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Alicia Keys Biography
Keys third studio album, "As I Am," marked another milestone recording in the young entertainer's career with over 742,000 units sold during it's first week of release. In addition, "As I Am" marks Alicia's fourth #1 debut on the Billboard Top 200 chart and her biggest sales week to date.
Upon the November 2007 release of "As I Am", Alicia held the prestigious title as the biggest debut for a female R&B artist in SoundScan history, and the highest selling debut for a female artist since 2004. "As I Am" spawned the hit single "No One" which won two Grammy Awards in 2008 for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Additionally, Keys received four awards at the 2008 NAACP Image Awards, was honored at the first annual BET Honors ceremony, and recently received the 2008 BET Award for Best R&B Female Artist. Enjoying one of the most successful periods in her career with over 5 million copies of "As I Am" sold worldwide, Keys kicked off the "As I Am" Tour presented by Lexus in February 2008 with sold out shows for both the European and US portions of the tour. The fourth single from "As I Am" is the aptly titled 'Superwoman' and will be delivered to Australian radio next Monday August 4.
Keys will soon be seen opposite Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson and Queen Latifah in Fox Searchlight's adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's best selling novel "The Secret Life of Bees" which will release on October 17th. Keys made her motion-picture debut in Joe Carnahan's "Smokin' Aces" as Georgia Sykes, a stunning street assassin. She also appeared in the big screen adaptation of the best selling book "The Nanny Diaries," opposite Scarlet Johansson, Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti. Keys recently signed a multiyear first-look film production deal at Disney.
Keys first appeared on the music scene in June 2001 with her debut album, "Songs In A Minor", on Clive Davis' J Records. The album debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 Chart, selling over 235,000 copies in
its first week, and went on to sell more than 10 million units worldwide. Keys' critically acclaimed sophomore effort, "The Diary of Alicia Keys," was released in December 2003 and sold over 618,000 copies during its first week of release in the United States. The album is currently seven times platinum.
Throughout her career, Alicia has won eleven Grammy Awards, eleven Billboard Music Awards, three American Music Awards, three World Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, three MTV Europe Awards, three BET Awards, fourteen NAACP Image Awards, two Nickelodeon Teen Choice Awards, seven Soul Train Music Awards, two Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, one People's Choice Award, one My VH1 Award and more.
In 2005, Keys also became a New York Times Bestselling author when she released her first published work, "Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems & Lyrics by Alicia Keys."
She generously gives her time and energy as an Ambassador and spokesperson for "Keep A Child Alive," which provides anti-viral drugs to the millions suffering from AIDS in Africa. She also works closely with "Frum Tha Ground Up," devoted to equipping America's youth with the tools essential for achieving success on all levels, as well as "Teens in Motion," a non-profit organization created to offer teens the opportunity to develop their minds and bodies in a safe and secure environment. Born and raised in New York, Alicia graduated from the Professional Performance Arts School in Manhattan at age 16.
