unplugged"). She was also nominated for four NAACP Image Awards, to be presented on March 3. Keys recently teamed up with Bono to record a song called, "Don't Give Up (Africa)," with all proceeds going to Keep A Child Alive, which provides medicine for Africa's children. An aspiring actress, Keys first appeared on-screen in a 1985 episode of The Cosby Show, playing a friend of Rudy's. She is currently working on two movies.

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From our Archives: Today's Highlights, January 25, 2006

Gale Musician Profiles:

Alicia Keys

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Singer, songwriter, pianist



Just three weeks after being released in the summer of 2001, Alicia Keys's debut album, Songs in A Minor, was certified triple platinum. Suddenly you couldn't open a magazine, turn on the radio, or tune into MTV without encountering the stunning Keys. With her classical training on the piano, soul-stirring lyrics, and heart-stopping voice, Keys had become a bona fide superstar. Not just another pretty face singing catchy pop, Keys wrote most of the lyrics and music, played all of the instruments, and coproduced the album. Although critics hailed her first album for its unique blend of classical and soul music, Keys herself was more modest about her innovative approach to music. As she told Margena A. Christian in Jet, "I really didn't know that I was doing it. It was kind of something that comes natural to me, studying classical for so long and having a love of soul and R&B music. It's just kind of something that fused together by itself." Keys won no less than five Grammy Awards for Songs in A Minor, and she proved her staying power by following up with the hugely successful The Diary of Alicia Keys at the end of 2003. Like her debut, this album landed in the number one spot on the Billboard 200 chart in the first week of its release.

Music Came Before Everything
Keys was born Alicia Augello Cook on January 21, 1981, in New York City to an Italian-American mother and an African-American father. Her parents did not stay together and Keys was raised by her mother, Terri Augello, a paralegal and aspiring actress. As a child, Keys didn't see much of her father, Craig Cook, however, they remained on good terms. Despite the difficult life of a single mom and the poverty in which she often struggled, Keys's mother was determined to nourish her child's budding passion for music and enrolled Keys in piano classes. Keys told Rolling Stone, "I've had a deep love for music since I was four…. Music came before everything, everything, everything. I would risk everything for it." Despite her commitment, Keys was aware of the financial strain the lessons put on her mother's meager salary and once begged to quit. "But my mom would tell me, 'Quit what you like, but you're not quitting piano.' She didn't care what it cost," Keys told Newsweek. With her mother's support, Keys learned classical piano by the time she was seven. At eleven she began writing songs.

For her high school education Keys was accepted into the prestigious Professional Performance Arts School in Manhattan where she majored in Choir and continued her piano lessons. After school she worked on her voice at a local Police Athletic League girls' club. At the same time, Keys's manager, Jeff Robinson, began booking Keys at music industry shows. "We wanted people to see that I played piano and sang," she told Rolling Stone. Keys's life became a whirlwind of studying and singing, practicing piano, and performing onstage. At school her academic talents soon paid off.

At age 16, Keys graduated early and was promptly accepted to Columbia University. At just about the same time, her musical talents also began to reap rewards and Keys found herself in a bidding war between major record companies. In the end Keys signed a deal with Columbia Records. Used to juggling both academics and music, Keys decided to stick with both Columbias. However, just four weeks into her freshman year, Keys walked away from the university. "I couldn't be in the studio at night and keep up with class," she told Rolling Stone.

Waited and Waited
Her decision to quit school soon seemed questionable as industry red tape at Columbia Records began to ensnarl Keys. She managed to score some recording time and was even given a black baby grand piano by the label, yet her talent languished. "I felt that they wanted me to be a clone of Mariah [Carey] or Whitney [Houston], and I couldn't do that. I'm not the sequined dress type, or the high-heeled type, or the all-cleavage type. I'm not coming like that for no one," she told Newsweek.

When the deal with Columbia finally fell through, the legendary music producer and president of Arista Records, Clive Davis, stepped in. Responsible for the careers of musical powerhouses such as Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Santana, Davis knew Keys was special the first time he saw her perform. "[It was] at a Christmas showcase when she was just seventeen," Davis told Rolling Stone, "I was struck immediately by her voice and beauty—it was stunning. She had everything that an artist can want." Keys was just as smitten with Davis. "Clive was the only executive that ever asked me, how do I see myself, how do I see my career. When he asked me that question, I knew immediately that's where I had to be….What he sees for me, I see for myself," Keys told The Daily Telegraph.

At Arista with Davis's support, Keys finally began to record her album. However, just as Songs in A Minor was nearing completion in 1998, Davis was ousted from Arista and Keys was put on hold again. In classic Keys style she put this setback in perspective and learned something from it. She told Rolling Stone, "[i]t built my character and tested my confidence, gave me patience and better prepared me for the whole game." By 1999, Davis had formed his own label, J Records, and Keys promptly signed on as one of the label's first acts. After years of false starts and record industry mayhem, Keys was finally able to record her first album. Keys, however, was not frustrated by the delays. As she told MTV.com, "Ultimately, what is four years in an entire lifetime? That's the outlook I like to take on it. Nothing before its time. And the time is now. Believe that!"

