Alicia Keys is a talented American singer, pianist and songwriter who performs in soul, neo-soul and rhythm and blues styles. The artist from Manhattan has received several Grammy Awards. Her album “Songs in A Minor” became platinum five times. Let’s learn more about this talented American artist in the following publication on manhattanka.
Who is Alicia Keys?
Future world star Alicia Augello Cook was born and raised on January 25, 1981, in a poor neighborhood of Manhattan, one of the five boroughs of New York City. Her mother, Terria Joseph, has Irish, Scottish, and Italian roots. Her father, Craig Cook, is African American. The artist herself admits that she has never faced such prejudices in her life: “You’re not white enough!” or “You’re not black enough!”
Alicia started playing piano at the age of seven. After graduating from the Professional Performing Arts School (PPAS), she signed a contract with Jermaine Dupri’s label So So Def, which was part of Columbia Records. Alicia’s first professional recording was the soundtrack for the blockbuster Men in Black (produced in 1997). However, the song “Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)” was never released as a single. Her contract with Columbia Records was terminated in a short while.
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In 1998, Alicia met Clive Davis. It was through his influence that she signed a contract with Arista Records and adopted the stage name “Keys.” After the dissolution of the label, Davis founded his own label called J Records. Alicia Keys joined him there. She recorded songs that became soundtracks for the movies Shaft and Dr. Dolittle 2. In 2001, her first album, “Songs in A Minor,” came out. It earned her five Grammy Awards and achieved platinum status five times.
Early childhood of Alicia Keys
As mentioned above, Alicia Keys was born on January 25, 1981, in one of New York’s boroughs, Manhattan.
Keys was raised by her mother, Terria, who worked as an actress and a legal assistant. At the age of seven, at the insistence of her mother, she began taking piano lessons. This prompted Keys to enter the prestigious PPAS, where she specialized in choir. Achieving success in her studies, 16-year-old Keys pursued higher education.
Alicia caught the attention of record label executives when she studied in high school. She signed a contract with Arista Records in 1998. Although she was granted a scholarship to Columbia University, Keys left it after four weeks to fully concentrate on music.
“The Diary of Alicia Keys”
Her second album, “The Diary of Alicia Keys,” saw the world in 2003. She proved that her success two years earlier was not accidental, as the album reached the top of the charts. Keys also won several Grammy Awards for her second album, including “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance,” “Best R&B Song,” “Best R&B Album,” and “Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals” for the song “My Boo” that she sang with Usher.
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The album “As I Am”
At the end of 2006, Alicia Keys began working on her new album, “As I Am.” The third studio album came out on November 13, 2007 and also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. 740,000 copies were sold in its first week. Additionally, the album earned Alicia two more Grammys.
Albums “The Element of Freedom,” “Girl on Fire” and “Here”
Keys released the album “The Element of Freedom” by the end of 2009. Although the album did not achieve the same triumph as her previous ones, it ranked second with the song “Doesn’t Mean Anything” and reached number 60 on the Billboard Hot 200. It became her first album to top the chart in England. Her fifth album, “Girl on Fire” (2012), brought Keys back to the first place. She won a Grammy for Best R&B Album in 2014.
In 2016, Keys released her sixth album, “Here.” The singles “In Common” and “Blended Family (What You Do for Love)” reached second place on the Hot 200 and peaked in the R&B/Hip-Hop chart.
Film and television projects
In 1985, little Keys played one of Keshia Knight Pulliam’s friends on The Cosby Show. Over the years, she appeared in such series as Charmed, American Dreams and The Backyardigans. Keys debuted on the big screen in 2006 in the movie Smokin’ Aces as Georgia Sykes. She then played in the films The Nanny Diaries (2007) and The Secret Life of Bees (2008) alongside Queen Latifah and Jennifer Hudson. In 2011, she shot a segment for the anthology TV film Five.
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In 2015, the singer appeared in the second season of the popular series Empire in the role of Sky Summers. The next year, she became a new judge on the 11th season of the singing competition show The Voice alongside Miley Cyrus. After two seasons, she left the show and came back for the 14th season.
Keys hosted the Grammy Awards ceremony in February 2019. There, she played the piano and performed the songs of some of her favorite artists, such as Nat King Cole, Roberta Flack and Lauryn Hill. The following year, she became the host again and sang “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye” with Boyz II Men in memory of basketball legend K. Bryant.
Personal Life
In July 2010, Keys got married to hip-hop producer Swizz Beatz. In October 2010, the couple welcomed their first child, Egypt Daoud Dean. They had their second son, Genesis Ali Dean in December 2014.
On January 22, 2017, Keys joined other famous activists, including G. Steinem, Angela Davis, Madonna, Cher, A. Judd, S. Johansson, A. Ferrera and J. Monáe, in the Women’s March in Washington, the day after the inauguration of President D. Trump. They inspired other marches across the country and around the world. Over half a million people came to Washington, D.C. to support women’s rights and equality for all. They also spoke out against Trump’s positions on a range of issues from immigration to environmental protection.
In her address to the attendees, Keys said that we should keep valuing the beauty of women. As mothers, caregivers, artists, activists, businesswomen, doctors and leaders in
industry and technology, we have limitless potential that will help us rise. She also added that no men can control or own women’s bodies, and nobody can hurt our kind souls. She wants only the best for all Americans. No hate, no fanaticism, no Muslim registry.
She also sang her hit “Girl on Fire,” but changed the lyrics to “These Girls Are on Fire.”
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In March 2020, Keys released her autobiography “More Myself: A Journey.” In it, she wrote about her tough childhood in NY and how the piano that was gifted to her marked her successful career.
Interesting facts about the celebrity
- Alicia Keys is a pop singer and songwriter who has become the recipient of Grammy Awards many times. Her album “Songs in A Minor” has been certified platinum five times
- Zodiac sign: Aquarius
- Education: PPAS and Columbia University
- Music legend Bob Dylan mentioned her in his single “Thunder on the Mountain”
- She collaborated with J. White on the song “Another Way to Die,” which became the soundtrack for Quantum of Solace, the 22nd film in the James Bond series
- Deepak Chopra hosted the wedding ceremony of Alicia Keys
- The couple had been dating for 14 months before they got married. They have two sons: Egypt Daoud Dean and Genesis Ali Dean
- In 2005, Alicia opened her own recording studio in New York on Long Island. Her co-owner and creative partner is Kerry Brothers Jr.