Cause Magazine Since the 2001 debut of “Songs In


A Minor,” the New York native has built an unparalleled repertoire of hits and accomplishments with over 28 million albums sold worldwide. Songs In A Minor, which spawned her signature hit “Fallin,” sold well over 10 million copies worldwide and earned five Grammy Awards in a single night in 2002, a record for female artists, a distinction which she shares with Lauryn Hill who did it in 1999,


songs ranging from the anthemic “Superwoman” and powerful “Go Ahead” to the misty-eyed ballad “Like You Never See Me Again” and the soulful “Sure Looks Good To Me.” This is a star who can truly do it all: Neo-soul, R&B, Classical, Hip-Hop, Jazz and Rock. Alicia J. Augello-Cook was born on


and now also


shares with Norah Jones (2003), Beyoncé (2004), and Amy Winehouse (2008). That same night, Alicia also won the Best New Artist and Best R&B Album awards. Alicia’s follow-up disc, 2004’s The Diary of Alicia Keys, which is currently 7 times platinum, captured four Grammy Awards and featured the hits “If I Ain’t Got You,” “You Don’t Know My Name,” and “Karma.” With the 2005 release of Unplugged, which has sold 2 million copies, Alicia became the first female R&B artist ever to have three consecutive #1 debuts on the Billboard 200 album chart in as many releases. Her numerous awards include eleven


Grammy Awards, seventeen Billboard Music Awards, and three American Music Awards. Alicia has also won several NAACP Image Awards and most recent- ly was named Best Female R&B Artist at the BET Awards on June 25, 2008. One of the few artists who can capture an old-school vibe and make if feel fresh and new, Alicia showcases her talents again with this latest album, which she describes as “Janis Joplin meets Aretha Franklin.” Her inspirations show in the rich powerful vocals, and can be felt on


January 25, 1981 in Harlem, New York to Teresa “Terria” Augello, a paralegal and part-time actress, and Craig Cook, a flight attendant. Alicia’s mother is of Irish and Italian descent, and her father is Jamaican. Alicia describes her- self as comfortable with her biracial heritage: “I grew up in New York, and thank God, I never had to go through that in regards to, ‘You’re not black enough, you’re not white enough,’ the whole kind of white/black –mix- ture thing. I never had to go through that. I went through prejudices and


all surely. But I never had to battle with those two parts of me.”


Alicia’s parents separated during her early childhood, and she was subsequent- ly raised by her mother. She spent most of her formative years in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. Alicia actually got her start in show biz at age four. In 1985, Alicia and a group of other little girls played young Rudy Huxtable’s sleepover guests in an episode of The Cosby Show.


As a child, Alicia was always inter- ested in music and began playing the piano when she was seven, learning clas- sical music by composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, and her favorite, Chopin. By the age of sixteen, she had already graduated valedictorian from the Professional Performing Arts School, a prestigious high school in Manhattan. She was accepted to Columbia University with a scholarship, but she decided to pursue her musical career instead. Around this time, her manager suggested that she take the stage name Alicia Keys because of a dream he had. Alicia liked it at once and felt that it rep- resented her perfectly both as a performer and a person.


It didn’t take her long to get some attention from major players in the indus- try. She signed a demo deal with superstar producer Jermaine Dupri and his So So Def label (distributed by Columbia Records at the time). She co-wrote and recorded a song entitled "Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1997 blockbuster, Men in Black. The song was her first profes- sional recording; however, it was never released as a single and her record contract with Columbia Records ended quickly. Almost without missing a beat, Alicia then met legendary producer and record mogul Clive Davis, who signed her to Arista Records, famous for its ability


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