Alicia Keys

Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter.

A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs when she was 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at the age of 15.

Alicia Augello Cook was born on January 25, 1981, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.

She is the only child of Teresa Augello, who was a paralegal and part-time actress, and one of three children of Craig Cook, who was a flight attendant.

Keys's father is African American and her mother is of Italian and "Irish or Scottish" descent; her mother's paternal grandparents were immigrants from Sciacca, Sicily; and Lamezia Terme, in Calabria.

Named after her Puerto Rican godmother, Keys has said that she was comfortable with her multiracial heritage because she felt she was able to "relate to different cultures".

Keys's father left when she was two years old.

She was subsequently raised by her mother during her formative years at Manhattan Plaza in Hell's Kitchen.

Keys has stated that her parents never had a relationship, and her father was not in her life.

She was named by Billboard as the R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Decade (2000s); and placed tenth on their list of Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years.

She has received numerous accolades in her career, including 16 Grammy Awards, 17 NAACP Image Awards, 12 ASCAP Awards, and an award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and National Music Publishers Association.

After disputes with the label, she signed with J Records to release her debut studio album, Songs in A Minor (2001).

Although she did not like to speak about her father in order to not feed stereotypes, Keys remarked in 2001: "I'm not in contact with him. That's fine. When I was younger, I minded about that. [It] made me angry. But it helped show me what a strong woman my mother was, and made me want to be strong like her. Probably, it was better for me this way."

Keys and her mother lived in a one-bedroom 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.

From a young age, Keys struggled with self-esteem issues, hiding little by little when her differences made her vulnerable to judgment, and later uninvited sexual attention.

Living in the rough neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen, she was, from an early age, regularly exposed to street violence, drugs, prostitution, and subjected to sexual propositions in the sex trade- and crime-riddled area.

"I saw a variety of people growing up, and lifestyles, lows and highs. I think it makes you realize right away what you want and what you don't want," Keys said.

Keys recalled feeling fearful early on of the "animal instinct" she witnessed, and eventually feeling "high" due to recurrent harassment.

Her experiences in the streets had led her to carry a homemade knife for protection.

She became very wary, emotionally guarded, and she began wearing gender-neutral clothing and what would become her trademark cornrows.

Her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003) was met with continued success, selling eight million units worldwide and spawning the singles "You Don't Know My Name", "If I Ain't Got You", and "Diary."

The album earned an additional four Grammy Awards.

Her 2004 duet with Usher, "My Boo" became her second number-one single.

Keys' first live album, Unplugged (2005) spawned the single "Unbreakable" and made her the first female artist to have an MTV Unplugged project debut atop the Billboard 200.

VH1 included her on their 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and 100 Greatest Women in Music lists, while Time has named her in their 100 list of most influential people in 2005 and 2017.

Keys is also acclaimed for her humanitarian work, philanthropy, and activism.

She is a co-founder of the nonprofit HIV/AIDS-fighting organization Keep a Child Alive, for which she serves as Global Ambassador.

Her third album, As I Am (2007) sold seven million units worldwide and produced her third Billboard Hot 100 number-one single.

"No One."

In 2007, Keys made her film debut in the action-thriller Smokin' Aces, and performed the theme song to the James Bond film Quantum of Solace with her single "Another Way to Die" (with Jack White) the following year.

Her fourth album, The Element of Freedom (2009) peaked the UK Albums Chart, sold four million copies worldwide, and was supported by the singles "Doesn't Mean Anything", "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart", and "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)."

That same year, her 2009 single "Empire State of Mind" (with Jay-Z) became her fourth number-one in the United States.

The album was met with critical acclaim and commercial success, sold over 12 million copies worldwide, and won five awards at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards.

It contained the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Fallin'."

Her fifth album, Girl on Fire (2012) became her fourth non-consecutive album to peak the Billboard 200 and was supported by its lead single of the same name; her sixth album, Here (2016), peaked at number two on the chart.

Her seventh and eighth studio albums, Alicia (2020) and Keys (2021) spawned the singles "Show Me Love" (featuring Miguel), "Underdog", "Lala" and "Best of Me".

Her first independent release, Santa Baby (2022) was a holiday album.

In 2023, she wrote, composed and co-produced her first off-Broadway musical, Hell's Kitchen.

Keys has sold over 90 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists.