Background

Ethnicity: Keys' father is African-American and her mother is of Sicilian (Agrigento and Sciacca) and either Scottish or Irish descent.

Alicia Augello Cook was born on January 25, 1981, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City's Manhattan borough. She is the only child of Teresa (Augello), a paralegal and part-time actress, and one of three children of Craig Cook, a flight attendant. Named after her Puerto Rican godmother, Keys expressed that she was comfortable with her multiracial heritage because she felt she was able to "relate to different cultures". Keys' father left when she was two and she was subsequently raised by her mother during her formative years in Hell's Kitchen. Keys said her parents never had a relationship, and her father was not in her life. Keys and her mother lived in a one-room apartment. Her mother often worked three jobs to provide for Keys, who "learned how to survive" from her mother's example of tenacity and self-reliance.

Education

Her mother ensured that young Alicia received dance and music lessons. She started learning classical piano when she was seven and enrolled in the Professional Performing Arts School at the age of 12.

She graduated as valedictorian at the age of 16. Following her graduation she became serious about her musical career and signed a recording contract with Columbia records. At around the same time she was accepted into Columbia University. However, she dropped out of college after a month to pursue her music career.

Career

At age 14 Alicia began composing. Keys' compositions showed modern influences but were rooted in the sounds of earlier soul artists, including Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. After attracting the attention of record mogul Clive Davis, she signed to his Arista Records in 1998, and, when Davis formed J Records in 2000, she was one of the first artists to sign with the new label. In 2001 Keys released Songs in A Minor, a hugely successful debut album that featured a number one hit with “Fallin’” and that went on to sell more than 10 million copies worldwide. She won five Grammy Awards in 2002, including those for song of the year and best new artist.

The following year Keys released a second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. She also recorded a duet with Usher called “My Boo,” which for six weeks was the number one song on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. In 2005 Keys cemented her status as one of pop music’s leading artists by winning four Grammy Awards: best album, song, female vocal performance, and performance by a duo or group with vocals. That same year she recorded and released Unplugged, an album from the MTV special on which she performed stripped-down versions of past hits, new songs, and covers of songs popularized by Aretha Franklin and by the Rolling Stones.

In 2007 Keys released the soul-infused As I Am, which featured the Grammy-winning single “No One.” The following year she teamed with Jack White of the White Stripes on “Another Way to Die,” the lead single on the soundtrack to the James Bond film Quantum of Solace. As I Am continued to post strong sales throughout 2008, and the single “Superwoman” earned Keys a Grammy for best female rhythm and blues vocal performance in 2009. Later that year she collaborated with Jay-Z on the chart-topping single “Empire State of Mind,” and in December she released her fourth studio album, The Element of Freedom. The Grammy-winning Girl on Fire (2012) featured a roster of guest producers and vocalists that included Nicki Minaj, Dr. Dre, and Keys' husband, Swizz Beatz. The socially conscious Here (2016) was less popular, however.

In addition to her music-related activities, Keys acted in several films, including Smokin’ Aces (2006), The Nanny Diaries (2007), and The Secret Life of Bees (2008). She directed one of five segments that made up the cable TV movie Five (2011), about women living with breast cancer. Keys was also a coach (2016–18) on the television singing competition show The Voice. In 2019 she hosted the Grammy Awards ceremony.

Achievements

• 

  Alicia Keys is a Grammy Award winning American singer who rose to fame with her debut album, ‘Songs in A Minor’, which sold over 12 million copies and established her as an overnight sensation. Her success continued with the release of her subsequent albums and soon she became one of contemporary America’s most favorite singers.
  
  Keys is listed on the Recording Industry Association of America's best-selling artists in the United States, selling over 17.8 million albums and 21.9 million digital songs. She has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Billboard ranked Keys as the fifth-most successful artist of the 2000s decade, top R&B artist of the 2000s decade, and placed her at number 10 in their list of Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years. Keys was the best-selling new artist and best-selling R&B artist of 2001. She has attained 4 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles from 9 top-ten singles. She has also attained 8 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Airplay number-one singles, and set a Guinness World Record on the former in 2008, when she became the first artist to replace herself at number one with "No One" and "Like You'll Never See Me Again". "No One" and "Empire State of Mind" are also amongst the list of best-selling singles worldwide. Keys is one of three female artists included on Billboard magazine's list of the "Top 20 Hot 100 Songwriters, 2000–2011" for writing songs that topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
  
  Keys has earned numerous awards including 15 competitive Grammy Awards, 17 NAACP Image Awards, 9 Billboard Music Awards and 7 BET Awards. Keys received 5 Grammy Awards in 2002, becoming the second female artist to win as many in one night. In 2005, Keys was awarded the Songwriters Hall of Fame Hal David Starlight Award, which honors "gifted songwriters who are at an apex in their careers and are making a significant impact in the music industry via their original songs". That year, ASCAP awarded Keys Songwriter of the Year at its Rhythm & Soul Music Awards. In 2007, she was a recipient of The Recording Academy Honors, which "celebrate outstanding individuals whose work embodies excellence and integrity and who have improved the environment for the creative community."