Made a Major Debut
Songs in A Minor debuted at number one on the Billboard Album Chart and both the record industry and the music-loving public took notice. The first single on the album, "Fallin'," immediately went into heavy rotation on both the pop and the R&B radio stations. The album is a fresh mix of old and new, mostly R&B with a strong dose of hip-hop and a splash of jazz improvisations, all wrapped up with a classically-trained musician's sensibility. "I was born in Hell's Kitchen and spent a lot of time in Harlem, and I was exposed to a lot of different types of music, from Biggie [rapper Notorious B.I.G.] to Nirvana to Miles Davis to Nina Simone and back to classical," Keys told USA Today. "I think it was inevitable that I merge all of them."

As the album held tight at the top of the charts, Keys began a dizzying schedule of tours, benefit appearances, photo shoots, and interviews. She became an MTV regular, performed at awards shows, and appeared on late night talk shows. Fan sites blossomed on the web. She bagged five Grammys, an MTV Music Award, and scored five nominations for the 2002 American Music Awards, far outdistancing her nearest rival. Keys had become the music industry's new "it" girl. Not only could she sing, play piano, and write music, but she was also heart-achingly gorgeous.

Being Alicia Keys
Even though Keys had been training as a performer, singer, and songwriter nearly her entire life, her seemingly overnight explosion onto the music scene A-list had some crediting her success to Davis and his infamous hype machine. Just before the album debuted, Davis sent Oprah Winfrey a personal letter asking for Keys to appear on an episode of Oprah. While it is true that Davis is one of the few music industry insiders with the power to get Oprah's personal attention, it was the music that convinced Oprah and her crew to book Keys. For her part, Keys dismissed not only those that blamed her new fame on the hype surrounding her, but she also dismissed the hype itself. "I just have to continue doing what I've always done, and that is be who I am…. It's just Alicia. I like to be onstage, I like to write music, I like to make music. And that's really what the point is," she told MTV.com. In an industry ruled by carefully choreographed bleach-blonde teenagers in flesh-baring outfits singing prefab pop, the multitalented Keys truly stood out.

As 2003 drew to a close, Keys got her chance to prove that she was no overnight flash in the pan. Her sophomore album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, like its predecessor, became an instant bestseller, topping the Billboard Top 200 chart in the first week of its release, and wowing critics and fans alike. The first single from Diary, "You Don't Know My Name," had an "old school classic soul feel," according to People reviewer Chuck Arnold. Featuring a mid-song spoken interlude, the song shot to the top of the charts immediately upon release. If her first two albums were any indication of what the future held, Keys seemed poised to dominate the music charts for a long time to come.

Selected discography
Songs in A Minor, J Records, 2001.
The Diary of Alicia Keys, J Records, 2003.

Sources

Periodicals
The Daily Telegraph (London, England), August 4, 2001. Jet, August 13, 2001, p. 58.
Newsweek, July 23, 2001.
People, August 27, 2001, p. 125; December 8, 2003, p. 47; December 29, 2003, p. 39.
Rolling Stone, July 5, 2001; November 8, 2001.
USA Today, April 20, 2001.

Online
"Alicia Keys: Locking It Down," MTV.com, http://www.mtv.com/bands/archive/k/keys01/index2.jhtml (January 15, 2004).
Alicia Keys Official Website, http://www.aliciakeys.net (January 15, 2004).
J Records, http://www.jrecords.com (January 15, 2004).
"Keys Unlocks Second No. 1 Debut," Billboard.com, http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2048574 (January 15, 2004).
Recording Academy Grammy Awards, http://www.grammy.com (January 15, 2004).
  • Genres: Rhythm & Blues

Biography

By mixing R&B with a sultry dose of neo-soul, Alicia Keys became an international star in 2001 with the release of her debut album. Songs in A Minor sold more than 50,000 copies during its first day of availability and eventually moved over ten million units worldwide, thus setting the stage for the 20 year-old's long career. Although she shared the charts with R&B contemporaries like Destiny's Child, Keys' talent distinguished her as a different sort of diva, one who played a variety of instruments and penned the majority of her songs without outside help. The Diary of Alicia Keys cemented her popularity two years later, and Alicia Keys spent the rest of the decade refining her now-signature sound.

Alicia Augello Cook was born in Harlem in early 1981. Raised by her Italian-American mother, she enrolled in classical piano lessons at the age of seven and began writing songs four years later. An education at the Professional Performance Arts School helped develop her vocal skills, and Alicia graduated at the age of 16 as the class valedictorian. Two Columbias loomed on the immediate horizon: Columbia University and Columbia Records, both of whom had extended offers to the talented student/musician. Although she attempted to make both options work, Alicia found it difficult to juggle the two commitments and chose to focus exclusively on her music career. Assuming the stage name of Alicia Keys, she began working with Columbia and contributed a song to the Men in Black soundtrack, but disputes with the label resulted in her contract's termination.

Keys bounced back by aligning herself with Clive Davis, the president of Arista Records, but work on her debut album stalled when Davis was ousted from the company in 2000. Davis soon formed his own label, J Records, and welcomed Keys back into the fold with an aggressive publicity campaign (including an influential appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show). Songs in A Minor was then released in June 2001 and debuted at the top of the charts, eventually netting five Grammys and rising to platinum status in ten different countries. Released in 2003, The Diary of Alicia Keys enjoyed similar Grammy-certified success, and Keys released a book of poetry the following year.

