Alicia Keys Biography

Why Is She Famous?

Alicia Keys shot to fame with her debut album, for which she won five Grammys. She's followed it up with 2007's As I Am, which has gone three times platinum.

Alicia Keys

Date of Birth:
25 January 1980, New York City, New York, USA

Birth Name:
Alicia Augello-Cook

Nickname:
Lellow

Height:
5' 6" (1.68 m)

Alicia Keys Picture

Alicia Keys Biography:

Alicia Keys was born January 25, 1980, in New York City, New York. The only child of an Irish-Italian mother and an African father, Alicia got her start in showbiz at the tender age of 5 when she guest-starred in an episode of The Cosby Show. That brief experience increased her desire to become a professional performer, and she began taking piano lessons two years later. “I fell in love with the piano,” Alicia Keys recalls fondly. “I knew it was me. I was dying to play.”

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alicia keys is signed to j records
Alicia Keys’ passion for the piano was obvious to anyone within earshot, and she parlayed her skill into a spot at New York’s prestigious Professional Performing Arts School where she graduated as the school’s valedictorian at the age of 16. Alicia then briefly flirted with university before inking a deal with musical impresario Clive Davis, who signed her to his fledging J Records label. The powerful multi-genre label proved to be a perfect fit for her enormous talents, and Alicia Keys was soon rewarded Davis’ confidence in her abilities with contributions to the soundtracks of Shaft and Dr. Dolittle 2.

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alicia keys releases songs in a minor
Alicia Keys’ big break came in 2001 with the release of her debut album, Songs in A Minor. The multiplatinum record was an immediate hit with fans and critics alike, and Alicia’s brilliance was recognized with an incredible five Grammy Awards, including trophies for Best R&B Album, Best New Artist and Song of the Year for “Fallin’.”

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alicia keys' diary of alicia keys
Alicia Keys proved the success of her debut wasn’t a fluke with the release of The Diary of Alicia Keys in 2003. The stunning sophomore album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts and went on to win the Grammy Award for best R&B album thanks to the hit singles "You Don't Know My Name," "If I Ain't Got You" and "Karma."

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alicia keys in smokin’ aces
Alicia Keys released a live album entitled Unplugged in 2005 before returning to her dramatic roots with roles in the big-screen films Smokin’ Aces, starring Ben Affleck and Jeremy Piven, and The Nanny Diaries, starring Scarlett Johansson. “I always knew that [acting] was in my future,” she admits. “I grew up around the theater. My mother is an actress. I would fall asleep on tons of theater chairs. It's in my blood -- it's in my spirit and my fabric of who I am."

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alicia keys is named no. 30 in 2008 top 99 of Askmen.com

Alicia Keys returned to the charts in 2007 with As I Am. Released on November 13, the soulful album went on to become the 11th biggest-selling album of the year with sales in excess of three million copies in the U.S. alone. Alicia Keys' success as a musician, actress and all-around hottie is precisely Askmen.com chose her to be among our list of the Top 99 women in 2008.

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Trivia:

Accepted by Columbia University at age 16, but dropped out to pursue her music career.

Named one of People Magazine's "Breakthrough Stars of 2001".

Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine in 2002.

Appeared on the covers of Vibe, Vanity Fair, SevenTeen, and Teen magazines.

Began to play the piano at age 7.

Alicia Keys Sexy Images

Lives in New York City.

Was the first artist to sign with J Records.

Wrote her first song at the age of 14.

Her paternal grandmother is of Puerto Rican descent.

Graduated a performing arts high school at age 16.

Is a honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. (2004)

Before coming up with the last name Keys, she had at one point considered calling herself Alicia Wild.

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Won the award for Best R'n'B at the 2004 Mtv Europe Music Awards.

Wrote and produced "Impossible", one of the songs on Christina Aguilera's album, "Stripped".

Mother is of Irish and Italian descent. Father is of African descent.

Says the child she has met that inspired her most is 13-year-old Sydnee Bush, of Savannah, Georgia (as of 2005).

Has been friends with R&B superstar Usher Raymond since she was 14.

Measures a 34-inch bust. (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)

Has known R&B superstar Beyoncé Knowles since she was 13.

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Ranked as #95 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement. (2005)

An only child.

Named #65 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).

Ranked #99 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists.

Her father, Craig Cook, left the family when she was two.

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Alicia Keys Personal Quotes:

"Oh my God, the [hip-hop] videos! The imagery is so awful! I just can't get with it at all. The best thing I can say about it is that sometimes you have to see that kind of stuff so as to have a more balanced view about why it's so bad." [her opinion on the use of women, sex and sleaze in today's rap/hip-hop videos]

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"I always want to stay focused on who I am, even as I'm discovering who I am".

Keep a Child Alive is my passion and my mission.

I love Bono. I really respect what he has done for Africa and how he has used his fame to do good in the world. I hope I can do half as much in my life.

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I believe AIDS is the most important issue we face, because how we treat the poor is a reflection of who we are as a people.

"My mom always said, 'Don't date a guy who thinks he's prettier than you.'" (In Style/Sept/2006)

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I think music and socialism and politics have always gone hand in hand. As artists we used to be way more instrumental in providing a soundtrack to the heartbeat of what's going on in the world. We all don't have to think the same thing but it's important to state what we think. There is such a fear of termination of one's career if they have any intelligent thought about politics and that's messed up.

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I have big everything on the bottom but I love my legs. You've got to love what's yours.

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I love my heritage! I have my mother who is an Irish-Italian, and my father who is African, so I have the taste buds of an Italian and the spice of an African.

---Alicia Keys