I know Madiba doesn't want to be thought of as a saint, but to me there is no greater sacrifice than the one he made in his fight for an end to apartheid and the hope of majority rule in South Africa, which thankfully finally came to pass. “This is an issue for which I am prepared to die," he said. I just feel so sad that after spending 27 years in prison fighting for the rights of his people, he should be released and have to confront an out of control enemy: AIDS. In Madiba's house in Soweto, there is a sign that says, "A man can do anything as long as he doesn't care who takes the credit". This exemplifies the legacy of Nelson Mandela. To me 46664 is his cry for help, a continuing scream for his people and the outrageous devastation that HIV/AIDS has wrought upon on one of the most amazing places in the world. Please help Nelson Mandela solve this issue by supporting him, donating to 46664 and joining this movement to wipe out a preventable disease.
Alicia Keys is a singer, songwriter, pianist extraordinaire, producer, author, news correspondent, award winner, philanthropist and actress. But, for Keys, prosperity isn’t measured monetarily but through passion, self-fulfilment and life experience.
Born and bred in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, Keys was strongly influenced by music from different generations and disciplines. In particular, Keys has been moved by the music of Nina Simone, Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder; the classical compositions of Frédéric Chopin, Erik Satie, and Leontyne Price; and urban lyricists such as Tupac Shakur, The Notorious BIG, Jay-Z and the Wu-Tang Clan.
Since the age of seven she received formal training in classical piano and the jazz stylings of Oscar Peterson, Fats Waller, and Marian McPartland with her instructor Margaret Pine.
However, it was not until Keys attended the Professional Performing Arts School under the tutelage of Miss Aziza, a bold pianist, who wrote and composed original songs, that Keys was introduced to the art of songwriting and producing.
Discovered by manager Jeff Robinson at a Harlem PAL when she was 14, Keys performed throughout the tri-state area, anywhere and everywhere she could; from tiny clubs to street corners. Two years later, she received a scholarship for, and briefly enrolled in, Columbia University before leaving to pursue a music career.
The road was far from being easy, but Keys’ eclectic education and early life lessons ultimately inspired her successful musical hybrid of soul, hip-hop, jazz and classical. This fusion permeated her five-time Grammy-winning 2001 inaugural release, Songs In A Minor, on Clive Davis’ J Records.
Debuting at the top of the Billboard 200 chart, Songs in A Minor sold more than 235 000 copies in its first week and later sales exceeded 10-million units worldwide. Together with Robinson, President of MBK Entertainment, producer Kerry “Krucial” Brothers, A&R executive Peter Edge and Davis, Chairman and CEO of BMG Label Group, Keys and her mentors solidified a formidable friendship and powerhouse musical team that encouraged and nurtured her musical vision and identity.
“My team offers me different perspectives, but always recognises the artist in me,” she says. “They encourage me to be who I am creatively.”
After relentless touring, Keys followed her successful debut with her sophomore effort, The Diary of Alicia Keys, released in December 2003. The critically-acclaimed anthology sold more than 618 000 copies during the first week of release in the United States, was certified seven-times platinum, and garnered an additional four Grammys.
Reflecting on her work for Diary of Alicia Keys, Keys says: “When the album was completed I was ecstatic because I really felt the energy of the songs. Hearing them as one piece of work I was finally able to say, ‘Yes, this is who I am right now’. I’m so proud, happy, and excited that I could offer this music to the world.”
It was so well-received that in October 2005, she released the three-time, Grammy-nominated live concert recording, Alicia Keys Unplugged, featuring her most acclaimed music, new exclusive songs, as well as memorable collaborations with Common, Mos Def, Damian Marley and Adam Levine of Maroon 5.
“There’s no formula to my music,” says Keys, “it’s just rooted in my heart and soul. Whether I talk about visiting the pyramids in Egypt, to witnessing the AIDS epidemic in Africa or matters of the heart everyone will be able to experience where I’ve been and where I am going in my life.”
