Alisha Keys is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. The winner of fifteen Grammy awards performs in styles of soul and neosoul, rhythm and blues. Awarded the title of "Princess of Soul".
An exotic beauty with a melodic mesmerizing voice, Alisha Ogello Cook is known in the world of music as Alisha Keys. The singer has become one of the best-selling musicians of all time.
Brilliant start
The biography of the future artist began in 1981. The girl was born on January 25 in New York. She was the only child in the family. Father, Craig Cook, worked as a steward, mother, Teresa Ogello, was an actress and assistant lawyer. When her daughter was 2 years old, her parents broke up. Alisha was raised by her mother.
Since childhood, the future star has been studying music and dancing. The four-year-old girl starred in a movie for the first time. She got a role in the telenovela "The Cosby Show". She got an episode of Slumber Party. At 7, Alisha became interested in playing the piano. From 12 she studied at the prestigious Professional Performing Arts School. A talented student graduated from her in just three years.
The girl decided to receive further education at Columbia University. However, the training took no more than a month. Keyes quickly realized that she didn't like college.
The girl created the first compositions a couple of years after admission. His musical career began with the collaboration with So So Def label. The vocalist took part in the work on the soundtrack for "Men in Black" in 1997 as a professional. The presentation of the singer's first studio album took place in 2001, on June 5. Songs in A Minor proved to be a commercially successful disc, selling over 12 million copies worldwide. Keyes was named the best R&B performer and most successful debutant.
A career start brought the singer at once 5 Grammys in 2005. The sensual composition Fallin 'won an award in the category "Song of the Year". After Lauren Hill Keys became the second American performer to take the stage for the award 5 times in one evening.
Both musician and actress
In the same period, the recording studio of Alisha and her creative partner Kerry Krucial Brothers The Oven Studios began work. Brothers and Keys also founded KrucialKeys Enterprises. The organization helps the singer herself to create successful albums.
The next year was marked by work on a new disc, The Diary of Alicia Keys, which repeated the success of the first album. He brought the performer 4 more Grammys. The single If Ain't Got You was awarded in the category “Best Female Rhythm and Blues Vocal Work”. The lyrical composition was written and produced by Alisha herself.
In 2006, the fans received the vocalist's concert LP "Unplugged". The new disc instantly took off to the top of the Billboard-200 chart. Such a triumph went only to "Nirvana" in 1994.
The singer and composer also demonstrated her creativity in cinema. She starred in films and telenovelas. As an actress, Keyes participated in American Dreams and The Dreamers. In the crime thriller "Smokin 'Aces," the star appeared in 2007. She played Georgia Sykes. In the story, FBI agents must guard the life of a gangster who agreed to cooperate with the authorities. The mafia sent 11 killers to him at once. One of them was the heroine of the singer.
During the same period, work was underway on "The Nanny's Diaries." In the film, Alisha got a character named Lynette, a close friend of the main character. As conceived by the creators, it was the presence of a friend that the film adaptation differed from a literary source. In 2007, the star's third album, As I Am, was released. He also received several Grammys and sold out in huge numbers.
New peaks
In "The Secret Life of Bees," the performer reincarnated as June Boatwright. In 2009, the work earned a celebrity the Image Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Feature Film.
On the first day of December 2009, the album The Element of Freedom was released. The new sample of the vocalist's creativity took first place in the British charts. The new work Girl on Fire was presented to fans three years later. In the national hit parade of albums, the disc got the fifth position.
The studio compilation Here appeared in 2016, November 3. Both critics and listeners spoke of him approvingly. During the first week, the disc reached the first positions in the Billboard-200 chart.
The singer works in a special style. It combined with the active use of keyboard instruments soul, R&B and jazz. Her style is called vintage soul with drums and bass or gospel. The singer never sets limits for herself. She loves experimenting with rock and pop sound.
Family and vocation
The talented performer has also established her personal life. The famous composer and rapper Kasim Dean, Swizz Beatz became her chosen one. Their romance lasted 14 months. After a private wedding ceremony in the summer of 2010, the young people became husband and wife.
The first child appeared in the family, the son of Ejipt Daud Din. At the end of December 2014, he had a younger brother, Genesis Ali Dean. In addition to the common couple, the couple brings up the husband's two children living with them from a previous marriage.
Keyes maintains a page on Instagram. On it, the vocalist uploads her pictures and videos. Alisha is not afraid to show herself without makeup. She is involved in charity work, participates in social events.
The singer is not planning a creative break. She pleases fans with new concerts, clips and hits. In 2019, a celebrity hosted the Grammy ceremony. The audience was shocked by her performance of the composition on two pianos at the same time.
