Alicia Augello Cook,known professionally as Alicia Keys,is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist,Keys began composing songs when she was the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at the age of 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.
Gladys Knight &the Pips were an American R&B,soul,and funk family music group from Atlanta,Georgia,that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early 1950s.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is the only solo studio album by American singer and rapper Lauryn Hill. It was released on August 25,1998,by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is a neo soul and R&B album with some songs based in hip hop soul and reggae. Its lyrics touch upon Hill's pregnancy and the turmoil within her former group the Fugees,along with themes of love and God. The album's title was inspired by the film and autobiographical novel The Education of Sonny Carson,and Carter G. Woodson's The Mis-Education of the Negro.
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer,songwriter,and actress. Often referred to as the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Queen of R&B",Blige has won nine Grammy Awards,a Primetime Emmy Award,four American Music Awards,twelve NAACP Image Awards,and twelve Billboard Music Awards,including the Billboard Icon Award. She has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards,including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound (2017) and another for its original song "Mighty River",becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year.
Songs in A Minor is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Alicia Keys,released on June 5,2001,by J Records.
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".
Unplugged is the first live album by American singer Alicia Keys. It was released on October 7,2005 by J Records. Recorded as part of the television program MTV Unplugged on July 4,2005 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music,the album includes songs from her first two studio albums Songs in A Minor (2001) and The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003).
American singer Alicia Keys has released nine studio albums,eight live albums,one remix album,six reissue albums,three 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.
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" is a 1967 song by American soul singer Aretha Franklin released as a single by the Atlantic label. The words were written by Gerry Goffin from an idea by Atlantic producer Jerry Wexler,and the music was composed by Carole King. Written for Franklin,the record was a big hit reaching number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100,and became one of her signature songs. It made history on the UK Singles Chart a week after her death,finally becoming a hit almost 51 years after it was first released,entering at No. 79. Franklin also included a live recording on the album Aretha in Paris in 1968.
"Diary" is a song by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys from her second studio album,The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003). Written by Keys and Kerry Brothers,Jr. and produced by Keys,the song features the American group Tony! Toni! Toné! on bass,piano,guitar,organ and Wurlitzer,while Jermaine Paul provides uncredited additional vocals. It was released on May 24,2004,as the album's third single. At one time,"Diary" had been released as a double A-side with "If I Ain't Got You".
"You Don't Know My Name" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys for her second studio album The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003). It was written by Keys,Kanye West and Harold Lilly,and produced by Keys and West. The song contains a sample from the 1975 song "Let Me Prove My Love to You",written by J. R. Bailey,Mel Kent and Ken Williams and performed by The Main Ingredient. It was released as the lead single from The Diary of Alicia Keys on November 10,2003,by J Records.
"If I Ain't Got You" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys for her second studio album The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003). Inspired by the 2001 death of singer Aaliyah,the September 11 attacks,and other events in the world and in Keys' life,the song is about "how material things don't feed the soul". It was released as the second single from The Diary of Alicia Keys on February 17,2004,by J Records. The single cover depicts Keys similarly to the subject of Man Ray's 1924 photograph Le Violon d'Ingres.
"Unbreakable" is a song by American R&B-soul singer Alicia Keys from her live album,Unplugged (2005). Written by Keys,Kanye West,and Harold Lilly,the track features a Wurlitzer riff,and is built around a sample of Eddie Kendricks' 1977 song "Intimate Friends",written by Garry Glenn. It was released as the album's lead single in 2005 and peaked at number thirty-four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100,becoming Keys' first single to miss the top twenty since 2002's "How Come You Don't Call Me",and failed to peak inside the top forty on Billboard Pop 100. It was nevertheless a big success on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart,where it landed at number four.
"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.
"I Care 4 U" is a song recorded by American singer Aaliyah. Written by Missy Elliott and Timbaland,the song was originally recorded for Aaliyah's second studio album One in a Million (1996),but the recording was shelved. It was re-recorded in 2000 for Aaliyah (2001). A neo soul ballad,"I Care 4 U" features beatboxing,an electric piano and multi-tracked vocals.
"Feel Like Makin' Love" is a song composed by singer-songwriter and producer Eugene McDaniels,and recorded originally by soul singer-songwriter Roberta Flack. The song has been covered by R&B and jazz artists including Gladys Knight &the Pips,Lou Rawls,Isaac Hays,George Benson,Jeffrey Osborne,Larry Coryell,Johnny Mathis,and Marlena Shaw.
Tessanne Amanda Chin is a Jamaican recording artist,best known for winning Season 5 of NBC's reality TV singing competition The Voice as part of Adam Levine's team. She has opened for artists such as Patti LaBelle,Peabo Bryson and Gladys Knight,and toured for three years with Jimmy Cliff. She is the younger sister of singer Tami Chynn.
The Element of Freedom is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Alicia Keys,released on December 11,2009,by J Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during May to September 2009 at the Oven Studios in Long Island,New York. Production was primarily handled by Keys,Kerry Brothers Jr.,and Jeff Bhasker. Departing from the classicist soul music of Keys' previous albums,The Element of Freedom has a mid-tempo,low-key sound and features mostly love songs.
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.
"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.
