Alice Keys was born in 1981 in New York City and began taking piano lessons at the age of seven. She attended the Professional Performing Arts School, and excelled greatly at school, Keys graduated at the age of 16. She signed with Arista Records in 1998. she was admitted to the University of Columbia on a full scholarship, but after four weeks at the university, Keys decided to dedicate herself to her music.
Keys was signed to J Records where she produced her debut album, Songs In Minor, which was released in 2001. The album was critically acclaimed not only for its classical style but also for its timeless content. At the 2002 Grammy Awards, Keys received the Award for Best Song of the Year, Best R&B Song, Best R&B Album, Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Best New Artist. The album went five times platinum.
In 2003 Alicia released her second album The Diaries Of Alicia Keys. Ace also brought back some Grammy Awards for his second album. She won several awards including best female R&B vocal performance, the best R&B song, the best R&B album, the best R&B performance or a vocal duet. The album includes a duet with Usher on "My Boo".
In 2007, she released another number one album As I Am, which sold more than 740,000 copies. In 2008, she recorded “Another Way to Die” with Jack White, which was named the theme song for the James Bond film Quantum of Solace (2008). She also recorded the hit single “Empire State of Mind” with fellow New Yorker Jay-Z the following year.
In 2009, Keys releases her fourth studio album, The Element of Freedom. Although the album didn't go quite as well as her previous album, it debuted at number two with the first single "Nothing Mean". Her fifth studio album, Girl on Fire which was released in 2012, brought Keys back to the top spot at number one. She received the Grammy for Best R&B Album in 2014.
Keys hosted the Grammy Awards in 2019 and performed some of her favorite songs from artists like Nat King Cole, Roberta Flack and Lauryn Hill. She also hosted the following year, paid tribute to the late great Kobe Bryant by joining the Boyz II Men in singing “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye”.
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