Alicia Keys, an attractive woman whose musical talents began at the tender age of five, was born and raised in Manhattan. At age 7 she was introduced to the piano where she studied the music of Beethoven, Mozart, and Chopin, who is her favorite. She also liked Jazz greats such as Marian McPartland, Oscar Peterson, and Fats Waller.
She has had numerous inspirations including her mother, who told her that "You can quit anything else but you can never give up on your piano lessons." Another one of these influences was a teacher from the Professional Performance Arts School in Manhattan while she was Majoring in Choir, who gave her instructions on her vocal talents. At 16, her grades allowed her to graduate high school early and afterwards she was accepted into Columbia University. Though she went, her focus on music was the driving force over all else.
In 1998, she signed on to Artista Records where she started recording her first album. She had begun piecing together this first album at age 14 when she wrote her first song "Butterflyz". She then signed onto J Records in 1999 and soon released "Songs in A Minor" in 2001. The album produced chart topping hits such as "Rock Wit U", "Fallin'" and "Troubles". Alicia recently released her second album entitled "The Diary of Alicia Keys" which hit shelves in December of 2003, featuring songs such as "Feeling U, Feeling Me", "Slow Down", and "Harlem's Nocturne".
Although captivating all of her audiences "black and white, young and old, old school and new school," as her website states, Alicia's Career is at the pinnacle.