A live CD/DVD package, Unplugged, arrived in 2005 and followed Keys' two previous releases to the top of the charts, even if it failed to win any of the four Grammys for which it was nominated. Alicia Keys then entered the acting world, starring in both Smokin' Aces and The Nanny Diaries in 2007, before issuing the pop-influenced As I Am later that year. It became her fourth consecutive number one album, and she was nominated for another handful of Grammys as a result, with "Superwoman" winning the award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in early 2009. As the year drew to a close, Keys returned to the top of the Billboard charts with "Empire State of Mind," a Jay-Z single that featured her vocals, and released her fourth studio album, The Element of Freedom. Although it went platinum, The Element of Freedom didn't reach number one in the U.S., becoming her first album to miss the top slot. It did reach number one in the U.K., though, marking Keys' first chart-topping album in Europe and highlighting her status as a global artist. ~ Andrew Leahey, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Alicia Keys

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Alicia Keys

Keys in South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup kick-off concert.
Background information
Birth name Alicia Augello Cook
Also known as Lellow
Born January 25, 1981 (1981-01-25) (age 31)
Origin New York City, United States
Genres Soul, R&B, pop, hip hop, jazz, neo soul, electronic
Occupations singer-songwriter, record producer, actress
Instruments Vocals, piano, keyboards, cello, synthesizer, vocoder, guitar, bass guitar
Years active 1997–present
Labels RCA, J, Arista, Columbia
Website aliciakeys.com

Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Keys was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano. She attended Professional Performing Arts School and graduated at 16 as valedictorian. Keys released her debut album with J Records, having had previous record deals first with Columbia and then Arista Records.

Keys' debut album, Songs in A Minor, was a commercial success, selling over 12 million copies worldwide.[1] She became the best-selling new artist and best-selling R&B artist of 2001.[2] The album earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Fallin'".[3] Her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, was released in 2003 and was also another success worldwide, selling eight million copies.[4] The album garnered her an additional four Grammy Awards in 2005.[5] Later that year, she released her first live album, Unplugged, which debuted at number one in the United States.[6] She became the first female to have an MTV Unplugged album to debut at number one and the highest since Nirvana in 1994.[2]

Keys made guest appearances on several television series in the following years, beginning with Charmed. She made her film debut in Smokin' Aces and went on to appear in The Nanny Diaries in 2007. Her third studio album, As I Am, was released in the same year and sold six million copies worldwide, earning Keys an additional three Grammy Awards. The following year, she appeared in The Secret Life of Bees, which earned her a nomination at the NAACP Image Awards. She released her fourth album, The Element of Freedom, in December 2009, which became Keys' first chart-topping album in the United Kingdom. Throughout her career, Keys has won numerous awards and has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and 25 million singles, which makes her one of the best selling artists of all time. Billboard magazine named her the top R&B artist of the 2000–2009 decade, establishing herself as one of the best-selling artists of her time. In 2010, VH1 included Keys on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[7] Billboard magazine placed her number ten on their list of Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years.[8]

Contents

Life and career

1981–96: Early life

Keys was born Alicia Augello Cook on January 25, 1981, in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan, in New York City.[9][10][11] She is the only child of Teresa Augello, a paralegal and part-time actress, and Craig Cook, a flight attendant.[12][13][14][15] Keys' mother is of Italian, Scottish, and Irish descent, and her father is African American;[16] Keys has expressed that she was comfortable with her biracial heritage because she felt she was able to "relate to different cultures".[10][17] Her parents separated when she was two and she was subsequently raised by her mother during her formative years in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan.[18] In 1985, Keys made an appearance on The Cosby Show at the age of four, where she and a group of girls played the parts of Rudy Huxtable's sleepover guests in the episode "Slumber Party".[19][20] Throughout her childhood, Keys was sent to music and dance classes by her mother.[21] She began playing the piano when she was seven and learned classical music by composers such as Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin.[12] Keys enrolled in the Professional Performing Arts School at the age of 12, where she majored in choir and began writing songs at the age of 14.[13][22] She graduated in three years as valedictorian at the age of 16.[23]

In 1994 Keys met long-term manager Jeff Robinson after she enrolled in his brother's after-school program.[24] The following year Robinson introduced Keys to her future A&R at Arista Records, Peter Edge, who later described his first impressions to HitQuarters: "I had never met a young R&B artist with that level of musicianship. So many people were just singing on top of loops and tracks, but she had the ability, not only to be part of hip-hop, but also to go way beyond that."[25] Edge helped Robinson create a showcase for Keys and also got involved in developing her demo material. He was keen to sign Keys himself but was unable to do so at that time due to being on the verge of leaving his present record company. Keys signed to Columbia Records soon after.[25] At the same time as signing a recording contract with Columbia Records, Keys was accepted into Columbia University. At first, Keys attempted to manage both but after four weeks dropped out of college to pursue her musical career fulltime.[23][26]

