Alicia Augello Cook, known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After disputes with the label, she signed with J Records to release her debut studio album, Songs in A Minor (2001). Met with critical acclaim and commercial success, the album sold over 12 million copies worldwide and won five awards at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards. It contained the Billboard Hot 100-number one single "Fallin'." Her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), was met with continued success, selling eight million units worldwide and spawning the singles "You Don't Know My Name", "If I Ain't Got You", and "Diary". Its release earned an additional four Grammy Awards.
The Diary of Alicia Keys is the second studio album by American singer Alicia Keys. It was released on December 2, 2003, by J Records. The album was recorded at several recording studios, and production was handled primarily by Keys with contributions from Kanye West and Kerry Brothers Jr., who described it as "an R&B album".
American singer Alicia Keys has released nine studio albums, eight live albums, one remix album, six reissue albums, four extended plays, seven box sets, 47 singles as lead artist, and six promotional singles. Throughout her career, Keys has sold over 65 million records worldwide. According to Recording Industry Association of America, Keys is the top certified female R&B artist of the millennium, with 20 million certified albums and 38 million certified digital singles in the United States. Billboard ranked her as the second top female artist of the 2000s decade, fourth top R&B/hip-Hop female artist of the 2010s decade and the 60th Greatest Artist of all time.
"My Boo" is a duet between American R&B singers Usher and Alicia Keys, written by the artists alongside Adonis Shropshire, Manuel Seal, and Jermaine Dupri, the latter of whom produced it with No I.D.—who is uncredited. It was included on the re-release of Usher's fourth studio album, Confessions (2004). The song was released as the album's fourth single on August 29, 2004. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, it was released as a double A-side with "Confessions Part II".
"This Woman's Work" is a song written and performed by the English singer-songwriter Kate Bush. It was initially featured on the soundtrack of the American film She's Having a Baby (1988). The song was released as the second single from her album The Sensual World in 1989 and peaked at 25 in the UK Singles Chart.
"Karma" is a song by American singer and songwriter Alicia Keys, taken from her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003). Written by Keys, Kerry Brothers, Jr., and Taneisha Smith, the song takes influence from hip hop and classical music. It was released as the album's fourth and final single on November 1, 2004, by J Records. Peaking at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 17 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, it's the album's only single not to top a Billboard chart. A mashup of "Karma" with Stevie Wonder's 1972 hit "Superstition" titled "Karmastition", produced by Go Home Productions, was also released.
"Superwoman" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys for her third studio album As I Am (2007). Written by Keys, Linda Perry, and Steve Mostyn, it was released as the fourth and final single from As I Am on July 29, 2008, by J Records.
"Empire State of Mind" is a song performed by American rapper Jay-Z featuring American singer Alicia Keys from the former's eleventh studio album, The Blueprint 3 (2009). It was released by his then-newfound record label Roc Nation and Atlantic Records on October 20, 2009. Produced by Al Shux, the song features a music sample of "Love on a Two-Way Street" performed by The Moments. Angela Hunte and Janet Sewell-Ulepic originally wrote it as a tribute to their hometown, New York City. The following month, they submitted it to Roc Nation, whose reviews were discouraging. They later took the suggestion of an EMI Music Publishing associate and resubmitted it to Jay-Z, who kept the "New York" singing part on the hook, changed the verses, and recorded it. The song's title, similar to "New York State of Mind" by Billy Joel and "N.Y. State of Mind" by Nas, is a play on and tribute to New York's nickname "Empire State".
"Put It in a Love Song" is a song by American singer Alicia Keys. The song, written and produced by Keys and Swizz Beatz, features guest vocals by American singer Beyoncé. It was originally sent to radio on January 19, 2010, by J Records, as the fourth single from Keys' fourth studio album, The Element of Freedom (2009). However promotion for the song was halted so that Keys could release "Un-Thinkable " as her next single. "Put It in a Love Song" talks about a girl who just wants her lover to write her a song and prove to her he's worth her time.
"Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder) is a song by American R&B/neo soul singer Maxwell, released in July 1996 by Columbia as the second single from his debut album, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite (1996). The song was written by Maxwell, and Itaal Shur, and he also produced it. It peaked at number eight on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 28 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video was directed by Liz Friedlander. The B side of the single is "Lock You Up N' Love Fa Days", which was previously unreleased and also written and produced by Musze.
"Dive" is a song recorded by the American recording artist Usher for his seventh studio album, Looking 4 Myself (2012). It was written and produced by Rico Love, Jim Jonsin, Danny Morris and Frank Romano. "Dive" is a slow-paced R&B ballad with elements of pop music, with Usher making use of his falsetto range. Its lyrics use the metaphor of diving, which was interpreted by critics to discuss a commitment to a relationship. The song was announced by Usher on Twitter as the fifth single from Looking 4 Myself on August 21, 2012. It was released to urban radio on August 28, 2012.
