Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell’s Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. Keys began singing in church as a child and learned to play piano at the age of seven. She attended Professional Performing Arts School and graduated from the High School of Music and Art. Keys’ musical style is deeply rooted in R&B, but also incorporates soul, hip hop, classical, jazz and rock into her sound.
After signing with Columbia Records in 2001, she released her debut album Alicia Keys that same year; it went on to sell eleven million copies worldwide. She became the best-selling new artist and best-selling R&B artist of 2002. The album earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2003, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for “Fallin”‘. Her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), was also a massive success. The album sold eight million copies worldwide, earning her an additional three Grammy Awards. Her live album, Unplugged (2005), became the biggest debut ever for a music DVD and has sold over seven million copies worldwide to date.