Works

More photos

• book

  • Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems & Lyrics 2004
  • Unplugged 2006
  • How Can I Keep from Singing?: Transforming the Lives of African Children and Families Affected by AIDS. 2007
  • Blue Moon: From the Journals of Mama Mae and LeeLee 2014
  • More Myself: A Journey 2019

• movie

  • Smokin' Aces 2007
  • Nanny Diaries 2007
  • The Secret Life Of Bees 2008
  • The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete 2013
  • Nas: Time is Illmatic 2014

• music

  • Songs in A Minor 2001
  • The Diary of Alicia Keys 2003
  • As I Am 2007
  • The Element Of Freedom 2009
  • Girl On Fire 2012
  • Here 2016

• video

  • GRAMMY Awards, 61st Annual

Religion

When asked if she is religious, Keys said: "I would call it spirituality because I think religion gets very sticky. I think it’s beautiful to have a belief in something and that’s where religion comes in… But for me it’s definitely spirituality in the sense of having integrity and certain morals I stand by."

And when Keys was asked to describe her faith and her view of what “God” is, she expressed views similar to pantheism. She believes all life to be “God,” all love to be “God.” She even believes that beautiful buildings, even although designed and constructed by humans, must have been inspired by something greater than those who built it.

Politics

Keys is a staunch Democrat and big supporter of Barack Obama. She recorded a theme song for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

After the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States in 2017, Keys protested during the Women's March on Washington. She was one of the key speakers, and said, "we want the best for all Americans. No hate, no bigotry, no Muslim registry. We value education, health care, equality." She added that she cares about women's equal pay, war, women's rights, and environmental protection.

Views

Keys is the co-founder and Global Ambassador of Keep a Child Alive, a non-profit organization that provides medicine, orphan care, and social support to families with HIV and AIDS in Africa and India. Keys was born during a time when the AIDS epidemic was gaining a lot of attention in the United States. She was first affected by the HIV/AIDs crisis at 8 years old when her mother's friend died from the disease. She discovered first-hand the extensive impact of the AIDS epidemic years later on a visit to South Africa, a trip that was the impetus to cofounding Keep a Child Alive. Keys had befriended AIDS activist Leigh Blake, who had reached out to her and helped raise her awareness to the global impact of HIV/AIDS. Keys and Leigh visited South African clinics with HIV-infected mothers and children, where Keys encountered the lack of resources and education on the disease present in the communities. Keys visited other African countries such as Uganda and Kenya to promote care for children affected by AIDS. Her work in Africa was recorded in the documentary Alicia in Africa: Journey to the Motherland which was released in April 2008.

Keys hosts and is the musical director of Keep A Child Alive's annual fundraising gala called the Black Ball. Every year, artists and other celebrities come together to support and perform to raise funds for the cause.

In 2005, Keys performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the worldwide Live 8 concerts to raise awareness of the poverty in Africa and to pressure the G8 leaders to take action. In November 2006, Keys joined David Bowie for what would turn out to be his final live performance at a fundraising event in New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, where they sang a three-song set which included "Changes". In June 2011, Keys spoke alongside musician Annie Lennox at the United Nations AIDS conference in New York. She participated in a panel titled "HIV Priorities for Positive Change: In Women's Words", in which she calls on supporting organizations that provide treatment and care for families affected by AIDS. Empowering the next generation of women, she says, would greatly aid in the end to the disease.

In September 2012, she was featured in a campaign called "30 Songs / 30 Days" to support Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, a multi-platform media project inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book. In March 2013, Keys teamed up with Greater Than AIDS to launch EMPOWERED, a new public information campaign to reach women in the United States about HIV/AIDS. Appearing in a public service announcement for EMPOWERED, Keys spoke with five women whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS. In December 2012, Keys performed alongside many other native New Yorkers in 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy.