"New Day" is a song by American recording artist Alicia Keys from her fifth studio album Girl on Fire (2012). Produced by Swizz Beatz and Dr. Dre, the song showcases a musical departure from the previous singles by the singer, with a more upbeat sound led by drums and percussion, as opposed to her classical R&B sound. On the song, Keys sings about "touching the sky and not letting chances go to waste". It received praise from music critics, who complimented the new musical direction, as well as criticizing the downgrade of Keys' "powerhouse voice" in favor of percussion. Rapper 50 Cent has a version of the song with one verse by Dr. Dre and the hook by Alicia Keys, also called "New Day". It was released as the second international single from the album and was officially sent to French radio stations on February 21, 2013.
"Daylight" is a song performed by American band Maroon 5. The song was released on November 8, 2012, as the third single from their fourth studio album Overexposed (2012). Lead singer, Adam Levine co-wrote and co-produced it with Max Martin and Mason "MdL" Levy, with additional writing from Sam Martin. The song is a soft rock ballad about realizing that one has to move on from an old relationship, but not fully wanting to leave just yet.
"New Day" is a song by American rapper 50 Cent. The song was released on July 27, 2012, originally as a single from his scrapped album Street King Immortal, but it was eventually removed from the project. The song was produced by Dr. Dre and mixed by Eminem, while co-written by the two along with 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Royce da 5'9", Swizz Beatz, Andrew Brissett, Amber Streeter from RichGirl and Trevor Lawrence Jr. from Aftermath Records. The song features a verse from Dr. Dre, while the hook is sung by Alicia Keys. Keys also recorded and released her own version of "New Day" which is featured on her fifth album Girl on Fire (2012).
"Girl on Fire" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys for her fifth studio album of the same name. Keys co-wrote and co-produced the R&B ballad with Jeff Bhasker and Salaam Remi. The song contains an interpolation of the drums from the 1980 song "The Big Beat" by American rock guitarist Billy Squier, who received a writing credit on "Girl on Fire". Released on September 4, 2012, as the lead single from the album, "Girl on Fire" is Keys' first release under RCA Records following the closure of J Records, after a reorganization at Sony Music Entertainment.
Girl on Fire is the fifth studio album by American singer and songwriter Alicia Keys. It was released on November 22, 2012, being Keys' first release with RCA Records following Sony Music Entertainment's decision to close J Records during a company reshuffle. The album is an R&B album with elements of different musical styles, including rock, electro, reggae and hip hop. It features a largely minimalist production, includes piano-driven songs and balances traditional R&B with atypical chords and melodic changes.
"Brand New Me" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys for her fifth studio album, Girl on Fire (2012). It was sent to radio by RCA Records on November 19, 2012, as the album's second official single. It was co-written by Keys and Scottish singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé. A follow-up to Keys' previous single "Girl on Fire", "Brand New Me" is a soft ballad, which Keys credits as her autobiography. Lyrically, the song is about personal growth and becoming a brand new version of yourself. It has been met with positive reviews. Keys has performed the song on several occasions including the iTunes Festival of 2012 and VH1 Storytellers.
"Not Even the King" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys for her fifth studio album, Girl on Fire (2012). Co-written by Emeli Sandé, "Not Even the King" is a piano ballad about love which is bigger than the world, and which could not be afforded by a king. The song serves as a promotional single from Girl on Fire. She has performed the song on a number of occasions, and released an artistic lyric video for it on September 8, 2012. It has garnered acclaim by music critics, who praised Keys' vocals and the song's message. It was also included on Keys' ninth studio album Santa Baby (2022).
American recording artist Alicia Keys has appeared in numerous music videos. Her videography includes more than thirty music videos and three video albums. In 2000, Keys signed a recording contract with J Records and released her debut single "Fallin'", taken from her first studio album Songs in A minor (2001). The plot of its music video had Keys traveling to a prison to visit her incarcerated boyfriend and was continued in the video for her next single, "A Woman's Worth;" both videos marked Keys' first collaboration with director Chris Robinson, who would become a regular collaborator later. In 2004, another regular, American director Diane Martel, directed the accompanying music video for the second single from the singer's second album The Diary of Alicia Keys, "If I Ain't Got You", which featured rapper Method Man as Keys' love interest. It won the Best R&B Video accolade at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards.
"In Common" is a song by American singer and songwriter Alicia Keys from her sixth studio album, Here. The song was written by Keys, Illangelo, Billy Walsh and Taylor Parks, and produced by Illangelo. It is a departure from her R&B sound, having a tropical music and dancehall sound, with Latin beat, Afrobeat instrumental, collage of electronic beats, tropicalia-infused rhythms and icy drum patterns as its main instrumentation. Keys uses a hushed tone throughout the song.
