Alicia Keys

Vinyl Discography:

Biography:

Alicia Keys (born Alicia Augello Cook) began performing at age four and playing piano at age seven, focusing on classical music and jazz. At 14, she began composing and graduated from the Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan two years later. Keys' compositions displayed modern influences but were rooted in the sounds of earlier soul artists, including Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. After attracting the attention of record magnate Clive Davis, she signed with Arista Records in 1998, and when Davis founded J Records in 2000, she was one of the first artists signed to the new label. In 2001, Keys released "Songs in A Minor," a hugely successful debut album that included a number one hit with "Fallin'" and sold over 10 million copies worldwide. She won five Grammy Awards in 2002, including Song of the Year and Best New Artist.

The following year, Keys released a second album, "The Diary of Alicia Keys." She also recorded a duet with Usher called "My Boo," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks. In 2005, Keys cemented her status as one of pop music's leading artists by winning four Grammy Awards: Best Album, Best Song, Best Female Vocal Performance, and Best Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. That same year, she recorded and released "Unplugged," an album from the MTV special featuring acoustic versions of previous hits, new songs, and covers.

In 2007, Keys released "As I Am," featuring the Grammy-winning single "No One." The following year, she collaborated with Jack White of the White Stripes on "Another Way to Die," the lead single from the soundtrack of the James Bond film Quantum of Solace. "As I Am" continued to sell strongly in 2008, and the single "Superwoman" earned Keys a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 2009. Later that year, she collaborated with Jay-Z on the single "Empire State of Mind," and in December, she released her fourth studio album, "The Element of Freedom." The Grammy-winning "Girl on Fire" (2012) featured a selection of guest producers and vocalists, including Nicki Minaj, Dr. Dre, and Keys' husband, Swizz Beatz. However, the socially conscious "Here" (2016) was less popular. On “Alicia” (2020), which was released during the COVID-19 pandemic, Keys continued to explore current issues, though many of the songs were imbued with optimism. In addition to her music-related activities, Keys has appeared in several films, including Smokin' Aces (2006), The Nanny Diaries (2007), and The Secret Life of Bees (2008). She directed one of the five segments that made up the cable television movie Five (2011), about women living with breast cancer. Keys was also a coach (2016–18) on television's The Voice. She hosted the Grammy Awards ceremony in 2019 and 2020. Her memoir, More Myself (written with Michelle Burford), was published in 2020.

Four years after her last album, Here, Keys will release her seventh studio album, titled "Alicia," on March 20, 2020. The first two singles, "Show Me Love" and "Time Machine," were not well received worldwide. Her third single, "Underdog," achieved greater success, reaching number 15 in the Dutch Top 40. A world tour is also planned, kicking off in Dublin on June 5. Although no shows were scheduled for this tour in the Netherlands, Keys will perform at a virtual King's Day party hosted by Radio 538.

Alicia Keys hasn't been sitting still. In 2021, she released the album bearing her last name, KEYS. A mega project with numerous songs. The album essentially consists of two parts: Original and Unlocked. The first part, Original, is the Alicia Keys we know from her earlier music. The second part is a more fully produced section. The same songs in a different style.