Alicia Keys Age – How old is the R&B legend?
Alicia Keys has had a wonderful career. Scratch that, Alicia Keys is a legend in the music world. Her first album released in 2001 called Songs in A Minor catapulted her to success with over 12 million copies sold and not to mention five Grammy Awards! At the young age of 20 years old, Alicia Keys was already making international waves with her album being a bestseller in R&B and soul. Fast forward to the present, a lot has happened in the talented singer’s life which we will explore today. What is Alicia Keys Age now? What has she been up to recently? We’ll find out all there is to know about Alicia Keys, and find out her age here! Keep reading!
How it all began for Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook was born on January 25th, 1981 in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen.
This makes the singer 40 years old this year!
Her mother, Terri Augello was an Italian-Irish paralegal, and her Dad, Craig Cook, was an African-American flight attendant. The pair split when Alicia was 2 years old, and Alicia went to live with her mother.
Alicia Keys began learning the piano when she was just 7 years old. By the age of 9, she graduated to playing Chopin sonatas.
She was one of those gifted kids who could sing even before she could speak!
When Alicia was 12, she was already composing her own songs. Her classical piano teacher actually ran out of things to show her. And that’s how she got into jazz!
Around this time was also when Alicia joined New York’s Professional Performing Arts School where she majored in choir.
Despite her young age, Alicia not only graduated two years earlier, but she also graduated first in her class. What followed was a scholarship to Columbia University, plus a recording contract with Columbia Records.
Alicia Keys Age – Finding her voice
Only after a month of classes, Alicia decided to drop out to pursue her music career with Columbia Records.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out because the label kept wanting to make her sound “radio friendly”.
Alicia then went on to sign with another label called Arista, where the label’s founder at the time, Clive Davis, was well known for discovering big voices like Whitney Houston and Janis Joplin.
When Davis retired and decided to set up his own record company J Records, he brought the R&B singer along with him, and her first album was released in 2001.
In 2003, her second album titled The Diary of Alicia Keys debuted and it sold 8 million copies worldwide! This was the album with her famous hits like “If I Ain’t Got You’ and ‘You Don’t Know My Name”. Unsurprisingly, the album received another four Grammy Awards!
The next year, Alicia did “My Boo” with Usher and we were invested! So invested that the song became the R&B singer’s second number-one single that year.
More than an R&B singer
Music is not all Alicia Keys has the talent for. In 2007, Alicia had her first film debut in the crime thriller film, Smokin’ Aces. Yes, the one with Ben Affleck!
The film was a moderate hit, but the singer received high praises for her natural acting skills.
That same year, Alicia starred alongside big movie names like Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson in the movie The Nanny Diaries.
She was also on The Secret Life of Bees with Jennifer Hudson and Queen Latifah.
Alicia Keys Today
All in all, Alicia Keys has sold more than 35 million albums and 30 million singles internationally.
She’s won many awards, from her 15 Grammy Awards, to 17 NAACP Image Awards, 7 BET Awards, and 9 Billboard Music Awards. She was also asked to host the Grammy Awards last year!
On top of being an award-winning singer-songwriter, actor, and presenter, Alicia Keys is a mom to her two sons.
Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz
Alicia Keys and her husband Kasseem Dean (professionally known as Swizz Beatz) met when Alicia was just starting out her career.
Although the couple looked insanely good together, the singer wasn’t really interested at the time.
As she said in an interview with Marie Claire UK:
“Honestly, I didn’t really like him that much”
“I thought he was too ostentatious. Swizz will have the fastest car, the biggest jewelry, the loudest jacket. Everything with his is really over the top. I used to see him and think, “He is so annoying.”
Alas, in 2008, Alicia decided to give it a shot. However, the beginning of their relationship was rocky, to say the least.
Long story short, not only was Swizz Beatz still married to his first wife, Mashonda Tifrere. They also share a son together.
Mashonda Tifrere accused Alicia of breaking apart their family.
Then, there was also the affairs and learning that Swizz had fathered two more children.
A happy family
Nevertheless, Alicia and Swizz worked through their problems and eventually got hitched in 2010!
In October that year, the pair had their first son, Genesis Ali Dean. Four years later, another son, Egypt Daoud Dean was welcomed into the world to complete the family of 4.
Over time, Alicia, Swizz, and Tifrere worked to build a good family environment for their children filled with a lot of tender loving care.
While it took a lot of work, the families are now closer than ever.
Talking about the journey, Alicia said:
“We love each other, we hang out with each other and we go to dinner together.”
“Our family is one big, beautiful family… it is a beautiful partnership. I’m very, very proud of that. It’s a real thing, and it’s possible.”
The family is so close that Tifrere released a book with the help of Alicia and Swizz about their experience titled Blend.
Recently, the family can be seen cheering Alicia on for her first time hosting the 2020 Grammy Awards!
If you haven’t watched it already, you’re missing out!
