Alicia keys biography height

With every song, she has us "fallin'" in love with her. Welcome to , and today we're taking a look at the life and career of Alicia Keys.

Early Musical Interest

Alicia Augello Cook was born January 25th, in New York City.

Biography diary of alicia keys Alicia Keys is an American singer and songwriter. She gained fame after releasing her debut album “Songs in A Minor” in , for which she earned five Grammy Awards. Alicia is best known for her singles “Fallin'”, “You Don’t Know My Name”, “If I Ain’t Got You”, and “Diary”.

After learning to play piano as a child and enrolling in music class, Cook graduated as valedictorian of the Professional Performing Arts School at age

Demo

With the help of a manager and her future A&R rep, Cook put together a demo and showcase. After landing a deal with Columbia Records in the mid-‘90s, she left her studies at Columbia University to pursue music.

Clive Davis

She made her first recordings with the label under the name Alicia Keys.

However, she parted ways with Columbia after only two years. She then reached out to music impresario Clive Davis, who signed her to Arista Records.

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Her fifth studio album, Girl on Fire (), put Keys back at her top spot, debuting at No. 1. She won the Grammy for Best R&B Album in for her work. Keys followed in with her sixth.

Movie Soundtracks

When that company folded, she followed Davis to J Records and made contributions to the “Shaft” and “Dr. Dolittle 2” movie soundtracks in the new millennium.

Debut

Keys released her debut, Songs in A Minor, in The R&B and soul disc debuted at number one on the Billboard Chart and introduced Keys as a vocal powerhouse.

It sold almost a quarter million copies in its first week, and went on to sell over 12 million worldwide.

Alicia keys biography 2012 honda Her fifth studio album, Girl on Fire (), put Keys back at her top spot, debuting at No. 1. She won the Grammy for Best R&B Album in for her work. Keys followed in with her sixth.

On the strength of the number one hit “Fallin,’” and the top ten single “A Woman's Worth,” Keys became the best selling artist of and only the second solo female act to win five Grammy Awards in one year.

Successful Sophomore Effort

Her follow-up, The Diary of Alicia Keys, did not disappoint. The album sold over half a million copies in the first week, which was the best first-week record of any female artist in The Grammy-winning album entered the Billboard at number one and eventually sold over eight million copies internationally.

It also spawned four top twenty singles, including the top five hits, "You Don't Know My Name" and “If I Ain't Got You.”

Usher

Her success continued the next year when she collaborated with Usher on the chart-topping smash “My Boo.”

Quiet Times

In , Keys’ collection of poetry made The New York Times Bestsellers list and she had another number one with the live Unplugged album.

Alicia keys full biography Her fifth album, Girl on Fire (), was her fourth non-consecutive album to peak the Billboard , and was supported by its lead single of the same name; her sixth album, Here (), peaked at number two on the chart.

was a mostly quiet year for the singer as she took some time away from the spotlight.

Acting

Next up, Keys earned praise for her natural acting ability in the movies “Smokin' Aces” and “The Nanny Diaries.”

Another Number One Album

In , she continued her successful run with As I Am: the record went to number one and sold almost three-quarters of a million copies in the first week alone, and once again she received multiple Grammy nominations for the disc.

Its highest charting singles were the top twenty track "Like You'll Never See Me Again” and the number one tune, “No One.”

James Bond

The next year, Keys teamed up with Jack White of The White Stripes for “Another Way to Die,” which was the theme song for the James Bond flick, “Quantum of Solace.” She also starred in the drama, “The Secret Life of Bees.”

Jay-Z and Another Album

In , Keys notched her fourth number one single and another Grammy for her joint effort with Jay-Z: "Empire State of Mind.” Later that year, she kept her hot streak alive by dropping The Element of Freedom.

Premiering at the second spot of the Billboard , it sold over thousand copies in its first week.

Family

The next few years saw Keys marry hip hop recording artist Swizz Beatz and give birth to their son. She even went behind the camera to direct a film project about women with breast cancer.

“Girl on Fire”

But soon, she was back with another record: Girl on Fire was unveiled in , and upon its release, the title track quickly began receiving widespread airplay.

Multitalented

Alicia Keys is a rare artist who is in a class of her own.

With a successful career and a loving family, she is an inspiration to women everywhere and she injects positivity into everything she does. Simply put, "This girl is on fire."