1997–2000: Career beginnings

Keys signed a demo deal with Jermaine Dupri and So So Def Recordings, where she appeared on the label's Christmas album performing "The Little Drummer Girl". She also co-wrote and recorded a song entitled "Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1997 film, Men in Black.[26] The song was Keys' first professional recording; however, it was never released as a single and her record contract with Columbia ended after a dispute with the label. Keys was unhappy with the label because her career had stalled during her two years under contract at Columbia due to executive indecision over her direction and major changes within the company.[25] Keys called Clive Davis, who sensed a "special, unique" artist from her performance and signed her to Arista Records, which later disbanded.[9][10] Keys almost chose Wilde as her stage name until her manager suggested the name Keys after a dream he had. Keys felt that name represented her both as a performer and person.[27] Following Davis to his newly formed J Records label, she worked with Kerry "Krucial" Brothers and recorded the songs "Rock wit U" and "Rear View Mirror", which were featured on the soundtracks to the films Shaft (2000) and Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), respectively.[28][29]

2001–2002: Songs in A Minor

Keys released her first studio album, Songs in A Minor, in June 2001. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 236,000 copies in its first week.[32] The album sold over 6.2 million copies in the United States,[33] where it was certified six times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[34] It went on to sell over 12 million copies worldwide,[35] establishing Keys' popularity both inside and outside the United States, where she became the best-selling new artist and best-selling R&B artist of 2001.[2] The album's lead single, "Fallin'", spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.[36] The album's second single, "A Woman's Worth", was released in February 2002 and peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, as her second Top 10 single in both charts.[37] The album's third single, "How Come You Don't Call Me", was released in June 2002 and peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 30 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The album's fourth single, "Girlfriend", was released in November 2002 in UK and peaked at number 82 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The following year, the album was reissued as Remixed & Unplugged in A Minor, which included eight remixes and seven unplugged versions of the songs from the original.

Keys performing in Frankfurt, Germany, 2002

Songs in A Minor led Keys to win five awards at the 2002 Grammy Awards: Song of the Year, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Best R&B Song for "Fallin'", Best New Artist, and Best R&B Album; "Fallin'" was also nominated for Record of the Year. Keys became the second female solo artist to win five Grammy Awards in a single night, following Lauryn Hill at the 41st Grammy Awards.[38] That same year, she collaborated with Christina Aguilera for the latter's upcoming album Stripped on a song entitled "Impossible", which Keys wrote, co-produced, and provided with background vocals.[39] During the early 2000s, Keys also made small cameos in television series Charmed and American Dreams.[12]

2003–2005: The Diary of Alicia Keys and Unplugged

Keys followed up her debut with The Diary of Alicia Keys, which was released in December 2003. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 618,000 copies its first week of release, becoming the largest first-week sales for a female artist in 2003.[40] It sold 4.4 million copies in the United States and was certified four times Platinum by the RIAA.[34][41] It sold eight million copies worldwide,[42] becoming the sixth biggest-selling album by a female artist and the second biggest-selling album by a female R&B artist.[43] The album's lead single, "You Don't Know My Name", peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for eight consecutive weeks, his first Top 10 single in both charts since 2002's "A Woman's Worth ". The album's second single, "If I Ain't Got You", was released in February 2004 and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for six weeks. The album's third single, "Diary", peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, being their third consecutive Top 10 single in both charts. The album's fourth and final single, "Karma", which peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 17 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, first release to fail to achieve top ten status on both charts. "If I Ain't Got You" became the first single by a female artist to remain on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for over a year.[44][45][46][47][48] Keys also collaborated with recording artist Usher on the song "My Boo" from his 2004 album, Confessions (Special Edition). The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for three weeks, became her first number-one single in Hot 100 since 2001's "Fallin'".

Keys won Best R&B Video for "If I Ain't Got You" at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards; she performed the song and "Higher Ground" with Lenny Kravitz and Stevie Wonder.[49][50] Later that year, Keys released her novel Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems and Lyrics, a collection of unreleased poems from her journals and lyrics. The title derived from one of her poems, "Love and Chains" from the line: "I don't mind drinking my tears for water."[51] She said the title is the foundation of her writing because "everything I have ever written has stemmed from my tears of joy, of pain, of sorrow, of depression, even of question".[52] The book sold over US$500,000 and Keys made The New York Times bestseller list in 2005.[53][54] The following year, she won a second consecutive award for Best R&B Video at the MTV Video Music Awards for the video "Karma".[55] Keys performed "If I Ain't Got You" and then joined Jamie Foxx and Quincy Jones in a rendition of "Georgia on My Mind", the Hoagy Carmichael song made famous by Ray Charles in 1960 at the 2005 Grammy Awards.[56] That evening, she won four Grammy Awards: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "If I Ain't Got You", Best R&B Song for "You Don't Know My Name", Best R&B Album for The Diary of Alicia Keys, and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" for "My Boo" with Usher.[57]

Keys performed and taped her installment of the MTV Unplugged series in July 2005 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.[58] During this session, Keys added new arrangements to her original songs and performed a few choice covers.[59] The session was released on CD and DVD in October 2005. Simply titled Unplugged, the album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with 196,000 units sold in its first week of release.[60] The album sold one million copies in the United States, where it was certified Platinum by the RIAA, and two million copies worldwide.[12][34][61] The debut of Keys' Unplugged was the highest for an MTV Unplugged album since Nirvana's 1994 MTV Unplugged in New York and the first Unplugged by a female artist to debut at number one.[2] The album's first single, "Unbreakable", peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[62] It remained at number one on the Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay for 11 weeks.[63] The album's second and final single, "Every Little Bit Hurts", was released in January 2006, it failed to enter the U.S. charts.

