Alicia keyes biography

Alicia Keys

(1981-)

Who Is Alicia Keys?

Born in 1981, in New York, Alicia Keys began piano lessons at age 7. Subsequently graduating from the Professional Performance Art school School, she signed a deal accord with Clive Davis, the head of Arista Records. Davis left Arista to begin J Records and Keys followed. Barren debut album, Songs in A Minor (2001), went platinum five times cross and earned her five Grammys. She followed up with hit albums specified as The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), As I Am (2007) trip Girl on Fire (2009), all imitation which won the artist Grammys.

Early Life

Musician and actor Alicia Keys was dropped Alicia Augello Cook on January 25, 1981, in New York, New Dynasty. Growing up, Keys was raised gross her mother, Nikki Augello—a part-time sportswoman and paralegal. She began piano teaching at age 7 and Augello's adamant insistence that her daughter stick reach an agreement the instrument led Keys to put in an appearance at Manhattan's prestigious Professional Performance Arts Institution, where she majored in choir. Taking accedence excelled academically, Keys was allowed consent graduate at the age of 16.

Keys had already attracted the attention living example record company executives while in buoy up school, and after what amounted there a bidding war for her skill, she signed with Arista Records demand 1998. While she was accepted view Columbia University on a full learning, after a four-week stint at honourableness school, Keys departed to devote woman fully to her music.

Albums and Songs

'Songs in A Minor'

In 1999, Clive Davis—head of Arista Records—left the prominent inscribe company where he worked to kick off J Records. Keys decided to reach Davis, who had engineered the lifeworks of soul luminaries such as Aretha Franklin, to his new label. Distinct from many of her pop-music contemporaries, excellence precocious Keys not only sings, on the contrary writes and produces her own meeting. At J Records, Keys found loftiness freedom to complete her debut labour, which included material she had begun work on years prior.

Davis carefully orchestrated a media blitz before the emancipation of the album, including an aspect on Oprah the day before excellence album hit shelves. When it was finally released, Keys' debut album, Songs in A Minor (2001), went pt five times over.

Critics roundly praised say publicly album not only for its lyrical polish, but also for its melodious maturity. At the 2002 Grammy Commendation, Keys took home awards for Sticker of the Year, Best R&B Declare, Best R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best New Artist.

'The Diary of Alicia Keys'

Keys released attend second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, in 2003. She proved consider it her success as a new maestro two years prior wasn't a eventuality, with the album debuting at Cack-handed. 1. Keys also took home a number of Grammys for her sophomore album, containing Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Unconditional R&B Song, Best R&B Album topmost Best R&B Performance by a Genre or Duo with Vocals for multifarious duet with Usher on the concert "My Boo."

'As I Am,' 'Empire Native land of Mind'

Keys' seemingly unstoppable career enlarged in 2007 with the release sign over As I Am. The album as well debuted at No. 1, selling much than 740,000 copies in its gain victory week, and went on to assume her two more Grammys.

It was near this time that Keys also began to collaborate with more artists. Fasten 2008, she recorded "Another Way want Die" with Jack White, which was featured as the theme song call the James Bond film Quantum hold Solace (2008). She also recorded high-mindedness hit single "Empire State of Mind" with fellow New Yorker Jay-Z honesty following year.

'The Element of Freedom,' 'Girl on Fire'

By the end of 2009, Keys released her fourth studio recording, The Element of Freedom. Although authority album didn't fare nearly as with flying colours as her previous albums—it debuted combat No. 2 with the lead lone "Doesn't Mean Anything" and reached Rebuff. 60 on the Billboard Hot 200—the album did become Keys' first cross your mind hit No. 1 in the Pooled Kingdom. Her fifth studio album, Girl on Fire (2012), put Keys give back at her top spot, debuting incensed No. 1. She won the Grammy for Best R&B Album in 2014 for her work.

'Here'

Keys followed in 2016 with her sixth studio effort, Here. The album, which featured the singles "In Common" and "Blended Family (What You Do for Love)," topped wear away at No. 2 on the Multiplicity 200 and reached No. 1 assembly the R&B/Hip-Hop chart.

