CELEBRITIES

Alicia Keys

Credit: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

BIO

Alicia Augello Cook, better known as Alicia Keys, was born on Jan. 25, 1981 in New York City.

At 16, Keys graduated a year early from the Professional Performing Arts School as valedictorian and moved on to pursue a musical career. She was soon signed by Columbia Records where she knocked out hit after hit like "Fallin'" and "If I Ain't Got You."

In 2002, Keys won five of the six Grammys she was nominated for, including Best New Artist, Song of the Year, and Best R&B Album. She has won over a dozen Grammy awards to date.

In addition to her musical talents, Keys is also an accomplished actress, appearing as Lynette in The Nanny Diaries opposite Scarlett Johansson in 2007. In 2008, she teamed up with Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, and Jennifer Hudson in The Secret Life of Bees.

Keys is also the co-founder and Global Ambassador of Keep a Child Alive, a non-profit organization that provides medicine to families in Africa effected by HIV and AIDS.

In 2010, Keys wed her producer beau Swizz Beatz in n a private home on the Mediterranean Sea. They welcomed a baby boy, Egypt, on October 14, 2010.