Alicia Keys (born Alicia Augello Cook; September 25, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Keys has won three Grammy Awards and has sold over 30 million records worldwide. Keys released her debut album with J Records, Songs in A Minor (2001), which was a commercial success. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and gave birth to her first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Fallin'" and her first Grammy Award nominee, "Dirt"
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Her sophomore release, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), was met with critical acclaim and became a commercial success, selling 1.5 million copies in the United States within its first week of release, eventually being certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album earned Keys an additional four Grammy Awards in 2004 including Best New Artist and Song of the Year.
Keys' third studio album The Element of Freedom (2006) debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200 chart, staying there for two consecutive weeks. It sold 870,000 copies in its first week in the United States and eventually sold over 3 million copies domestically.
It received rave reviews from music critics who complimented its production quality along with the mature sound of Keys' voice. In support of her third studio release, Keys performed live at numerous award ceremonies including the Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and the Radio Music Awards. She has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards from twenty nominations overall.
In 2007 she won a World Music Award for Best Female Artist for "Song Crying", a song from The Element of Freedom.
In 2009 Keys released her fourth studio album "As I Am". It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It produced five singles that attained top-forty positions on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart including "No One" that peaked at number two on the chart following its release as a single accompanying her eponymous fourth studio release.
As I Am received generally positive reviews from music critics who complimented its production quality along with its grown-up sound while complimenting Keys' vocals while deeming it as one of her best releases to date while commending its mature themes while deeming it as more soulful than some of her previous works while commending it for having an increased soulfulness while deeming it as more soulful