Kicking off with the high-energy rock soul of Karma from her second album, 2003's The Diary of Alicia Keys, New York-born Keys brought the 9000-plus crowd to their feet as she worked the stage flanked by a troupe of nondescript dancers (nondescript, not through lack of talent, but due to Keys' all-encompassing stage presence). She can win over a crowd without the need for numerous video and dance interludes or costume changes (take note Beyonce and Rihanna).įrom her use of pianos and drums to her soaring live vocals, the 32-year-old has the soul and musical ability not seen since the likes of Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin. On Thursday, the first night of the Australian leg of Keys' Set the World on Fire tour, the 14-time Grammy Award winner sassed her way on to a sparse stage set in a sexy form-fitting jump suit and proved she is one of the most exceptionally talented live performers in the world.
In December 2014, they welcomed their second son, Genesis Ali Dean.While most female performers who can play arena-sized venues seemingly try to outdo each other with bells and whistles, Alicia Keys is all about making the music the star attraction. The couple welcomed their first child together in October 2010, a son named Egypt Daoud Dean. In July 2010, Keys married hip-hop producer Swizz Beatz. Returning to host the following year, she helped deliver one of the ceremony's most poignant moments by joining Boyz II Men to sing "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye" in honor of recently deceased basketball great Kobe Bryant. Keys hosted the Grammy Awards in February 2019, and contributed to the night's musical festivities by switching between pianos to play some of her all-time favorites from artists like Nat King Cole, Roberta Flack and Lauryn Hill. She left the show after two seasons, but was back for season 14.
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The following year, she joined pop star Miley Cyrus as new judges on season 11 of the TV singing competition The Voice.
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In 2015, the singer/actress appeared on season 2 of the hit series Empire, in the recurring role of Skye Summers. In 2011, she directed a segment of the anthology TV film Five. She went on to appear in The Nanny Diaries (2007) and The Secret Life of Bees (2008), alongside Queen Latifah and Jennifer Hudson. She appeared on several other series years later, including Charmed, American Dreams and The Backyardigans. Keys made her big screen debut in 2006, appearing in the action film Smokin' Aces as Georgia Sykes. In 1985, a 4-year-old Keys appeared as one of Keshia Knight Pulliam's friends on The Cosby Show. She won the Grammy for Best R&B Album in 2014 for her work.įilm and TV Projects 'Smokin' Aces,' 'The Secret Life of Bees' Her fifth studio album, Girl on Fire (2012), put Keys back at her top spot, debuting at No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 200-the album did become Keys' first to hit No. 2 with the lead single "Doesn't Mean Anything" and reached No. Although the album didn't fare nearly as well as her previous albums-it debuted at No. 'The Element of Freedom,' 'Girl on Fire'īy the end of 2009, Keys released her fourth studio album, The Element of Freedom. She also recorded the hit single "Empire State of Mind" with fellow New Yorker Jay-Z the following year. In 2008, she recorded "Another Way to Die" with Jack White, which was featured as the theme song for the James Bond film Quantum of Solace (2008).
It was during this time that Keys also began to collaborate with more artists. 1, selling more than 740,000 copies in its first week, and went on to garner her two more Grammys. Keys' seemingly unstoppable career continued in 2007 with the release of As I Am. At the 2002 Grammy Awards, Keys took home awards for Song of the Year, Best R&B Song, Best R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best New Artist. When it was finally released, Keys' debut album, Songs in A Minor (2001), went platinum five times over.Ĭritics roundly praised the album not only for its musical polish, but also for its lyric maturity. At J Records, Keys found the freedom to complete her debut effort, which included material she had started work on years prior.ĭavis carefully orchestrated a media blitz before the release of the album, including an appearance on Oprah the day before the album hit shelves. Unlike many of her pop-music contemporaries, the precocious Keys not only sings, but writes and produces her own music. Keys decided to follow Davis, who had engineered the careers of soul luminaries such as Aretha Franklin, to his new label. In 1999, Clive Davis-head of Arista Records-left the prominent record company where he worked to start J Records.