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She was born to a white mother, Terri Augello, and a black father, Craig Cook and was raised in New York.

She began playing piano when she was seven. She learned classical music by composers such as Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin, who was her favorite composer. She wrote her first song "Butterflyz" at the age of fourteen; the song can be found on her debut album. Keys' mother was the one who most supported her during the time when Keys was developing her talents.

Keys' debut album, Songs in A Minor, was commercially successful. With it she won five Grammy Awards in 2002 (see 2002 in music). Because she wrote her own songs and played several instruments with technical prowess, consumers saw Keys as an original voice at a time when the musical marketplace was flooded with pop bands that were little more than an attractive front for the creative energies of others. As such, she established a large fanbase of devoted fans, making her one of the most popular artists of the early years of the twenty-first century. Critical reviews were mostly positive, though many found Keys derivative, with a sound reminiscent of 1970s soul singers like Curtis Mayfield and Marvin GayeMarvin Gaye ( April 2, 1939 April 1, 1984) was an American soul and R&B singer who gained international fame during the 1960s. His best records are still highly regarded, and he is often cited as one of the finest singers of his era. Early Life and Career with hip hopHip hop is a cultural movement that began amongst urban , African American & Puerto Rican youth in New York and has since spread around the world. The four main elements of hip-hop are MCing, DJing, graffiti art, and breakdancing. Some consider beatboxing influences that were less original than similar blends from nu soul artists like Lauryn HillLauryn Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American hip hop singer, initially establishing her reputation as the most visible and vocal member of The Fugees. She was born in South Orange, New Jersey and began singing and acting at a very young age. Her acting, Erykah BaduErica Wright of Dallas, Texas (born February 26, 1971), better known as Erykah Badu is an African-American R&B / hip hop artist whose work crosses over into jazz. She is probably best known for "You Got Me," her collaboration with The Roots, as well as he and D'AngeloMichael D'Angelo Archer (born February 11, 1974 in Richmond, Virginia) is an American soul singer, professionally known as simply D'Angelo . He began performing as a young child, and recorded his debut album, Brown Sugar in 1995. The album was eventually.

Keys graduated as valedictorian from the Professional Performing Arts SchoolThe Professional Performing Arts School (PPAS is a New York City public school "created in 1990 to meet the needs of two groups of students: those who wanted to pursue professional work in the arts as they earned a junior/senior high school diploma and th, a public high school in Manhattan. She briefly attended Columbia UniversityColumbia University officially known as Columbia University in the City of New York is a private institution of higher education. It is one of the world's foremost research universities and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1754 under a royal charter on a scholarship before devoting full time to her music career.

In late 20032003 is a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar), and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Summary Perhaps the defining global event of the year 2003 was the Invasion of Iraq launched by the U, Keys released her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, which shot straight up to the top of the Billboard R&B charts.