Alicia Augello Cook was born in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York on January 25, 1981. She is better known by her stage name Alicia Keys. At the age of four, Alicia Keys made her television debut on the popular sitcom The Cosby Show. She attended Professional Performing Arts School and graduated at 16. She later attended Columbia University before dropping out to pursue her music career. On June 5, 2001 Alicia Keys released her debut album entitled Songs in A Minor. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold over a quarter million units. To date the album has sold over eleven million units worldwide. In 2003, she released her sophomore album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. It garnered the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album in 2005 and was nominated for Album of the Year. She went on to release her third album in 2007 entitled "As I Am". It sold over 700,000 copies it’s first week. Alicia Keys also had roles in the movies Smoking Aces and the Nanny Diaries during that year. In 2008 she continued her acting work with the role of June Boatwright in The Secret Life of Bees.
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