Alicia Keys Biography (1981- )

Alicia Keys has gained notoriety by channeling and putting a fresh twist on the soul music of the 1970s.

Alicia Keys: Early Life and Career

Harlem, New York native Alicia Keys was born Alicia J. Augello-Cook on January 25, 1981. Alicia Keys began playing piano at age 7. At age 16 Alicia Cook became known as Alicia Keys owing to her skillful piano playing. Also at 16 Alicia Keys graduated as valedictorian of her high school class. Passing on a scholarship to Columbia University, Alicia Keys chose to sign a contract with Columbia Records in order to pursue a career in music. Alicia Keys’ stint with Columbia Records was short, resulting in one song which was never released as a single. Soon thereafter, Alicia Keys met music producer and executive Clive Davis, who signed Alicia Keys to Arista Records. Alicia Keys followed Davis from Arista to his label J Records.

Alicia Keys: Songs in A Minor

In 2001 Alicia Keys released her debut album Songs in A Minor. The album was an instant success, selling over 235,000 copies in its first week and debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The album has sold over 10 million copies globally and effectively established Alicia Keys as an international star. Songs in A Minor spawned two top 10 singles, “Fallin’” which spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and “A Woman’s Worth” which peaked at No. 7. Songs in A Minor netted Alicia Keys five Grammy wins in one night, giving her the distinction of being the second female solo artist in history to win as many, the first being Lauryn Hill. Since then, Norah Jones, Beyoncè and Amy Winehouse have joined Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill in the exclusive club. Contrary to the title, only one song on Songs in A Minor is done in the key of A Minor. The title of the six-times platinum album is a reference to Alicia Key’s youth at the time.

Alicia Keys: Pages from a Diary

Following up on a successful debut, Alicia Keys released The Diary of Alicia Keys in 2003. The album debuted at No. 1, selling 618,000 copies in its first week. The Diary of Alicia Keys has sold 8 million copies worldwide. The Diary of Alicia Keys spawned two Top 5 singles with the Kanye West produced “You Don’t Know My Name” and “If I Ain’t Got You” as well as a Top 10 single “Diary”. Alicia Keys also won Grammy awards for Best R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “If I Ain’t Got You” and Best R&B song for “You Don’t Know My Name”. ABC News compared Alicia Keys’ vocals on “If I Ain’t Got You” to another Clive Davis protégé: Grammy Award-winning Whitney Houston. People Magazine wrote that Alicia Keys “honors R&B’s Golden Age” in reference to The Diary of Alicia Keys.

Alicia Keys: Unplugged

Alicia Keys released her first live album in 2005. Unplugged was Alicia Keys’ installment in the series MTV Unplugged which features artists performing with live instruments. Fans wondered what more Alicia Keys could bring to Unplugged because she performed with instruments regularly in her early career. As Blender Magazine reported, Alicia Keys had plenty more to offer. Alicia Keys’ emotionally charged performance was recorded at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. When the album was released it debuted at No. 1, giving Alicia Keys the distinction of having the highest debut for Unplugged since Nirvana’s 1994 installment. Unplugged garnered Alicia Keys three Grammy nominations, including Best R&B Album.

Alicia Keys: Acting

Alicia Keys’ acting career began long before her appearance in 2007’s Smokin’ Aces. In 1985 Alicia Keys made a cameo appearance in an episode of hit sitcom The Cosby Show. In October 2006 Alicia Keys lent her voice to a character on animated series The Backyardigans. Making her big screen debut in Smokin’ Aces, Alicia Keys earned praise for her natural acting abilities. Further praise came with Alicia Keys’ appearance in 2007’s The Nanny Diaries. Alicia Keys also starred in an MTV miniseries “Fresh Takes” in 2008. Alicia Keys’ next acting job will be in the upcoming film The Secret Life of Bees alongside Jennifer Hudson and Queen Latifah.

Alicia Keys: The As I Am Tour

As I Am is Alicia Keys’ third studio album. 2007’s As I Am sold 742,000 copies in its first week. It was the largest selling first week ever for a female R&B artist, and the largest-grossing first week in Alicia Keys’ career. As I Am also marked Alicia Keys’ fourth album to debut at No. 1 tying her with Britney Spears for the most consecutive No. 1 debuts by a female artist. The New York Times calls it Alicia Keys’ “strongest effort yet”. In 2008 Alicia Keys won two Grammy awards for the album’s single “No One”. As of January 2008 the album is certified four times platinum. In 2008 Alicia Keys is touring the nation on the As I Am Tour. Don’t miss your chance to see the multi-talented singer, songwriter, producer, pianist and actress performing live in arenas nationwide!