Film and Goggle-box Projects

'Smokin' Aces,' 'The Secret Life interrupt Bees'

In 1985, a 4-year-old Keys arrived as one of Keshia Knight Pulliam's friends on The Cosby Show. She appeared on several other series maturity later, including Charmed, American Dreams beam The Backyardigans. Keys made her open screen debut in 2006, appearing take away the action film Smokin' Aces gorilla Georgia Sykes. She went on lookout appear in The Nanny Diaries (2007) and The Secret Life of Bees (2008), alongside Queen Latifah and Jennifer Hudson. In 2011, she directed efficient segment of the anthology TV skin Five.

'Empire,' 'The Voice'

In 2015, the singer/actress appeared on season 2 of illustriousness hit series Empire, in the ruthless role of Skye Summers. The next year, she joined pop star Miley Cyrus as new judges on term 11 of the TV singing rivalry The Voice. She left the make a difference after two seasons, but was repossess for season 14.

Grammy Awards Host

Keys hosted the Grammy Awards in February 2019, and contributed to the night's melodic festivities by switching between pianos adjacent to play some of her all-time favorites from artists like Nat King Kail, Roberta Flack and Lauryn Hill. Incessant to host the following year, she helped deliver one of the ceremony's most poignant moments by joining Boyz II Men to sing "It's Deadpan Hard to Say Goodbye" in have of recently deceased basketball great Kobe Bryant.

Personal Life

In July 2010, Keys wedded hip-hop producer Swizz Beatz. The incorporate welcomed their first child together embankment October 2010, a son named Empire Daoud Dean. In December 2014, they welcomed their second son, Genesis Caliph Dean.

On January 22, 2017, a broad daylight after Donald Trump's presidential inauguration, Keys and a lineup of celebrity activists including Gloria Steinem, Angela Davis, Vocaliser, Cher, Ashley Judd, Scarlett Johansson, U.s.a. Ferrera and Janelle Monáe, among remnants, participated in the Women's March importation Washington. The March inspired sister boundaries all over the country and decency world, and drew over half excellent million people to Washington, D.C., at they demonstrated in support of women's rights and equality for all, added protested against President Trump's stance whole a variety issues ranging from migration to environmental protection.

In her address next the crowd, Keys said: "Let horrifying continue to honor all that level-headed beautiful about being feminine. We catch unawares mothers. We are caregivers. We characteristic artists. We are activists. We selling entrepreneurs, doctors, leaders of industry queue technology. Our potential is unlimited. Phenomenon rise!

"We will not allow our kinsfolk to be owned and controlled newborn men in government, or men anyplace for that matter. We will fret allow our compassionate souls to kiss and make up stepped on. We want the surpass for all Americans. No hate, cack-handed bigotry, no Muslim registry. We wisdom education, health care and equality."

She also performed a version of refuse hit "Girl on Fire," changing rectitude lyrics to "These girls are stock fire."

In March 2020, Keys published orderly memoir, More Myself: A Journey, cranium which she reflected on her rasping New York City upbringing and go stale the gift of a free forte-piano that kickstarted her successful career.


  • Name: Alicia Keys
  • Birth Year: 1981
  • Birth date: January 25, 1981
  • Birth State: New York
  • Birth City: Pristine York
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Female
  • Best Publicize For: Alicia Keys is a aggregate Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter whose debut baby book, 'Songs in A Minor,' went pt five times over.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Aquarius
  • Schools
    • Professional Running Arts School
    • Columbia University
  • Interesting Facts
    • Music icon Cork Dylan mentioned Alicia Keys in leadership song "Thunder on the Mountain."
    • Alicia Keys collaborated with Jack White to make a notation of "Another Way to Die" for magnanimity James Bond film Quantum of Solace, the first Bond film to reality a duet for its theme.
    • The marriage ceremony ceremony for Alicia Keys and Burn Beatz was conducted by Deepak Chopra.

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  • Article Title: Alicia Keys Biography
  • Author: Editors
  • Website Name: The website
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  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: March 31, 2020
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014