Alicia Keys
By Valerie (Angel of Music)

Alicia Keys is a soul and R&B singer who also is a songwriter, pianist, author, and actress. She was born Alicia J. Augello-Cook on January 25, 1980 (or 81) in Harlem, NY. She began playing the piano when she was seven, and she graduated from high school at 16 as the valedictorian.

She broke onto the music scene in 2001 with her debut album Songs in A Minor, which received commercial and critical success. She released her sophomore album The Diary of Alicia Keys in 2003, and it became the 6th biggest selling album by a female artist and the 2nd biggest selling album by a female R&B artist; Alicia Keys became the best-selling female R&B artist of 2004. Her single "If I Ain't Got You" remained on the Billboard charts for more than a year, making Alicia the first female artist to have a single on the charts for over a year. In 2005 she taped her performance for MTV's Unplugged; her album was the highest debut for an MTV Unplugged album since Nirvana and the first by a female artist to debut at number 1. She became the first female R&B artist to have 3 consecutive #1 debuts on the Billboard 200 album chart in as many releases. With her album As I Am in 2007, she set a record for the largest sales week of her career. As of 2007, she has sold over 41 million albums and singles worldwide. She has won many awards, including 11 Billboard Music Awards, 11 Grammy Awards, and 3 American Music Awards; she has also won several MTV Video Music Awards.

Alicia opened a recording studio in Long Island, NY (The Oven Studios); and she co-founded KrucialKeys Enterprises (a production and songwriting team) with Kerry "Krucial" Brothers. Alicia has also done acting on TV and on film and voice-over work. She has also co-founded a TV production company with her manager called Big Pita. Alicia has also written several books.

In the midst of all of this and all of her accomplishments, Alicia still finds time to give back. She is the spokeswoman, co-founder, and global ambassador for Keep a Child Alive. Keep a child Alive is a non-profit organization, and it provides medicine to help save lives for those families and children fighting HIV and AIDS in Africa. To help recognize World AIDS Day in 2006, Bono and Alicia teamed up to record a cover of the song "Don't Give Up", also which will donate 100% of the profits from its ringtone to the organization. She visits African countries often to help bolster hope. Alicia Keys is also the spokeswoman for "Frum tha Ground Up", which helps American youth gain success on all levels. She has also performed in several charity concerts: Live 8, ReAct Now: Music & Relief, Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast, Live Earth, and Nobel Peace Prize Concert.

Alicia Keys is a young and extremely talented artist who is driven to succeed. Not only is she award winning, but she also takes the time to give back and help out others. Throughout all this, Alicia remains firmly grounded. She writes from her heart and continues to touch people worldwide.

--research from Wikipedia