Keys opened a recording studio in Long Island, New York, called The Oven Studios, which she co-owns with her production and songwriting partner Kerry "Krucial" Brothers.[64] The studio was designed by renowned studio architect John Storyk of WSDG, designer of Jimi Hendrix' Electric Lady Studios. Keys and Brothers are the co-founders of KrucialKeys Enterprises, a production and songwriting team who assisted Keys in creating her albums as well as create music for other artists.[65]

2006–2008: Film debut and As I Am

In 2006, Keys won three NAACP Image Awards, including Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Song for "Unbreakable".[66] She also received the Starlight Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.[67] In October 2006, she played the voice of Mommy Martian in the "Mission to Mars" episode of the children's television series The Backyardigans, in which she sang an original song, "Almost Everything Is Boinga Here".[68] That same year, Keys nearly suffered a mental breakdown. Her grandmother had died and her family was heavily dependent on her. She felt she needed to "escape" and went to Egypt for three weeks. She explained: "That trip was definitely the most crucial thing I've ever done for myself in my life to date. It was a very difficult time that I was dealing with, and it just came to the point where I really needed to—basically, I just needed to run away, honestly. And I needed to get as far away as possible."[69][70]

Keys made her film debut in early 2007 in the crime film Smokin' Aces, co-starring as an assassin named Georgia Sykes opposite Ben Affleck and Andy García. Keys received much praise from her co-stars in the film; Reynolds said that Keys was "so natural" and that she would "blow everybody away". Smokin' Aces had a hit moderate performance at the box office, earning only $57,103,895 worldwide during its theatrical run.[71][72] In the same year, Keys earned further praise for her second film, The Nanny Diaries, based on the 2002 novel of the same name, where she co-starred alongside Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans. The Nanny Diaries had a hit moderate performance at the box office, earning only $44,638,886 worldwide during its theatrical run.[73] She also guest starred as herself in the "One Man Is an Island" episode of the drama series Cane.[74]

Keys performing live, March 20, 2008

Keys released her third studio album, As I Am, in November 2007; it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 742,000 copies in its first week. It gained Keys her largest first week sales of her career and became her fourth consecutive number one album, tying her with Britney Spears for the most consecutive number-one debuts on the Billboard 200 by a female artist.[75][76] The week became the second largest sales week of 2007 and the largest sales week for a female solo artist since singer Norah Jones' album Feels like Home in 2004.[77] The album has sold nearly four million copies in the United States and has been certified three times Platinum by the RIAA.[78][79] It has sold nearly six million copies worldwide.[80] Keys received five nominations for As I Am at the 2008 American Music Award and ultimately won two.[81] The album's lead single, "No One", peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for fifth consecutive weeks and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for ten consecutive weeks, became her first number-one single in Hot 100 since 2004's "My Boo" and becoming Keys' third and fifth number-one single on each chart, respectively.[82] The album's second single, "Like You'll Never See Me Again", was released in late 2007 and peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for seven consecutive weeks. From October 27, 2007, when "No One" reached No. 1, through February 16, 2008, the last week "Like You'll Never See Me Again" was at No. 1, the Keys was on top of the chart for 17 weeks, more consecutive weeks than any other artist in Hot R&B/Hip/Hop Songs chart.[83] The album's third single, "Teenage Love Affair", which peaked at number 54 on the 'Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[83] The album's fourth and final single, "Superwoman", which peaked at number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[83][84]

Keys performing at the 2008 Summer Sonic Festival in Tokyo, Japan

"No One" earned Keys the awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song at the 2008 Grammy Awards.[85] Keys opened the ceremony singing Frank Sinatra's 1950s song "Learnin' the Blues" as a "duet" with archival footage of Sinatra in video and "No One" with John Mayer later in the show.[86] Keys also won Best Female R&B Artist during the show.[87] She starred in "Fresh Takes", a commercial micro-series created by Dove Go Fresh, which premiered during The Hills on MTV from March to April 2008. The premiere celebrated the launch of new Dove Go Fresh.[88] She also signed a deal as spokesperson with Glacéau's VitaminWater to endorse the product,[89] and was in an American Express commercial for the "Are you a Cardmember?" campaign.[90] Keys, along with The White Stripes' guitarist and lead vocalist Jack White, recorded the theme song to Quantum of Solace, the first duet in Bond soundtrack history.[91] In 2008, Keys was ranked in at number 80 the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists.[92] She also starred in The Secret Life of Bees, a film adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's acclaimed 2003 bestseller novel of the same name alongside Jennifer Hudson, Dakota Fanning, Paul Bettany and Queen Latifah, released in October 2008 via Fox Searchlight. The Secret Life of Bees had a hit moderate performance at the box office, earning only $39,947,322 worldwide during its theatrical run.[93] Her role earned her a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards.[94] She also received three nominations at the 2009 Grammy Awards and won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Superwoman".[95]

