Alicia Keys Biography Alicia Keys was born Alicia J. Augello-Cook on January 25, 1980, in New York City, New York. Her mother and father separated early in Keys’ life, and consequently she was raised primarily by her mother. Growing up, Keys lived in relative poverty, but she never allowed this to taint her ambitions. From early on, Keys was dedicated and driven, proclaiming acting as her initial career aspirations. She attended a casting call for the Cosby Show and won a one-time appearance in 1985. However, Keys began piano lessons just two years later at the age of seven, and her true calling was solidified. Keys proved to be exceedingly talented for her young age, and was accepted into the prestigious Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan. Not only talented, but also extremely intelligent, Keys graduated as valedictorian at the young age of sixteen. She was later accepted into Colombia University but never attended, because she wanted to focus on her music career full time. Keys’s first professional job was writing and recording the song “Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)” for the 1997 blockbuster hit Men in Black.
Keys then met influential and legendary music personality Clive Davis, who signed her to Arista records. Davis and Keys later moved to J Records, Keys being the first artist to sign with this now successful label. She recorded several more songs for feature films including Shaft (2000) and Dr. Dolittle (2001), until the release of her debut album Songs in A Minor. The title paid homage to both her classical training and her young age. This album went on to sell over 10 million units across the globe and win Keys five Grammy Awards, which included Best New Artist and Song of the Year for her smash hit “Fallin’.” Overnight, Keys became a formidable name in the music industry. She followed up her debut album in 2003 with The Diary of Alicia Keys. It sold a staggering 618,000 copies in its first week, making it the second highest sales for an R&B female and the sixth highest for any female artist. She released her next album titled Unplugged in 2005. The debut of the album was the highest selling MTV Unplugged album since Nirvana’s installment in New York in 1994. Additionally, it was the only unplugged album by a female artist to debut at number one. However, the talent of Keys is not limited to the music industry. Her success has spilled over into other arenas of entertainment, including film and television. She appeared in one episode of Charmed alongside Alyssa Milano and Shannen Doherty, as well as American Dreams where she portrayed American soul singer Fontella Bass. Keys is currently in post-production for The Nanny Diaries with Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, and Paul Giamatti, due out 2007. She is similarly in post-production for Smokin’ Aces, a new crime-comedy also starring Ben Affleck, Peter Berg, Andy Garcia, Ray Liotta, and Ryan Reynolds. She plays the sexy assassin, Georgia Sykes.
Keys has also written several books. Her songbook of poems and lyrics titled Tears for Water, published in 2004, is a bestseller. In an interesting intersection of music superstars, Keys was childhood friends with Usher Raymond and Beyonce Knowles. Keys performed a duo with longtime friend Usher in the hit song “My Boo.” The intimate lyrics sparked rumors that Keys and Usher were romantically involved. Both camps denied anything, calling upon the oft used “just friends” line. Keys has managed to keep an incredibly low dating profile, and she remains single as far as the public is concerned. Let us know of updates to the Alicia Keys biography at editor@yuddy.com |