Throughout her career, Keys has earned numerous accolades. In addition to nine Grammy Awards, she’s nabbed 11 Billboard Music Awards, three American Music Awards, three World Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, three MTV Europe Awards, two Nickelodeon Teen Choice Awards, two BET Awards, 10 NAACP Image Awards, seven Soul Train Music Awards, two Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, one People’s Choice Award, one My VH1 Award and more.
Complementing her musical achievements, Keys is also a New York Times best-selling author. In 2005, Penguin Group USA published Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems & Lyrics, an introspective tome of original poetry and lyrics from Keys’ first two albums.
In 2004, The New York Daily News appointed Keys as a travel correspondent. Each month she chronicled the sites and experiences of her summer world tour, which included a performance at The Great Wall of China. In 2006, Alicia completed her first marathon, which she ran in the birthplace of the Olympics – Greece.
Alicia and Robinson also joint own the production company Big Pita, Lil’ Pita (BPLP).
Unbeknownst to her loyal fans, Keys’ foray into Hollywood isn’t entirely unfamiliar territory: Keys co-starred on The Cosby Show as a friend of Rudy Huxtable when she was only four-years-old. In January 2007, the native New Yorker made her silver screen debut in Universal Pictures’ Smokin’ Aces.
“I loved everything about Georgia [her character in Smokin’ Aces] – her calm, cool and collected nature and ability to get down to business,” Keys says. “I was more interested in taking a risk with my foray into film rather than play a character that mirrors any part of who I am in real life.”
In 2002, Keys joined with Keep A Child Alive (KCA), a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing life-saving anti-retroviral treatment (ART) to children and their families with HIV/AIDS in Africa and the developing world.
“I have teamed up with KCA and co-founder Leigh Blake to lend my voice and support to the fight against HIV/AIDS, which has left more than 12-million African children orphaned and 25-million dead in Africa during the last 25 years,” she says. “This organisation is an emergency response to the deadly ‘treatment gap’ that is destroying Africa.”
After returning from Africa, Keys was instilled with a renewed sense of purpose and urgency. She and KCA have set a goal to increase the 17% of sub-Saharan Africans who are receiving treatment to 72%.
Shortly after becoming involved with KCA, the chanteuse was named ambassador and co-host and musical director of the annual Black Ball, a benefit to promote HIV/AIDS awareness and raise funds for the charity. Over the last three years, Keys has brought together musical luminaries such as Bono, Kanye West, Damian Marley, Fela Kuti, David Bowie, Lenny Kravitz, Angelique Kidjo, John Mayer, Paul Simon, Nas, Common, and John Legend to help raise HIV/AIDS awareness and funds which provided anti-retrovirals (ARVs) to those desperately in need, help build clinics, pay for hospital staff, food and even care for orphans of the pandemic.
“It’s amazing to return to Africa and witness those who were so sickly they were near death being brought back to life because of the medical care they were able to receive,” she says. “Just knowing that your time and effort has helped build paediatric wings in hospitals and supply medicine to those who might not otherwise receive it, gives me a real sense of purpose.”
Keys charitable contributions are not only felt abroad but also on her home soil. Her humanitarian efforts continue as a board member of Frum Tha Ground Up, a non-profit organisation devoted to inspiring, motivating and encouraging the ambitions of America’s youth and bringing them to fruition by instilling fortitude, confidence and integrity. She’s also involved with Teens in Motion, a grassroots organisation that provides a safe environment for teens to excel in dance, singing, drama, spoken word and self-esteem workshops, located in the South Bronx.
Keys is an evolving artist who has claimed ownership of her future.
“My music allows me to speak freely,” she says. “It doesn’t have a beginning or ending because it’s an integral part of my ongoing journey.” As she progresses in her artistry and life, it’s evident that Keys profoundly invests her attention and energy to every commitment she makes.
Whether it’s producing a platinum award-winning album or serving as an HIV/AIDS activist, Keys is a creative force and will forever be the consummate musician, actress, entrepreneur, humanitarian and philanthropist.