Alicia Augello Cook,known professionally as Alicia Keys,is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist,Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Columbia Records. After disputes with the label,she signed with Arista Records and later released her debut album,Songs in A Minor,with J Records in 2001. The album was critically and commercially successful,selling over 12 million copies worldwide. It spawned the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Fallin'",and earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002. Her second album,The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003),was also a critical and commercial success,selling eight million copies worldwide,and producing the singles "You Don't Know My Name","If I Ain't Got You",and "Diary". The album garnered her 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,three extended plays,seven box sets,46 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 Usher,Keys,Jermaine Dupri,Adonis Shropshire,and Manuel Seal. 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 in 2004. Set over a hip hop-style track,it was produced by Dupri and No I.D.
"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.
"Rock the Boat" is a song recorded by American singer Aaliyah for her eponymous third and final studio album (2001). It was written by Static Major,Eric Seats and Rapture Stewart,while Seats and Stewart handled its production. A mid-tempo R&B song,"Rock the Boat" features a female narrator instructing her lover on how to sexually please her.
"Empire State of Mind" is a song performed by American rapper Jay-Z featuring American singer Alicia Keys from the former's 11th studio album,The Blueprint 3 (2009). It was released 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. It was originally written by Angela Hunte and Janet Sewell-Ulepic as a tribute to their hometown,New York City. The following month,they submitted it to Jay-Z's label Roc Nation,whose reviews were a discouragement. They later took the suggestion of an associate of EMI Music Publishing 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 wordplay and tribute to New York's nickname "Empire State" and could also be a reference to the Empire State Building in Manhattan.
"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 1996 song by American R&B/neo soul singer Maxwell,released as the second single from his debut album,Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite. 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 B side of the single is "Lock You Up N' Love Fa Days," which was previously unreleased and also written and produced by Musze.
"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 hip hop recording artist 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 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. 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.
"Lake by the Ocean" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Maxwell,for his fifth studio album,blackSUMMERS'night (2016).
"Show Me Love" is a song by American singers and songwriters Alicia Keys and Miguel. It was written by Keys,Miguel,Tory Lanez,and guitarist-producer Morgan Matthews,while production was handled by Keys and Matthews. The song was released on September 17,2019 through RCA Records with UMPG as the lead single from Keys' seventh studio album Alicia. It is an R&B ballad involving feelings of desire. A remix version of the song featuring rapper 21 Savage was released on November 4,2019.