In an interview with Blender magazine, Keys allegedly said "'Gangsta rap' was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other, 'gangsta rap' didn't exist" and went on to say that it was created by "the government". The magazine also claimed she said that Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. were "essentially assassinated, their beefs stoked by the government and the media, to stop another great black leader from existing".[22] Keys later wrote a statement clarifying the issues and saying her words were misinterpreted.[96] Later that year, Keys was criticized by anti-smoking campaigners after billboard posters for her forthcoming concerts in Indonesia featured a logo for the A Mild cigarette brand sponsored by tobacco firm Philip Morris. She apologized after discovering that the concert was sponsored by the firm and asked for "corrective actions". In response, the company withdrew its sponsorship.[97]

2009–2010 The Element of Freedom, marriage and motherhood

Keys on the red carpet at the 2009 American Music Awards.

Keys and manager Jeff Robinson signed a film production deal to develop live-action and animated projects with Disney. Their first film will be a remake of the 1958 comedy Bell, Book and Candle and will star Keys as a witch who casts a love spell to lure a rival's fiancé.[98] Keys and Robinson also formed a television production company called Big Pita.[99] Keys and Robinson will develop live-action and animated projects from their company, Big Pita and Little Pita, with Keys as producer, thespian, banner spearheading soundtrack and music supervision.[100]

Keys collaborated with the record producer Swizz Beatz to write and produce "Million Dollar Bill" for Whitney Houston's seventh studio album, I Look to You. Keys had approached Clive Davis for permission to submit a song for the album.[101] Keys also collaborated with the recording artist Jay-Z on the song "Empire State of Mind" from his 2009 album, The Blueprint 3. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and became her fourth number-one single on that chart.[102] At the 53rd Grammy Awards ceremony, "Empire State of Mind" won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Rap Song. It had also been one of the five nominees for Record of the Year.[103]

Keys during the As I Am Tour in Lisbon.

The following month, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers honored Keys with the Golden Note Award, an award given to artists "who have achieved extraordinary career milestones".[104] She collaborated with Spanish recording artist Alejandro Sanz for "Looking for Paradise", which topped the Hot Latin Songs chart, this was Keys' first number one on all three charts, which also made her the first African-American of non-Hispanic origin to reach #1 on the Hot Latin Tracks.[105] Keys released her fourth studio album, The Element of Freedom, in December 2009.[106] It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 417,000 copies in its first week.[107] As part of the promotional drive for the album, she performed at the Cayman Island Jazz Festival on December 5, the final night of the three day festival which will be broadcast on Black Entertainment Television (BET).[108] The album's lead single, "Doesn't Mean Anything", has peaked at number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 14 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[106] Keys was ranked as the top R&B recording artist of the 2000–2009 decade by Billboard magazine and ranked at number five as artist of the decade, while her song, "No One", was ranked at number six on the magazine's songs of the decade.[109][110][111] In the United Kingdom, The Element of Freedom became Keys' first album to top the UK Albums Chart.[112] The album's second single, "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart", was released in November 2009 and peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The album's third single, "Put It in a Love Song", featuring Grammy-winner Beyoncé, peaked at number 60 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The music video for the single, which was filmed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has been postponed several times, and later it was confirmed that Alicia Keys' team made a decision not to release the video. The album's fourth single, "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down", was released in February 2010 and peaked at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 76 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The album's fifth single, "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)", was released in May 2010 and peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, for twelve consecutive weeks and became the album's most successful single, becoming Keys' eighth number-one single on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album's sixth and final single, "Wait Til You See My Smile", was released in December 2010 in the U.K only.

Keys at the Walmart Shareholders Meeting 2011.

In May 2009, Swizz Beatz announced that he and Keys were romantically involved,[113] and in May 2010, a representative for Keys and Swizz Beatz confirmed that they were engaged and expecting a child together.[114] During the time of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the couple took part of a union and had the unborn child blessed in a Zulu ceremony, which took place in the Illovo suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa.[115] Keys and Swizz Beatz were married on the French island of Corsica on July 31, 2010.[116][117] On October 14, 2010, Keys gave birth to a son, Egypt Daoud Ibarr Dean, in New York City.[118]

2011 – present: Ten Year Celebration, Project 5, Stick Fly and Upcoming New Album

In June 2011, Songs in A Minor was re-released as deluxe and collector's editions in commemoration of its 10th anniversary.[119] To support the release, Keys embarked on a four-city promotional tour, entitled Piano & I: A One Night Only Event With Alicia Keys, featuring only her piano. Keys is also set to co-produce the Broadway premiere of Stick Fly, which will open in December 2011.[120] On September 26, 2011, was the premiere of Project 5 known as Five, short film that marks the debut of Alicia Keys as a director. It is a documentary of five episodes that tell stories of five women who were victims of breast cancer and how it affected their lives. The production also has co-direction of the actresses Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore and film director Patty Jenkins.[121]

