Birth name : Alicia Augello Cook

Date of birth : 25 January 1981, New York City, New York, USA.

Occupation: Singer

Education: Columbia University

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Born aware of her old soul yet living in New York's inner city amidst the dominance of Biggie and Jay Z, AliciaÆs natural talents blossomed into a rare mix of hip-hop flavor and insightful, wise-beyond-her-years songwriting. Coupling this with the singerÆs spine-tingling vocal power, positively stirring live performances and expertise as a classically trained pianist, Alicia Keys could be this generationÆs Roberta Flack.

Alicia KeysÆ artistic light is so bright it could illuminate a pitch-black room. A true musical prodigy whose multi-dimensional gifts emerged at age five, the beautiful Alicia will soon take modern R&B soul to a whole new level at the tender age of nineteen.

Highly sought-after by record labels that held good, old-fashioned bidding wars in her honor, Alicia signed to Arista Records in 1998. There, in the spirit of a genius like DÆAngelo or Prince, she continued the process of writing, producing and recording the debut sheÆd begun penning at age 14.

In late 1999, Alicia followed Clive Davis to his new J Records where she continues to chart her arrival to the music world. Creations now rising out of the studio show signs of both a critical and commercial monster - a deep, melodic, soulful gem of an album that showcases Alicia in all her universal glory. Though most of the album- including the luminous "Fallin'" and the moving "Troubles" - was written and produced by Alicia Keys, the artist collaborates with Jermaine Dupri on "Girlfriend" and with Isaac Hayes on "Rock Wit U" from the Shaft soundtrack. Her debut album, Songs in A Minor, is set for release on J Records in late June.

Born and raised in Manhattan, the stunning, bi-racial Alicia Keys recognizes a number of influences including her ultra-supportive mother who told her "You can quit anything else but you can never give up on your piano lessons." Alicia also sites a teacher at the Professional Performance Arts School in Manhattan who, while she was majoring in Choir, gave her valuable instruction on her voice. "This teacher spent so much time with me, she became the closest thing to vocal training I received," Alicia recalls.

At age 16, AliciaÆs outstanding grades allowed her to finish high school early. "I was so deeply involved in music, I had already outgrown all the pressure of high school cliques and gossip." Right out of high school, Columbia University accepted Alicia Keys and though she gave it a whirl, the desire to focus on music was the driving force over all else.

Patience.

You learn the definition of the word whenever you embark on the long journey to realizing your dreams.

Alicia Keys knows the word well. She signed a recording contract with Arista records in 1998. Count on your fingers, I'm doing it, thats three years ago.

Think of it like this... someone gives you a ticket to one of the hottest outdoor concerts in the city, but you can't get in until your contact comes to the gate to give you the okay. You can see inside, but your standing there waiting, looking at the back of peoples heads, watching them having a good time and hearing the cheers from the crowd... but you can't get in yet. "Where is this guy, I'm trying to get in this joint.. what's sup?!"

When Alicia was five years of age, her parents noticed that she had a special gift for music. Her mother promptly signed her up for classical piano lessons. Yep, the ones where you sit and pluck out chords all day. Her mother made it clear though, telling her "You can quit anything else but you can never give up your piano lessons." Sounds harsh, but Alicia loved playing piano, so it was no problemo.

Born and raised in Harlem, New York, she attended the Performance Arts School of Manhattan. While majoring in choir, she got some valuable insight on the use of her voice from one of her music instructors. "This teacher spent so much time with me, she became the closest thing to vocal training I received," Alicia said.

Not only good with music, she had the kind of grades that would make you want to grab the White Out and ink in your own name. Columbia University accepted her as soon as she graduated high school, at the age of 16.

After ten years of developing her musical talents, Columbia didn't seem that appetizing, so she put off school for awhile to concentrate on her love of music.

She continued to write songs, something she had done since she was 14 years old, and slowly word began to circulate in the industry about "this young girl named Alicia."

2001

Alicia Keys, now 19 years old, is sitting in a packed ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria. She's there to perform a song called "Fallin", from her J Records debut album Songs in A Minor

J Records? Clive Davis, the former president of Arista Records, left his post at the company, and she, along with other artists like Busta Rhymes, followed him to his new label..

But that auditorium. It's filled with the kind of folks who like to sing and dance to "New York, New York." A far cry from what her sound has developed into - a mix of hip hop and soul. You've heard those words many times before, but the soul in this package comes from her wise-beyond-her-years songwriting ability, her vocal power, and her live performances, which of course, demonstrate her expertise on that piano.

She takes the stage, and although Clive Davis is a little bit fearful, she turns the audience into believers; causing reporters to label her "a major star" and sending a buzz throughout the industry.

"I've heard some strong material from Keys upcoming debut and she seems the most likely to follow up what Jill Scott has done for us." - Steve Hochman, Los Angeles Times