Alicia Augello Cook, known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer-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.
MTV Unplugged is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as MTV Unplugged No. 2.0. Since 2009, MTV Unplugged specials have aired occasionally, sometimes online only. Episodes and specials have tended to showcase one artist or group, playing a combination of their hit songs and covers.
The 35th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1993 and recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. The nominations were announced on January 7, 1993. The evening's host was the American stand-up comedian Garry Shandling, who hosted the ceremony for the third time. The CBS network broadcast the show live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.
"If It's Over" is a song written by American singers and songwriters Mariah Carey and Carole King, with the former and Walter Afanasieff helming its production. It was originally released on September 17, 1991, on Carey's second studio album, Emotions. Lyrically, the song tells of a romance that has withered, and finds the protagonist asking her lover "if it's over, let me go." Several months after the release of Emotions, Carey performed the song during her appearance on the television show MTV Unplugged.
Gerald Maxwell Rivera, known mononymously as Maxwell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to prominence following the release of his debut studio album Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite (1996), which received widespread acclaim, and spawned the singles "Ascension " and "Sumthin' Sumthin'". The album has since been cited by music critics for helping form the "neo soul" movement that gained popularity during the late 1990s.
MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 is a live album by American singer and rapper Lauryn Hill. The performance comes from her 2002 MTV Unplugged special recorded on July 21, 2001 at MTV Studios in Times Square, New York City. Hill abandoned the hip hop sounds of her debut album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) in favor of folk and soul songs she performed with an acoustic guitar. The songs were interspersed with spoken interludes about her personal and artistic struggles.
Bettye LaVette is an American soul singer-songwriter who made her first record at sixteen, but achieved only intermittent fame until 2005, when her album I've Got My Own Hell to Raise was released to widespread critical acclaim, and was named on many critics' "Best of 2005" lists. Her next album, The Scene of the Crime, debuted at number one on Billboard's Top Blues Albums chart and was nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 2008 Grammy Awards.
"Patches" (sometimes known as "Patches (I'm Depending On You)") is a country soul song written by General Johnson and Ron Dunbar and best known as the 1970 hit version by Clarence Carter. It won the 1971 Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Song.
Ledisi Anibade Young, better known simply as Ledisi, is an American R&B and jazz recording artist, songwriter, music producer, author and actress. Her name means "to bring forth" or "to come here" in Yoruba.
MTV Unplugged is the first live album recorded by Mexican singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas. The album features a selection of her greatest hits, along with new tracks, including the singles "El Presente" and "Algún Día". A handful of guest artists was included: Gustavo Santaolalla, Natalia Lafourcade, Cuarteto Latinoamericano, La Mala Rodríguez.
P.J. Morton is an American Grammy winning musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Since 2012, he has been the keyboardist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. Morton originally joined the band as a touring member in 2010 and became an official member in 2012 after Jesse Carmichael went on indefinite hiatus.
Cassandra Monique Batie, known professionally as Andra Day, is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Children's and Family Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Daytime Emmy Award.
Ashton Dumar Norwill Simmonds, known professionally as Daniel Caesar, is a Canadian R&B singer. After independently building a following through the release of two critically acclaimed EPs, Praise Break (2014) and Pilgrim's Paradise (2015), Caesar released his debut studio album, Freudian, in August 2017, which garnered widespread critical acclaim. He released his second studio album, Case Study 01, in June 2019. In March 2021, Caesar was featured alongside Giveon on Justin Bieber's single "Peaches", which serves as his first number-one song on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Gumbo is the fourth and first self-released studio album by American singer-songwriter PJ Morton. It was released on April 14, 2017, by Morton Records, as the follow-up to his third studio album New Orleans (2013). The record incorporates R&B styles with elements of older soul music; its lyrics discuss themes of romance and explores political and personal themes. The album is entirely produced by Morton himself and features guest appearances by Pell, BJ the Chicago Kid and R&B singer Anthony Hamilton's back-up group, The HamilTones. The album features a cover of the Bee Gees' "How Deep Is Your Love".
Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, known professionally as H.E.R., is an American R&B singer. She has received several awards including an Academy Award, a Children's and Family Emmy Award, and five Grammy Awards, along with nominations for a Golden Globe Award, three American Music Awards, and four Billboard Music Awards.
Abigail Elizabeth Smith, known professionally as Yebba, is an American singer and songwriter from West Memphis, Arkansas. She first became known for her backing vocal performance on Chance the Rapper's SNL performance of the song "Same Drugs" in 2016 and releasing her debut single "Evergreen" in 2017. She has collaborated with a number of artists, including PJ Morton, Sam Smith, Mark Ronson, Stormzy, Ed Sheeran, A$AP Rocky, and Drake.
Paul is the sixth and third self-released studio album by American singer-songwriter PJ Morton. It was released on August 9, 2019, by Morton Records and Empire Records. Paul incorporates R&B styles with elements of soul music. The album is entirely produced by Morton himself and features guest appearances by Tobe Nwigwe, Jazmine Sullivan, Rapsody, JoJo and Angela Rye.
Nova Wav is a Grammy Award Winning American record production and songwriting duo composed of Brittany "Chi" Coney and Denisia "Blu June" Andrews. Over the course of their career, Nova Wav has written and produced on tracks and albums for artists including Beyoncé, Rihanna, DJ Khaled, Ariana Grande, Jay-Z, Saweetie, Nicki Minaj, Teyana Taylor, Kehlani and more. They were signed to Warner Chappell Music by Ryan Press and "Big Jon" Platt. They were named Billboards 2018 R&B/Hip-Hop 100 Power Players and listed on Revolt's Top 9 producers of 2019 that demanded the sound of Hip Hop and R&B.
Antonio "Tony" Dixon is an American songwriter, singer and record producer, also known for his work with production duo The Underdogs and Eric Dawkins under the production moniker The Pentagon.