On September 23, she performed at iHeart Music Festival and sang her new song "A Place Of My Own", which is present in her fifth studio album.[122][123] On October 7, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding J Records along with Arista Records and Jive Records. With the shutdown, Keys (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release her future material on RCA Records.[124][125]

Musical style

An accomplished pianist, Keys incorporates piano into a majority of her songs and often writes about love, heartbreak and female empowerment.[10][53] She has cited several musicians as her inspirations, including Prince, Nina Simone, Barbra Streisand, Marvin Gaye, Quincy Jones, Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder.[126][127][128] Keys' style is rooted in gospel and vintage soul music, supplemented by bass and programmed drumbeats.[129] She heavily incorporates classical piano with R&B, soul and jazz into her music.[130][131] She began experimenting with other genres, including pop and rock, in her third studio album, As I Am,[129][132][133] transitioning from neo soul to a 1980s and 1990s R&B sound with her fourth album, The Element of Freedom.[134][135] Patrick Huguenin of the New York Daily News stated that her incorporation of classical piano riffs contributed to her breakout success.[44] Jet magazine states she "thrives" by touching her fans with "piano mastery, words and melodious voice".[136] The Independent described her style as consisting of "crawling blues coupled with a hip-hop backbeat", noting that her lyrics "rarely stray from matters of the heart".[137] Blender magazine referred to her as "the first new pop artist of the millennium who was capable of changing music."[138]

Keys playing the piano while performing, surrounded by three backing vocalists

Keys has a vocal range of a contralto, which spans three octaves.[44][139] She can sing from B flat over an octave below middle C (B2) to B below soprano C (B5). Often referred to as the "Princess of Soul",[30][137] Keys has been commended as having a strong, raw and impassioned voice;[140][141] others feel that her voice is "emotionally manufactured" at times and that she pushes her voice out of its natural range.[140][141] Keys' songwriting is often criticized for lack of depth, which has led to her writing abilities being called limited.[140] Her lyrics have been called generic, clichéd and that her songs revolve around generalities.[129][140] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune feels that she "[pokes] around for multi-format hits rather than trying to project any sort of artistic vision".[141] Diversely, Jon Pareles of Blender magazine stated that the musical composition of her songs makes up for their lyrical weakness,[132] while Gregory Stephen Tate of The Village Voice compared Keys' writing and production to 1970s music.[142]

Joanna Hunkin of The New Zealand Herald reviewed one of Keys' performances, where Kylie Minogue also attended. She described Minogue's reaction to Keys' performance, saying "it was obvious she was just as much of a fan as the 10,000 other people at Vector Arena". She went on to say that Minogue was "the original pop princess bowing down to the modern-day queen of soul".[143] Hunkin characterized Keys' opening performance as a "headbanging, hip-gyrating performance" and her energy as "high-octane energy most bands save for their closing finale". At the end of her two-hour performance, fans "screamed, stomped and begged for a second encore".[143] Hillary Crosley and Mariel Concepcion of Billboard magazine noted that her shows are "extremely coordinated" with the audience's attention span "consistently maintained". The show ended with a standing ovation and Keys "proved that a dynamic performance mixed with superior musicianship always wins".[144] Throughout her career, Keys has won numerous awards and is listed on the Recording Industry Association of America's best-selling artists in the United States, with 15 million certified albums.[145] She has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and has established herself as one of the best-selling artists of her time.[19][142][146]

Philanthropy

Keys performing at the Live Earth concert

Keys is the co-founder and Global Ambassador of Keep a Child Alive, a non-profit organization that provides medicine to families with HIV and AIDS in Africa.[147] Keys and U2 lead singer Bono recorded a cover version of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush's "Don't Give Up", in recognition of World AIDS Day 2005. Keys and Bono's version of the song was retitled "Don't Give Up (Africa)" to reflect the nature of the charity it was benefiting.[148][149] She visited African countries such as Uganda, Kenya and South Africa to promote care for children affected by AIDS.[150][151][152] Her work in Africa was documented in the documentary Alicia in Africa: Journey to the Motherland and was available in April 2008.[153]

Keys has also donated to Frum tha Ground Up, a non-profit organization that aids children and teenagers with scholarships.[154][155] She performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the worldwide Live 8 concerts to raise awareness of the poverty in Africa and to pressure the G8 leaders to take action.[156] In 2005, Keys performed on ReAct Now: Music & Relief and Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast, two benefit programs that raised money for those affected by Hurricane Katrina.[157][158] In July 2007, Keys and Keith Urban performed The Rolling Stones' 1969 song "Gimme Shelter" at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey at the American leg of the Live Earth concerts.[159][160]

Keys performed Donny Hathaway's 1973 song "Someday We'll All Be Free" at the America: A Tribute to Heroes televised benefit concert following the September 11 attacks.[161] She participated in the Nobel Peace Prize Concert which took place at the Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway, on December 11, 2007, along with other various artists.[162] She recorded a theme song for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. She joined Joss Stone and Jay-Z on the effort, which served as a theme song for Obama's campaign.[163] For her work, Keys was honored at the 2009 BET Awards with the Humanitarian Award.[164] Keys performed the song "Prelude to a Kiss", retitled "Send Me an Angel", from her 2007 album As I Am for the "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" telethon in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[165]

