Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Columbia Records. After disputes with the label, she signed with Arista Records and later released her debut album, Songs in A Minor, with J Records in 2001. The album was critically and commercially successful, selling over 12 million copies worldwide. It spawned the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Fallin'", and earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002. Her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), was also a critical and commercial success, selling eight million copies worldwide, and producing the singles "You Don't Know My Name", "If I Ain't Got You", and "Diary". The album garnered her an additional four Grammy Awards.
In 2004, her duet "My Boo" with Usher became her second number-one single. Keys released her first live album, Unplugged (2005), and became the first woman to have an MTV Unplugged album debut at number one. Her third album, As I Am (2007), sold seven million copies worldwide and produced the Hot 100 number-one single "No One". In 2007, Keys made her film debut in the action-thriller film Smokin' Aces. She released the theme song to the James Bond film Quantum of Solace "Another Way to Die" with Jack White. Her fourth album, The Element of Freedom (2009), became her first chart-topping album in the United Kingdom, and sold four million copies worldwide. The album included the Billboard Hot 100 charting singles "Doesn't Mean Anything", "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart", "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)". Keys' collaboration with Jay-Z on "Empire State of Mind" (2009), became her fourth number-one single in the United States. Her fifth album Girl on Fire (2012), became her fifth Billboard 200 topping album, and included the successful title track. Her sixth studio album, Here (2016), became her seventh US
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Columbia Records. After disputes with the label, she signed with Arista Records and later released her debut album, Songs in A Minor, with J Records in 2001. The album was critically and commercially successful, selling over 12 million copies worldwide. It spawned the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Fallin'", and earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002. Her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), was also a critical and commercial success, selling eight million copies worldwide, and producing the singles "You Don't Know My Name", "If I Ain't Got You", and "Diary". The album garnered her an additional four Grammy Awards.
In 2004, her duet "My Boo" with Usher became her second number-one single. Keys released her first live album, Unplugged (2005), and became the first woman to have an MTV Unplugged album debut at number one. Her third album, As I Am (2007), sold seven million copies worldwide and produced the Hot 100 number-one single "No One". In 2007, Keys made her film debut in the action-thriller film Smokin' Aces. She released the theme song to the James Bond film Quantum of Solace "Another Way to Die" with Jack White. Her fourth album, The Element of Freedom (2009), became her first chart-topping album in the United Kingdom, and sold four million copies worldwide. The album included the Billboard Hot 100 charting singles "Doesn't Mean Anything", "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart", "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)". Keys' collaboration with Jay-Z on "Empire State of Mind" (2009), became her fourth number-one single in the United States. Her fifth album Girl on Fire (2012), became her fifth Billboard 200 topping album, and included the successful title track. Her sixth studio album, Here (2016), became her seventh US