Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys (born Alicia J. Augello-Cook on January 25, 1980 or 1981 is an American R&B, soul, and neo soul singer-songwriter, pianist, record producer, actress, music video director, philanthropist, and author who has sold over forty-one million albums and singles worldwide as of 2007.
Keys was born in the Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem, in New York City, New York, to Teresa "Terri" Augello, a paralegal and part-time actress, and Craig Cook, a flight attendant.Keys' mother is of Irish, Scottish, and Italian descent and her father is Jamaican.
Keys' parents separated during her early childhood, and she was subsequently raised by her mother during her formative years in Hell's Kitchen, also in Manhattan. In 1985, Keys and a group of other girls played the parts of Rudy Huxtable's sleepover guests in an episode of The Cosby Show called "Slumber Party". She began playing the piano when she was seven, learning classical music by composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, and her favorite, Chopin. Keys almost chose Wilde as her stage name at age sixteen until her manager suggested the name Keys after a dream he had. Keys felt that name represented her both as a performer and person.
Keys graduated from the Professional Performing Arts School, a prestigious high school in Manhattan, as valedictorian at the age of sixteen in only three years. Although accepted to Columbia University, she decided to drop out and pursue her musical career. Keys signed a demo deal with Jermaine Dupri and his So So Def label, then distributed by Columbia Records. She co-wrote and recorded a song entitled "Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1997 blockbuster, Men in Black.
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Keys was born in the Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem, in New York City, New York, to Teresa "Terri" Augello, a paralegal and part-time actress, and Craig Cook, a flight attendant.Keys' mother is of Irish, Scottish, and Italian descent and her father is Jamaican.
Keys' parents separated during her early childhood, and she was subsequently raised by her mother during her formative years in Hell's Kitchen, also in Manhattan. In 1985, Keys and a group of other girls played the parts of Rudy Huxtable's sleepover guests in an episode of The Cosby Show called "Slumber Party". She began playing the piano when she was seven, learning classical music by composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, and her favorite, Chopin. Keys almost chose Wilde as her stage name at age sixteen until her manager suggested the name Keys after a dream he had. Keys felt that name represented her both as a performer and person.
Keys graduated from the Professional Performing Arts School, a prestigious high school in Manhattan, as valedictorian at the age of sixteen in only three years. Although accepted to Columbia University, she decided to drop out and pursue her musical career. Keys signed a demo deal with Jermaine Dupri and his So So Def label, then distributed by Columbia Records. She co-wrote and recorded a song entitled "Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1997 blockbuster, Men in Black.
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Alicia Keys' Search For That Superwoman
Alicia Keys continues her efforts to raise awareness for Keep A Child Alive with the launch of the As I Am Contest. Based on the song Superwoman from Keys' As I Am album, the contest seeks modern day women leading extraordinary lives.
The contest is supported by Treemo, an online community that will donate $1 for every entry, up to a limit of $10,000. Nominations can be submitted online at alicia.treemo.com, or via a text message, and can be a photo, video, image or text explaining why the nominee is a "Superwoman". The Grand Prize is a VIP All Access trip for two to an Alicia Keys concert.
Keep A Child Alive was co-founded by Keys to provide medication, support, and orphan care to families battling the AIDS pandemic in Africa.
HipHopGivesBack.org would like to RECOGNIZE and THANK Ms.Keys for all of her hard work! -
BET Viewers Gave 130k to KCA!
Jun, 2009Alicia introduced the Keep a Child Alive campaign “Text ALIVE" during her 2008 U.S. concert tour. Keep a Child Alive is the first charity to have successfully implemented an ongoing texting campaign in the United States. Alicia also recently appeared on American Idol to introduce a performance by 15-year-old Rwandan rapper Noah, who is a patient at the KCA-funded Icyuzuzo Clinic in Kigali, Rwanda. On American Idol, Alicia asked American Idol viewers to “Text ALIVE” to support other KCA patients like Noah, and inspired more than 100,000 people to text! Thanks to Alicia’s tireless efforts, KCA has been able to raise millions of dollars to care for AIDS patients in Africa and India. As a dedicated Global Ambassador for KCA, Alicia’s work includes well-known media initiatives, such as the “Spirit of a Child” campaign, the controversial “Drug Dealer” campaign and the star-studded “I am African” campaign, spearheaded by Iman and featuring David Bowie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Richard Gere, Sarah Jessica Parker, Lenny Kravitz, and many other top artists. Alicia has appeared twice on Oprah to represent the organization, and is the host of Keep a Child Alive’s annual Black Ball Gala. The Black Ball is a unique fundraiser/concert, hosted by Alicia Keys and Iman, where KCA honors the work of remarkable humanitarians who use their will, fame, and courage to change the lives of those devastated by this pandemic. In the past Alicia has shared the stage with David Bowie, Lou Reed, Gwen Stefani, Bono, Annie Lennox, and Lenny Kravitz, amongst others. Alicia was also a producer of the documentary film Alicia in Africa: Journey to the Motherland, a moving documentary about her 2006 month-long trip to Africa where she meets the courageous children, families and communities affected by the AIDS pandemic. Alicia and Keep a Child Alive made the film accessible to everyone by releasing it as a free download online. This revolutionary mode of distribution has made Alicia in Africa the first film of its kind to be made available to Internet users for free worldwide. Alicia has also helped promote another film about Keep a Child Alive’s work, We Are Together. This uplifting documentary tells the story of the talented Agape Children’s Choir in South Africa. When Alicia’s first traveled to Africa in 2003, she witnessed the drastic impact AIDS can have when left largely unchecked and came to understand AIDS as a deadly disease capable of orphaning children, devastating communities, and stifling economic progress. Ever since, Alicia, along with Leigh Blake, has been the driving force behind Keep a Child Alive. Well aware of the grim state of AIDS in the world today, the battle against the disease has become Alicia’s own calling and motivation, and Keep a Child Alive is incredibly grateful for her support! BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION. GIVE $5 TEXT "ALIVE" TO 90999 NOW!
