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 soon released her debut studio album, Songs in A Minor (2001) through J Records. The album became a critical and commercial success, selling over 12 million copies worldwide and receiving five Grammy Awards in 2002. 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." The album earned 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.
Songs in A Minor is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Alicia Keys, released on June 5, 2001, by J Records.
Crack a Smile... and More! is the fifth studio album from the American hard rock band Poison. The record was released on March 14, 2000. The album features guitarist Blues Saraceno, who was hired as the band's new lead guitarist following the firing of Richie Kotzen in late 1993. Saraceno appeared on the band's last album release Poison's Greatest Hits: 1986–1996 in 1996, which featured two new tracks with him on lead guitar. Those two new tracks re-appear on this album along with thirteen new songs and five bonus tracks. The album moved around 12,000 copies in its first week of release to debut at #131 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
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.
"Welcome to Jamrock" is a song by Jamaican reggae artist Damian Marley. It was released in March 2005 as the lead single from his album of the same name. The song was listed at number 270 on Pitchfork Media's "Top 500 songs of the 2000s". The song is featured in FIFA 06, Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix, FIFA 23 and The Sims 2: Bon Voyage where it is recorded in the game's fictional Simlish language.
As I Am is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Alicia Keys. It was released on November 9, 2007 by J Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at various recording studios from 2005 until 2007. Production was handled primarily by Keys, Kerry Brothers Jr., Jack Splash, and Linda Perry, with a guest contribution from musician John Mayer.
"If I Were Your Woman" is a song recorded by American family group Gladys Knight & the Pips. It was written by Pam Sawyer, Clay McMurray, and Gloria Jones, produced by McMurray and arranged by Paul Riser. Released in late 1970 from the album of the same title, it spent one week at number 1 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart in January 1971. It was also successful on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, peaking at number 9.
"Empire State of Mind" is a song performed by American rapper Jay-Z and 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.
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.
"Empire State of Mind Broken Down" is a song by American musician Alicia Keys from her fourth studio album, The Element of Freedom (2009). It is an answer song to the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Empire State of Mind" performed by Jay-Z featuring Keys. Produced by Al Shux and Keys, the song gained international airplay and download sales although it was only officially released in the United Kingdom as the second single from The Element of Freedom.
"Wait Til You See My Smile" is a song performed by American recording artist Alicia Keys. It was released as the sixth single from her fourth studio album, The Element of Freedom (2009). The soul-pop ballad was released on December 13, 2010. The Keys and "Wait Till You See My Smile" featured on the new Samsung DualView Commercial. The song was featured on the 13th episode of the sixth season of Grey's Anatomy.
Piano & I: A One Night Only Event with Alicia Keys, commonly referred to as Piano & I, was a promotional concert tour by American singer and songwriter Alicia Keys. The tour commemorated the tenth anniversary of Keys' debut album, Songs in A Minor (2001), which Keys re-released in late June 2011, with unreleased tracks, live performances, remixes and a documentary. The tour consisted of five concerts in Paris, London, New York City and Los Angeles. In addition to performing a number of songs from Songs in a Minor, Keys’ setlist included songs from all of her other studio albums as well as covers from DeBarge, Mary J. Blige and Marvin Gaye.
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.
"Speechless" is a song by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, featuring additional vocals from American rapper Eve. It was written by Keys, Eve and Swizz Beatz, and produced by the latter. It samples Kanye West’s 2010 song “Devil in a New Dress”. A dedication to her son Egypt, whom she gave birth to in October 2010, the freestyle collaboration was released as a holiday gift for Keys's fans on Beatz's Monster Mondays program on December 27, 2010. Swizz Beatz later included the song on his mixtape Monster Mondays Vol. 1 (2011). The song charted on number 71 the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in early 2011.
"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).
Keys is the eighth studio album by American singer and songwriter Alicia Keys, released through RCA Records on December 10, 2021; her last album released under the label as they parted ways in the summer of 2022. It was primarily produced by Keys. It was preceded by the release of two singles: "Lala" featuring Swae Lee and "Best of Me". The album was announced on October 27 and includes two discs, with two versions of 10 tracks, along with six other tracks.
