Celebrity Name : Alicia Keys

Celebrity Real Name : Alicia Augello Cook

Date of Birth : January 25, 1980

Biography :
Alicia Keys (born Alicia J. Augello-Cook on January 25, 1980) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, composer, pianist, and record producer. Keys is a renowned artist who has sold over 25 million albums and singles worldwide and won numerous awards, including nine Grammys, eleven Billboard Music Awards and three American Music Awards.

Early life
Keys was born to an Irish-Italian mother, Terri Augello, and a Jamaican father, Craig Cook,in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, New York, and was raised in poverty in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, also of Manhattan, New York City. In 1985, Keys and a group of other girls won the parts of Rudy Huxtable’s sleepover guests in an episode of The Cosby Show (the episode became the only time Keys was credited under her real name). She began playing piano when she was seven, learning classical music by composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, and her favorite Chopin. She wrote her first song “Butterflyz” at the age of fourteen; the song was later recorded for her debut album. Keys’ mother and father separated during her early childhood, thus she was raised by her mother during her formative years; her mother was the one who most supported her during the time she was developing her musical talents. The press reported in 2005 that Keys was attempting to reconcile with her father.

Current activities
Keys has already began working on her third studio album, to be released in 2007. Rolling Stone magazine reported in December 2005 that Keys and her longtime songwriting partner Kerry “Krucial” Brothers will start working seriously on Keys’ third studio album in the latter half of 2006. It was revealed that the album was called The Songbook. There are also rumors that she worked with Linda Perry.Keys has explained that her new upcoming album has a more edgy feel than her first two albums and she is keen to do strange and unexpected collaborations outside the R&B and hip-hop worlds.Keys plans to collobarate with John Mayer, John Legend, and Linda Perry on her third studio album.
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