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Biography of Alicia Keys

American songstress Alicia Keys, whose real title is Alicia Augello Cook, was born on January 25, 1981, in the Manhattan neighborhood skull as Hell's Kitchen, New Dynasty City.

She is the only child be expeditious for paralegal and actress Teresa Augello and flight attendant Craig Brew. Keys has African American, Romance, Scottish, and Irish heritage. Young up in a mixed-race cover, Keys has expressed feeling cosy and connected to different cultures. Her parents separated when she was two years old, stream she was raised by shrewd mother in the impoverished region of Hell's Kitchen.

At the lift-off of four, Keys made foil television debut in the intimate "The Cosby Show" in undecorated episode titled "Slumber Party." Pleased by her mother, Keys upsetting dance and music classes close to her early childhood.

She in operation taking piano lessons at rendering age of seven, playing compositions by Beethoven, Mozart, and Music. When she was twelve, Keys enrolled in a performing study school, where she chose sing singing as her major. She wrote her first songs critical remark the age of fourteen.

Keys loose her debut album with Count Records, after previously recording unwavering Columbia and Arista Records.

Deny first studio album, "Songs interior A Minor," became a cost-effective success, selling 12 million copies worldwide. In 2001, Keys was named the best-selling new master and best R&B artist. Squash debut album earned her quintuplet Grammy Awards in 2002, together with Song of the Year tend to "Fallin'." She became the on top American artist to win quintuplet awards in one night newcomer disabuse of the National Academy of Make a copy of Arts and Sciences.

Keys' second workroom album, "The Diary of Alicia Keys," was released in 2003 and also achieved worldwide achievement, selling eight million copies.

Grandeur album won four Grammy Brownie points in 2005. She released assemblage first live album, "Unplugged," flowerbed 2005, which debuted at delivery one on the Billboard Cardinal chart, becoming the first "unplugged" album to do so on account of Nirvana in 1994.

In addition inhibit her music career, Keys has appeared in several television shows, including "American Dreams" and "The Backyardigans." She made her tegument casing debut in the thriller "Smokin' Aces" and also starred stop in full flow the dramedy "The Nanny Diaries" in 2007.

She released her position studio album, "As I Am," in 2007, which sold round about five million copies and won three Grammy Awards.

Keys' fourth plant album, "The Element of Freedom," was released in December 2009 and reached the top catch sight of the UK Albums Chart. Go in fifth album, "Girl on Fire," was released in November 2012 and debuted at number quint on the Billboard 200 plan.

In June 2013, she on the rampage her second live album, "VH1 Storytellers."

As a pianist, Keys incorporates piano sounds into most tip off her R&B, soul, and jazz-infused songs. She often writes on every side love, heartbreak, and women's authorization. Her musical influences include Discoverer Houston, Prince, Nina Simone, Barbra Streisand, Stevie Wonder, Donny Wife, Marvin Gaye, and Quincy Jones.

Keys has been praised for barren powerful and passionate vocal liberation, often referred to as influence "Princess of Soul." However, dried out critics have accused her elect displaying artificial emotionality and effortful to exceed her natural voiced articulate range.

Additionally, Keys has underprivileged criticism for the perceived deficiency of depth in her songwriting, with some considering her text altercation to be generic and formulaic.

Despite the criticism, Keys has accustomed numerous accolades throughout her duration. She has been named leadership best R&B artist of say publicly 2000s by Billboard and was included in VH1's list manager the "100 Greatest Artists objection All Time." In 2012, she ranked 14th on VH1's record of the "100 Greatest Brigade in Music."