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Name: Alicia Augello Cook - Alicia Keys -
Date of Birth: January 25th, 1981
Birth Location: Manhattan, New York
Occupation: Singer
Education: Columbia University
Astrological Sign: Aquarius
Favorite Ice Cream: Vanilla With Chocolate Fudge
Would Like To Work With: Lauren Hill, R Kelly
1st Public Performance: "Wizard of Oz" - At 4yrs
Old -
Wrote Her First Song: 14
Eye Colour: Brown
Natural Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Originally From: Harlem, New York
Musical Influences: Chopin, Marvin Gaye, Mary J. Blige, Miles
Davis, The Notorious B.I.G., Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield,
Beethoven
Instruments: Piano, guitar
Secret Talent: Swimming
Favorite Album: "Songs In The Key Of Life" by Stevie
Wonder
Idols: Stevie Wonder, Maya Angelou
Ethnicity: Italian , African-American
Mother : Trri Augello - Italian Actress paralegal .
Father : Craig Cook - African American Flight Attendent
Favorite Food to Eat With Hands: Mango
Record Label: J Records
Nickname: Lellow
Mood Music: Anything by Marvin Gaye. "It makes you feel
love, so that makes you feel sexy."
Turn-on: A guy's walk. "If he walks with confidence,
I'm definitely attracted."
Turnoff: "If - a guy -talks too damn much about nothing.
If he opens his mouth and it never closes, I get really annoyed."
Idols: Stevie Wonder and Maya Angelou
Worst Feature: Her calves. "I have huge calves. I can
put on high boots and a skirt or shorts because the boots
will only zip up a certain amount."
Secret Talent: "I'm a very good swimmer. I trained so
I could be in the Olympics."
Who's sexy: Mekhi Phifer.
Bad Habit: "I crack my neck. Everyone tells me I better
be careful because I might break it."
Best Advice: "My grandmother said, 'Nothing before its
time," That's a good way to put things in perspective."
Alicia grandmother on her mother's side is of puertorican
descent
Favorite book: The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison - she loves
to read, when she has time! -
Describes herself as: "Evolving." Fans keep calling
her number, but only J.D. Turner, a Georgia man, picks up
the phone, because he has the same phone number that Keys
references in her love song, Diary.
In the song, Alicia sings, Oooo baby, if there's anything
that you fear/ Come forth and call 489-*** and I'll be here.
Songs by Alicia Keys, R. Kelly, Mariah Carey were banned From
'American Idol' auditions in 2004.
Alicia Keys modeled a 'Vote or Die!' t-shirt photographed
by Mark Seliger for the group 'Citizen Change' to be used
in a massive get out the vote campaign aimed at young people
in the United States.
AliciaKeys is the same age as Britney Spears
Alicia revealed that her song "A Woman's Worth"
was inspired by a L'Oreal ad. "I was actually really
relaxed, and I was watching TV,one commercial came on and
it said 'because I'm worth it.' I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I'm
worth it!' And the thought of being worth it just really made
an impact on me."
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Alicia
Keys - Bio
How It All Started
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1981
- 25th of January Alicia was born in Manhattan, New York
1983 - Alicia was to be raised by her single parent mother after
her father left home when she was two
1985 - First Public Performance as Dorothy in the kindergarten
version of the "Wizard of Oz" and her teacher realized
that she had a voice that deserved to be heard .
That's when the piano came into Alicia world and at seven she
started training ' professionally' with the Suzuki method of
classical piano .
By the age of 11, Alicia was almost cracking up. "I was
doing too much, I virtually had a mini-breakdown!" she
confided in her mother and, after counselling with Alicia's
piano teacher, Margaret Pine she resolved that dropping the
piano was not even an optiion , Alicia had to much talent and
love for music.
