Alicia Keys: A Look Back At Her Phenomenal Music Career

By JC Villamere and Melissa Romualdi. 25 Jan 2023 3:11 PM

Even the most ardent fan needs a rundown of Alicia Keys’ achievements because there are too many to remember. She redesigned the limits of success as a musician, singer, and songwriter. In honour of her 42nd birthday, we’re taking a look back at some of Keys’ many career highlights.

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Piano Prodigy-Turned-Superstar
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She was born Alicia Augello Cook on January 25, 1981, in Hell's Kitchen, NYC. The person she became by growing up in a rough neighbourhood has been a theme in some of her work. (How rough was that neighbourhood? She reportedly carried a homemade shiv as a child.) She practised piano endlessly and stayed out of trouble. The hobby became a career, which became a juggernaut, with more than 50 million albums sold.
High School Musical
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Starting at age 12, Keys studied music, dance, and theatre and majored in choir at the Professional Performing Arts School. Other famous alumni of this NYC public school include drag queen Monét X Change, Claire Danes of “Homeland”, Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg, and a certain Britney Spears.
This Girl Is On Fire
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"She came across then, from that very first meeting, the way she comes across today," Clive Davis, the famed label president, told 'Essence' magazine. "[She] is really as a young Renaissance woman of enormous musical talent, but really matured way beyond her young years. When I saw her sit down and play the piano and sing, it just took my breath... Everything about her was unique and special." Davis has signed or steered the careers of music legends like Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, and Whitney Houston. After meeting the 17-year-old Keys, he raced to sign her. In the picture, that's Alicia Keys, Clive Davis, Whitney Houston, and Ashanti at the legendary Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Party in '08.
'A Minor' Is A Major Hit
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Keys released her debut album, 'Songs in A Minor', in 2001. It was an international smash kit, fueled by the No. 1 hit single, "Fallin'". 'Songs In A Minor' sold 16 million copies and earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002. Not five nominations. Five trophies. She cleaned up at the Grammys. And now, for all you retro-loving lookie-loos, we are proud to present this pic from Clive Davis's 2002 Pre-Grammy Party featuring Justin Timberlake, Destiny's Child, Mario, Alicia Keys, Patti LaBelle, and Stevie Wonder.
Another. Four. Grammys.
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Her second album, 2003's 'The Diary of Alicia Keys', was packed with hits like "You Don't Know My Name", "If I Ain't Got You", and "Diary". It sold eight million copies and garnered her four more Grammy Awards. It's hard even to win one Grammy Award. It's so hard that Diana Ross has never won a Grammy. Neither has Jimi Hendrix nor the Beach Boys (although the Grammys did furnish all three acts with Lifetime Achievement Awards.) Keys' duet, "My Boo", with Usher hit No. 1 in 2004, the same year she shared the stage with Lenny Kravitz and Stevie Wonder at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Smells Like Keys Spirit
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By 2005, it was time to jump from strength to strength and give live albums a try. Keys released 'Unplugged', her concert on the show "MTV Unplugged". The record debuted at No. 1. It was the most successful "MTV Unplugged" album since Nirvana's 1994 release, 'MTV Unplugged in New York'.
More Grammys. Srsly.
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The No. 1 single “No One” appeared on her third record, 2007’s ‘As I Am’. The release sold seven million copies and, at the Grammy Awards, Keys picked up three more well-deserved golden gramophones.
Another Way To Give Us Life
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If you get tapped to do the theme song for a James Bond movie, it means you'll join the rare ranks of Paul McCartney, Carly Simon, Tina Turner, Sheryl Crow, and Madonna. Keys performed a duet with Jack White on "Another Way to Die" for 2008's "Quantum of Solace" starring Daniel Craig as Bond. They filmed the video in Toronto, and Keys performed the song on her 2010 "Freedom" tour.
'Empire State of Mind'
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Her fourth album, 2009’s ‘The Element of Freedom’, became her first album to top the charts in the UK. In her spare time, she appeared on Jay-Z’s 11th record, ‘The Blueprint 3’, and the result was the No. 1 smash hit "Empire State of Mind”. Obviously the song won a Grammy, but in which category? The answer is the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration category. Is anyone keeping track of how many Grammys she’s won? We lost our count way back when she “only” had four. We’ll tally that up for you at the end.
Here For It
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After 'The Element of Freedom', Keys took a much-needed break. Just kidding. She produced a Broadway play, directed a short film, executive-produced a pair of movies, designed a Reebok shoe line and launched a storytelling app for kids. She also got married and had a baby. Then she turned around and dropped 'Girl on Fire', her fifth No. 1 album. The 2012 international smash hit record won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. In 2013, she released her second live record, 'VH1 Storytellers' and followed it up with 'Here' in 2016.
‘The Voice’
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Keys appeared on a season 7 episode to help Coach Pharrell hone his team, but in 2016, she became a coach herself. In fact, she filled Pharrell’s ostentatious spinning chair. She joined coaches Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, and fellow newcomer Miley Cyrus, who took over for Gwen Stefani. Keys appeared on seasons 11, 12, and 13 of the hit singing competition show.
Grammy Roundup
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Keys has been in the news lately for leading a group of music stars calling on Biden to establish a commission on racial justice. Maybe you saw the headlines as she campaigned for U.S. Democrats last year. You might have seen her co-hosting "Every Vote Counts: A Celebration of Democracy", alongside Kerry Washington and America Ferrera. We could do this all day. That's why we had to stick to her music career highlights, like her 2020 album, 'Alicia', which spawned the single "Underdog", her biggest hit since "Girl on Fire" in 2012. If we detailed her other projects, especially her philanthropy, we'd be here forever so we had to edit ruthlessly. If you're wondering if there's a book with more details, you're in luck: her memoir, 'More Myself: A Journey' drops on March 31. For now, Keys' Grammy total stands at 15, tied with Adele. Keys hosted the Grammy Awards in 2019 and again '20. "At first, I did think last year was a one-time thing, but when the opportunity came back around, there was no question about returning as host," Keys said in a statement as she prepped for the 2020 show. Happy Birthday, Lellow! May your day glow with that unifying power of music.
A New Side Of Keys
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In 2021, Keys released her eighth studio album Keys that showcased a “pure and honest” side of herself, one of her “many different sides” that fans had never experienced before, she previously described on the “Drink Champs” podcast.

The album featured a collaboration with Khalid and Lucky Daye on the track “Come For Me” and even included the song “Is It Insane”, which Keys revealed was actually written back in the early 2000s when she was recording The Diary of Alicia Keys album, a song that was dug up from her “vault,” she said during a live conversation on Twitter spaces at the time.
That Christmas Energy
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The 15-time Grammy winner put out her first Christmas album in 2022.
Filled with “good vibes”, the festive album featured Keys’ soulful, raw, fresh reimagining of seven beloved holiday classics, based on her “all-time favourites” as well as four original songs she wrote, based on “real holiday emotions and stories."
One On One With Alicia
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ET Canada had the chance to interview Keys in 2022 where she looked back on what it was like to work with the incredible Whitney Houston on her final album, 2009’s I Look to You. She even revealed which famous celeb she'd like to play her if she ever gets her own biopic one day and gushed about her love for Canada’s very own Shawn Mendes.

Alicia Keys: A Look Back At Her Phenomenal Music Career

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