Biographic - Sunday July 17, 2016 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

Born Alicia Augello-Cook in New York City on January 25, 1981, Alicia Keys appeared on an episode of "The Cosby Show" when she was 4 and began playing classical piano at the age of 7. She graduated from New York's prestigious professional Performing Arts School as valedictorian at the age of 16. A demo deal, with producer Jermaine Dupri landed Alicia a track on the "Men In Black" soundtrack, but it proved to be a false start, and teh deal fizzled out. She was subsequently signed to Arista by Clive Davis before following him to his newly formed J Records label. Tracks on the"Shaft" and "Dr. Dolittle 2" soundtracks were followed by her 2001 debut album "Songs In A Minor." The album was a chart-topping smash, spawning the No. 1 hit single "Fallin'" on the way to selling 10 million copies worldwide. Two years later, her second album, "The Diary of Alicia Keys" debuted at the top of the charts. In 2004, she teamed up with Usher on the No. 1 single "My Boo." Subsequent albums "Unplugged" and "As I Am" both topped the charts, and the latter also produced 2007's anthemic No. 1 hit single "No One." Two years later, she was featured on Jay-Z's incredibly successful "Empire State Of Mind" single. Alicia has collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, from Ray Charles to Beyonce, Bono and Jack White. For forays into acting included roles in the movies "Smokin' Aces" "The Nanny Diaries" and "The Secret Life Of Bees" and tv shows such as "Cane" "American Dreams" and "Empire," and she directed the 2011 TV movie "Five." Her 2012 album, "Girl On Fire" returned her to the top of the charts. A renowned philanthropist, Alicia works and performs on behalf of a number of worthy causes. She is also a published author and a record producer who co-owns her own record studios. To date, the multi-award-winning mother of two has sold over 35 million albums worldwide.

Tags