Alicia Keys was discovered at 14 by Jeff Robinson while singing
in a three-girl group called Embishion in a Police Athletic
League center in Harlemon 124th Street. Conrad Robinson was
the group's vocal coach
Alicia was the lead singer and played the piano and at the time
lived in 42nd street in a small one-bedroom performing artists'
complex with her single mother, Terri Augello.
Alicia use to sleep on the couch
Conrad introduced Alicia to his brother and her present manager,
Jeff Robinson
Alicia graduated as Valedictorian at the Professional Performing
Arts School, a public high school in 48th Street , Manhattan.
Alicia's outstanding grades allowed her to finish high school
early. "I was so deeply involved in music, I had already
outgrown all the pressure of high school cliques and gossip."
,soon after Alicia was signed to Columbia Records. At 16 briefly
attended Columbia University on a scholarship before devoting
full time to her music career.
1997: Alicia appears on the Men in Black soundtrack with "Dah
Dee Dah - Sexy Thing - and on the So So Def Christmas special.
While performing in a showcase Alicia got introduced by Jeff
Robinson to Mr. Clive Davis the music wisdom executive of Arista
Records .She was signed up to Arista in 1998 and late 1999 joined
Mr Clive Davis and his new founded record company J Records.
2000: "Rock With U" appears on the Shaft soundtrack.
The next 2 years with J Records Alicia seemed kinda of caught
in a time warp, but Alicia was performing and maturing as an
artist , finally in 2001 at 20 her first album ' Song In A Minor
' was released.
Her debut album, "Songs in A Minor," was released
in June 2001 in the USA, and July 2001 in the UK.
In the album's first week, it sells more than 235,000 copies
and went on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide . .Success
kept on coming ....
Alicia Keys’s album 'Songs In A Minor' premiered Sunday
on VH1 at 10 p.m. ET -- The special chronicled Keys's upbringing
in New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, "It was
kind of a cool spot, but 42nd Street then was no heaven , prostitutes,
pimps, drug dealers"
Her first single 'Fallin' ended the year at no.2 on the Billboards
Hot 100 chart, spending weeks at #1 spot.
She was crowned Best New Artist in a Video at the 2001 MTV Video
Awards.
Named one of People Magazine's Breakthrough Stars of 2001
Vanity Fair covergirls Alicia Keys, Jennifer Lopez and Sheryl
Crow engaged in all-out diva warfare in order to be best represented
on the magazine -- each starlet brought their own hairdresser
and make-up team. 2002
Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine
in 2002.
Appeared on Vibe cover Vanity Fair music issue SevenTeen Magazine
Teen Magizine
Alicia Keys and Sean Combs said Saturday the world knew too
little about the devastating AIDS pandemic in Africa and promised
to work daily to make the reality known -- in South Africa for
an MTV concert Saturday that will be part of a World Aids Day
television special targeting a global audience of up to two
billion people, they said musicians had a special responsibility
to talk to young people about HIV - AIDS. 2002
Some people celebrate their birthday with a cake, but Alicia
Keys celebrated with a plaque recognizing 10 million in sales
of her debut disc, Songs in A Minor -- though she turned 22
on Saturday, the crowd of well-wishers in a party hosted by
her mentor, J Records founder Clive Davis, sang Happy Birthday
to her Wednesday night as she received the plaque from Davis.
February 3, 2003
Releases her sophomore album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, Tuesday.
2003
Will make her film debut in a Halle Berry-produced biopic about
piano prodigy Philippa Schuyler.
Beyonce Knowles, Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott played more than
20 arena concerts in March and April.
Was added to the Feb. 8 Grammy Awards telecast. 2004
Songs by Alicia Keys, R. Kelly, Mariah Carey are banned From
'American Idol' auditions this year.
Has been added to the lineup of the 2004 Air Jamaica Jazz &
Blues Festival, set for January 22 through January 24 in Montego
Bay, Jamaica. 2004
Alicia Keys will publish her first book of poetry at the end
of 2004 and what she is calling a “diary-style” book
sometime in 2005.
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