Discography

Live albums

Tours

An African-American female singing into a microphone on a stand. She is wearing large hoop earrings and a silver sleeveless shirt.
Keys at Tokyo Summer Sonic 2008.
Year Title Number of
performances
2001/2002 Songs in A Minor Tour
58
2004 Verizon Ladies First Tour
25
2005 The Diary Tour
36
2008 As I Am Tour
94
2010 The Freedom Tour
50
2011 Piano & I: A One Night Only Event With Alicia Keys
5

Filmography

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1985 The Cosby Show Maria "Slumber Party" (season 1, episode 22)
2001 Charmed P3 VIP Patron (uncredited) "Size Matters" (season 4, episode 5)
2003 American Dreams Fontella Bass "Rescue Me" (season 2, episode 6)
The Proud Family Herself (voice) "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (season 3, episode 46)
2005 Sesame Street Herself Season 36
2006 The Backyardigans Mommy Martian (voice) "Mission to Mars" (season 2, episode 1)
2007 Cane Herself "One Man Is an Island" (season 1, episode 7)
Elmo's Christmas Countdown Herself Christmas television special
2008 Dove "Fresh Takes" Alex Starred in all five episodes
2010 American Idol (season 9) Herself Mentor
Film
Year Title Role Notes
2007 Smokin' Aces Georgia Sykes Debut film
Main role
The Nanny Diaries Lynette Support role
2008 The Secret Life of Bees June Boatwright Main role
Director
Year Title Type Notes
2004 Karma Music video MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video
2011 Project 5 Short film/Documentary

See also

References

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  2. ^ a b c d Anitai, Tamar (2007-11-12). "MTV Artist of the Week: Alicia Keys". MTV News. http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/2007/11/12/mtv-artist-of-the-week-alicia-keys/. Retrieved 2008-07-05. 
  3. ^ "Yes, America, Amy Winehouse Is a Star". BBC America. 2008-02-11. http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/23/anglophenia.jsp?bc_id=899. Retrieved 2009-07-05. 
  4. ^ Batey, Angus (2007-11-10). "The ascent of Alicia Keys". The Times (London: News Corporation). http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article2819353.ece. Retrieved 2009-07-05. 
  5. ^ "2005 Grammy Award Winners". CBS News. 2005-02-13. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/14/in_depth_showbiz/main673822.shtml. Retrieved 2009-07-05. 
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  7. ^ Who Will Come Out On Top Of VH1’s 100 Greatest Artists Of All Time?
  8. ^ "Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years". Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. November 18, 2010. http://www.billboard.com/#/column/the-juice/the-top-50-r-b-hip-hop-artists-of-the-past-1004127916.story?page=5. Retrieved January 6, 2012. 
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  10. ^ a b c d "Interview: Alicia Keys". The Guardian (London: Guardian Media Group). November 2, 2001. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2001/nov/02/shopping.artsfeatures9. Retrieved January 6, 2009. 
  11. ^ Mervis, Scott (April 17, 2008). "Music Preview: Through her first several records, Alicia Keys has a golden touch". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Block Communications). http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08108/873962-42.stm. Retrieved November 22, 2009. 
  12. ^ a b c d "Alicia Keys: Biography". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/alicia-keys/news/artists/8828/53132/53164. Retrieved November 2, 2010. [dead link]
  13. ^ a b "Alicia Keys". China Daily. China Daily Group. September 7, 2004. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-09/07/content_372259.htm. Retrieved December 16, 2008. 
  14. ^ Iley, Chrissy (February 24, 2008). "Alicia Keys, the girl who made Bob Dylan weep". The Times (London: News Corporation). http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article3403940.ece. Retrieved December 16, 2008. 
  15. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (January 12, 2006). "Alicia Keys' Early Years To Be Made Into A TV Series". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1520667/20060112/keys_alicia.jhtml. Retrieved November 3, 2008. 
  16. ^ "A lot of people believe I'm part Jamaican, though I'm not. I'm definitely black and Italian and a little Irish or Scottish" – Bream, Jon (April 28, 2008). "More Keys to Alicia's Life". StarTribune.com. http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/18138354.html?elr=KArksD:aDyaEP:kD:aUt:aDyaEP:kD:aUiacyKUUr. Retrieved November 13, 2009. 
  17. ^ "Alicia Keys – Keys Avoids Mixed Race Abuse". Keys first appeared at a Talent show on "Jenny Jones" where she preformed along side "three little women" who were also an unknown group at the time. Both were signed to a record deal after the performance.Contactmusic.com. December 1, 2004. http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/story/keys-avoids-mixed-race-abuse. Retrieved August 21, 2009. 
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Further reading

External links

Media related to Alicia Keys at Wikimedia Commons

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Macy Gray
MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist
2001
Succeeded by
Avril Lavigne
Preceded by
Nelly
BET Award for Best New Artist
2002
Succeeded by
50 Cent
Preceded by
Carl Thomas
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist
2002
Succeeded by
Ashanti



 
 

 

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Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Alicia Keys Read more

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