Overview (4)
| Born | in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA |
| Birth Name | Alicia J. Augello-Cook |
| Nickname | Lellow |
| Height | 5' 6" (1.68 m) |
Mini Bio (1)
Alicia Keys was born in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, to Terria Joseph (née Teresa M. Augello), a paralegal who was also an occasional actress, and Craig Cook, a flight attendant. Her father is African-American and her mother, who is Caucasian, is of Italian and English/Irish/Scottish ancestry. Alicia began taking piano lessons at age 7 at her mother's insistence. She proved to be such a prodigy that she was later accepted into the prestigious Professional Performance Arts School of Manhattan, where she majored in choir. Not only her musical talent but also her grades proved to be so exceptional that she was allowed to graduate, as valedictorian, at age 16. In 1998, she signed with Arista Records, and wrote, produced, and recorded her own albums. In 1999, she left Arista to join J Records, headed by legendary music impresario Clive Davis, and her success has been meteoric. Her 2001 debut album, "Songs in A Minor," sold 6 million copies and garnered five Grammys. Her album "Diary" won her four more Grammys in 2005.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: frankfob2@yahoo.com
Family (3)
| Spouse | Swizz Beatz (31 July 2010 - present) (2 children) |
| Children |
Egypt Daoud Dean
Genesis Ali Dean |
| Parents |
Terria Joseph Craig Cook |
Trivia (35)
She was accepted by Columbia University at age 16, but dropped out to pursue her music career.
She was named one of People Magazine's "Breakthrough Stars of 2001".
She was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine in 2002.
She has appeared on the covers of Vibe, Vanity Fair, Seventeen, and Teen magazines.
She began to play the piano at age seven.
She was the first artist to sign with J Records.
She wrote her first song at the age of 14.
Alicia's father, Craig Cook, is African-American. Alicia's mother, Terria Joseph (née Teresa M. Augello), is Caucasian. Alicia's maternal grandfather was of Italian descent; her maternal grandmother had English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.
She graduated from a performing arts high school at age 16.
She is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. (2004).
Before coming up with the last name Keys, she had at one point considered calling herself Alicia Wild.
She won the award for Best R&B at the 2004 MTV Europe Music Awards.
She wrote and produced "Impossible," one of the songs on Christina Aguilera's album "Stripped".
She says the child she has met that inspired her most is 13-year-old Sydnee Bush, of Savannah, Georgia (as of 2005).
She has been friends with R&B superstar Usher since she was 14.
She has known R&B superstar Beyoncé since she was 13.
She was ranked as #95 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement. (2005).
She named #65 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).
She was ranked #99 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists.
Her father, Craig Cook, left the family when she was two.
She ranked #77 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2008 list.
She ties with Amy Winehouse and Lauryn Hill for the most Grammys (five) won by a woman in a single year.
She was five months pregnant with her son Egypt when she completed "The Freedom Tour," which began in Ottawa, Canada, and ended in New Orleans.
She was born at 3:30 AM.
On July 31, 2010, she married her boyfriend of 14 months, Swizz Beatz, in a small ceremony on the French island of Corsica following a two-month engagement.
Has 2 sons: Egypt Daoud Dean (b. October 14, 2010) & Genesis Ali Dean (b. December 27, 2014) with husband, Swizz Beatz.
She returned to work eight months after giving birth to her son Egypt in order to perform in "The Piano & I Tour," which began in Paris and ended in New York City.
She returned to work five months after giving birth to her son Genesis to begin recording her sixth studio album.
She can play the guitar.
Her son Egypt has been called a musical prodigy. At 5 years old he co-produced several tracks for Kendrick Lamar's album Untitled Unmastered, notably "Untitled 07".
In May 2017, she merited a place in TIME magazine's "The 100 Most Influential People" issue with an homage written by Kerry Washington.
In November 2006, she performed a three-song set with the legendary David Bowie at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, which turned out to be his last ever live performance.
Was friends with Prince.
Personal Quotes (17)
[on the use of women, sex and sleaze in rap/hip-hop videos] Oh my God, the [hip-hop] videos! The imagery is so awful! I just can't get with it at all. The best thing I can say about it is that sometimes you have to see that kind of stuff so as to have a more balanced view about why it's so bad.
I always want to stay focused on who I am, even as I'm discovering who I am.
Keep a Child Alive is my passion and my mission.
I love Bono. I really respect what he has done for Africa and how he has used his fame to do good in the world. I hope I can do half as much in my life.
I believe AIDS is the most important issue we face, because how we treat the poor is a reflection of who we are as a people.
[interview in InStyle, 9/06] My mom always said, "Don't date a guy who thinks he's prettier than you".
I think music and socialism and politics have always gone hand in hand. As artists we used to be way more instrumental in providing a soundtrack to the heartbeat of what's going on in the world. We all don't have to think the same thing but it's important to state what we think. There is such a fear of termination of one's career if they have any intelligent thought about politics and that's messed up.
I have big everything on the bottom but I love my legs. You've got to love what's yours.
I love my heritage! I have my mother who is an Irish-Italian, and my father who is African, so I have the taste buds of an Italian and the spice of an African.
He's just so gifted. When God made Stevie Wonder, he just poured extra talent, extra creativity, extra everything into him.
Marvin Gaye wasn't at his best until he hit his late thirties and forties, and had he not been killed, he would only have gotten greater.
Even when I'm singing on record there's a lot of times when I'll fight for a bit of imperfection. I might not have quite hit the note to the perfect pitch, but there was a soul in there and feeling that,to me, delivers the emotion of that moment. For me, doing a show, the excitement of singing live, and the possibility that you're not going to be perfect - that's the thrill of it.
[on developing her early career] I moved at such a speed I tended to feel like I was on a hamster wheel and I was just running in circles. I felt a little bit encaged. I was really not happy but I didn't understand why, because here's this big dream and I'm living it, so what's wrong with me?
I'm a very positive person, but this whole concept of having to always be nice, always smiling, always happy, that's not real. It was like I was wearing a mask. I was becoming this perfectly chiselled sculpture, and that was bad. That took a long time to understand.
Things can be really empty in this world, and I don't just mean the music world. It can become a very meaningless place if you don't really understand: Who am I? Why am I here? What am I doing? To feel fulfillment and have a deeper level of understanding, personally, that is the most important thing.
I'm very serious about my craft. I want to make the best music that people have ever heard. I want to make music that goes down from generation to generation and that people never forget.
I've learned to love my curves, my womanliness. I used to hide it, to downplay it. But now I revel in it.