In July 2016, Keys participated in a video on taking action against systemic racism in the United States titled, "23 Ways You Could Be Killed if You are Black in America". On June 30, 2018, Keys spoke at the Families Belong Together protest.

Both Alicia Keys and the Indigenous rights movement of Canada have in their own ways made inspirational and meaningful contributions to advancing human rights and towards ensuring brighter possibilities for future generations. Crucially, they remind us never to underestimate how far passion and creativity can take us in fighting injustice.

Quotations: "My mom is definitely my rock."

"If I want to be alone, some place I can write, I can read, I can pray, I can cry, I can do whatever I want - I go to the bathroom."

"I lived with my mom in a really small apartment. My bedroom was like in the living room. That's why I still love to sleep on couches now."

"There is no way to be perfect and no fun in being perfect."

"You are allowed to be radical and have strong thoughts that others might not agree with."

"Love is giving of yourself in a way that is free of fear."

"To be a mother to a child is the most brilliant gift; it's gorgeous."

"Maturity and experience are part of my liberation."

"It's very important to say what I mean and what I feel no matter what goes on because otherwise I risk losing myself."

Membership

Alicia is a honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.

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  Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated

  2004

Personality

It’s been a few years now since Alicia Keys parted ways with makeup.

Keys has been friends with R&B superstar Usher Raymond since she was 14. She is also good friends with singer John Mayer, and Mariah Carey.

Physical Characteristics: Height - 5 ft 6 in (168 cm)

Weight - 57 kg (126 pounds)

Hair color - dark brown

Eye color - dark brown

Measurements - 34-26-38 in or 86-66-96.5 cm

Dress size - 6 (US) or 38 (EU) or 10 (UK)

Bra size - 32B

Shoe size - 6.5 (US) or 37 (EU)

Quotes from others about the person

• "Like being in the mother brain of soul music. This is absolute artistic fusion from top to bottom, and I don't think there's anyone else in the world that I could do that with right now." - John Mayer
  
  "There's nothing about that girl I don't like." - Bob Dylan

Interests

• Favorite movie: Set It Off (1996)
  
  Style icon: Bianca Jagger

• Politicians

  Barack Obama

• Writers

  The Island Beneath the Sea (By Isabel Allende)

• Artists

  Gordon Parks

• Sport & Clubs

  Running

• Music & Bands

  Fela Kuti, Alabama Shakes, Emeli Sandé, Frank Ocean

Connections

Keys had a low-profile relationship with her long time friend and collaborator Kerry Brothers Jr. until 2008.

Keys later dated hip hop artist-producer Swizz Beatz. Keys and Beatz, who have known each other since they were teenagers, announced they were engaged and expecting their first child in May 2010. They held a Zulu ceremony to bless their unborn child in the Illovo suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They were married on July 31, 2010 in a private ceremony near the Mediterranean Sea. Keys gave birth to son Egypt Daoud Dean in October 2010. She gave birth to their second son, Genesis Ali Dean, in December 2014.

Father:

Craig Cook

Mother:

Terria Joseph

(born May 8, 1950, Detroit, Michigan, United States)

Spouse:

Swizz Beatz

(born September 13, 1978)

Kasseem Dean, known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, DJ, art collector, and entrepreneur from New York City.

Son:

Egypt Daoud Dean

(born 2010)

Son:

Genesis Ali Dean

(born 2014)

colleague:

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

(born September 4, 1981)

She is an American singer, songwriter, actress, record producer and dancer.

colleague:

Kanye West

Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and fashion designer.

Friend:

Usher Raymond IV

(born October 14, 1978)

He is an American singer, songwriter and dancer.

Friend:

Mariah Carey

(born March 27, 1969 or 1970)

She is an American singer, songwriter, actress, record producer, and entrepreneur.

Friend:

John Mayer

(born October 16, 1977)

He is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer.

colleague:

Jay-Z (Shawn Carter)

(born December 4, 1969)

Known professionally as Jay-Z (stylized as JAY-Z), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, and record executive.

References

• Alicia Keys: Girl On Fire
• Alicia Keys: Singer-Songwriter
• Alicia Keys
• Alicia Keys
• Alicia Keys
• Who is Alicia Keys - Biography of R&B Songstress
• She Is The Girl I Love Alicia Keys: You had no Idea (Tell All Book Because Alicia Keys is Stalking Me On Twitter) (Volume 1)
• Alicia Keys Quiz Book - 50 Fun & Fact Filled Questions About R&B / Pop Star Alicia Keys
• Glamour Magazine (March, 2017) Alicia Keys Cover