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Alicia Keys
American singer and songwriter (born 1981)
Alicia Augello Cook, known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15.
After disputes with the label, she signed with J Records to release her debut studio album, Songs in A Minor (2001). Met with critical acclaim and commercial success, the album sold over 12 million copies worldwide and won five awards at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards.
It contained the Billboard Hot 100-number one single "Fallin'". Her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), was met with continued success, selling eight million units worldwide and spawning the US top-five singles "You Don't Know My Name" and "If I Ain't Got You".
labels: Columbia Records, Arista Records, J Records, RCA Records
genres: contemporary R&B, pop music
awards: Grammy Award for Best New Artist, Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance, BBC 100 Women, Ambassador of Conscience Award, Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, Time 100, Audie Award for Narration by the Author or Authors, Grammy Award for Song of the Year
Alicia Augello Cook was born on January 25, 1981, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. She is the only child of Teresa Augello, who was a paralegal and part-time actress, and one of three children of Craig Cook, who was a flight attendant. Keys's father is African American and her mother is of Italian and "Irish or Scottish American" descent; her mother's paternal grandparents were immigrants from Sciacca, Sicily; and Sambiase, in Calabria. Named after her Puerto Rican godmother, Keys has said that she was comfortable with her multiracial heritage because she felt she was able to "relate to different cultures". Keys's father left when she was two years old. She was subsequently raised by her mother during her...
Keys has been referred to as the "Queen of R&B" by various media outlets. Time has listed her in its list of 100 most influential people twice. Journalist Christopher John Farley wrote: "Her musicianship raises her above her peers. She doesn't have to sample music's past like a DJ scratching his way through a record collection; she has the chops to examine it, take it apart and create something new and personal with what she has found" in 2005. In 2017, Kerry Washington also wrote "Songs in A Minor infused the landscape of hip-hop with a classical sensibility and unfolded the complexity of being young, gifted, female and black for a new generation. Alicia became an avatar for millions of people, always remaining true to herself" in 2017....
American Singer-songwriter, Pianist, Author, Record producer and Actress.
Born January 25, 1981 in New York City, USA.
Married to Swizz Beatz since 2010.
Mother of Egypt Daoud Dean.
Also known as: A Keys, A. Keyes, A. Keys, A.Keys, AK
From Discogs (free to use). Their entry
Liner notes
Alicia Keys, the records, oldest first
Songs in A Minor
2001 album
CD Especial Acústico
2002 ep
The Diary of Alicia Keys
2003 album
As I Am
2007 album
Empire Edition EP
2009 ep
The Element of Freedom
2009 album
Girl on Fire
2012 album
HERE
2016 album
Vault Playlist, Vol. 1
2017 ep
ALICIA
2020 album
wanted
Alicia Keys: Sweet Dreams
2021 ep
KEYS
2021 album
Santa Baby
2022 album
Records from MusicBrainz; covers from the Cover Art Archive.
"Underdog" is a song by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. It was written by Keys, Johnny McDaid, Ed Sheeran, Amy Wadge, Jonny Coffer and Foy Vance, and produced by Keys and McDaid for her seventh studio album Alicia (2020).
Released on January 9, 2020, as the album's third single, "Underdog" became a top 40 hit in many countries and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, indicating 1,000,000 units recorded in the US.
Background and release
"Underdog" was recorded for Keys' seventh studio album Alicia (2020). Speaking on the meaning behind the song, she told Rolling Stone:
Critical reception
Reviewing for NME, Nick Levine called "Underdog" a "slick pop-R&B single" with "unpretentious and affecting" lyrics. USA Today's Gary Dinges named it among the songs from Alicia that "take on new meaning when you listen to them within the scope of the pandemic and social strife plaguing the country". Adi Mehta from Entertainment Voice wrote that the song's "main melody is hopelessly trite" but "Keys manages to sound so sleek and modest". Konstantinos Pappis from Our Culture Mag wrote that the “uplifting” song is “anchored by Keys’ ability to sell everyday stories about perseverance” and named it one of the album's highlights.
Music video
A corresponding music video directed by Wendy Morgan was released the same day. Thematizing the idea of overcoming challenging situations, the video captures ordinary people hustling to improve their circumstances and is intercut with a dynamic performance from Keys.
