Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She began her career in music in 2008 and since then has sold over 70 million albums worldwide, making her one of the best-selling female artist of all time. As a songwriter, she has written songs for other well-known artists, including “Girl On Fire”, which she wrote with Katy Perry and was later covered by Taylor Swift; “If I Ain’t Got You”, which she wrote for the Pussycat Dolls and was later covered by Ke$ha; and “Empire”, which she wrote for Chris Brown and was later covered by Ariana Grande.

Keys began her career in entertainment as the featured vocalist on the track “One Day”, which was originally released as a single in 2008 and went on to become the biggest-selling single in the history of British record label Polydor. The song won the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Recording Package and was also named Single of the Year by the BBC.

Musical Beginnings

Born in New York City on December 4, 1981, Alicia Keys grew up in a musical family. Her father is jazz composer/arranger Jack Keys and her mother is an opera singer whose family is credited with founding the New York City Opera. She began singing at the age of four and played piano and organ at church as a child. In addition to her musical talent, Keys is also an accomplished dancer, having trained at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and the Martha Graham Dance Company. She has received praise for her vocals from the likes of Jimmy Iovine, Mick Jagger, and Nile Rodgers, among others.

Songs About Love And Relationships

While the music industry has shifted towards more mature themes in general, Keys’ songs have stayed true to their melodic roots. She has said that she finds inspiration for songs from her relationships, especially those with men. “Love Is Your Name”, the first single from her debut album, is a romantic duet with Scottish guitarist/songwriter Calvin Harris. According to Harris, the song is about “the strength of a woman’s love and the courage it takes to show it”. Keys wrote the song while she was dating Harris and it was later featured on his 2010 album X. In “Broken Flowers”, the second single from Alicia Keys’ self-titled debut album, she sings about the pain of unrequited love. “He Didn’t Love You Like I Did”, the first single from her second album, was inspired by her relationship with Drake. It was reportedly one of the first songs she wrote after their break-up. The album also included a cover of the Bob Dylan song “Every Grain of Sand”, which Dylan had released nearly 30 years earlier.

As the above songs illustrate, a large portion of Keys’ lyrics deal with love and relationships. She has cited R&B singer LaTocha as one of her biggest influences and has said that she wants her music to be “authentic”. “I want my music to be heard by everyone,” she told Billboard. “I want everyone to relate to it. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman. Because at the end of the day, love is love.”

Elevating The Craft

Throughout her musical career, Alicia Keys has consistently worked to elevate the craft of songwriting and record production. She has credited Rick Rubin and Phil Ramone as influential figures in her development as an artist. In 2010, she released the Eric B. and Rakim-sampled album ‘The Element’ and became the first artist to have their album debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Rap Albums chart. Two years later, she produced and wrote several songs for Jennifer Lopez’s album ‘J.Lo’. In 2018, she produced the song “Girl”, which was nominated in the Best Original Song category at the Academy Awards.

Iconic Looks

In 2011, Keys was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people. She was the only African-American woman on the list. She has also been featured on the cover of Vogue four times. In 2015, she was featured on the cover of Ocean Vuze’s book The Art of Fashion Storytelling alongside fellow industry greats Tracy Chapman, Donna Summer, and Carol Kane. Chapman praised Keys as a role model, commenting, “Alicia is a true genius when it comes to fashion and styling. She always looks incredibly elegant and stylish, and I admire her greatly for that.”

Awards And Recognition

Alicia Keys has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including three Grammy Awards, two of which she won. She is also the only African-American woman to have ever received the Ivor Novello Award, which is given to an act or artist for “continuing musical excellence and cultural significance”. She was previously nominated for the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album award at the 2016 Grammys for her album ‘Here’ and was also nominated for Album of the Year at the 2017 Grammys for her self-titled debut album.

In 2011, her song “Black and Blue” was listed among the best songs of the 2000s by Rolling Stone. In 2012, she was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for her song “A Woman’s Worth”, which she wrote for the television show House of Gucci. That same year, she was also featured on the cover of Rolling Stone, along with Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga. Since 2007, Keys has been nominated for six Grammy Awards and has won twice. She currently has a total of three Grammy Awards for her songwriting and producing (plus one for best artist for her solo work).

Keys is also the author of two bestselling books: ‘Girl, Inspired’ (2014) and ‘Notes On Style: Fashioning a Life In a Plastic Era’ (2017).

To celebrate her 25th anniversary, Keys released a special edition of her debut album, which was called “The 25th Anniversary Collection”. It included four new recordings of classic songs, as well as two new songs, “Girl Overboard” and “Love Is”. The album also included a collection of photos from her career taken by the legendary Annie Leibowitz. It became her eighth album to enter the Billboard Top Albums chart, where it peaked at number four.

To date, Alicia Keys has sold over 70 million albums worldwide as a solo artist and has been named one of the best-selling female artists of all time. She continues to tour and appear on stage with the likes of Taylor Swift, Adele, and the Rolling Stones. Her most recent appearances have been with Adele and the Rolling Stones. She was one of the special guests at the Rolling Stones’ NoFilter concert in February 2019.