Robinson pushed her to pursue a solo career, but she was resistant as she preferred to sing in a group. He wanted the budding singer to know what to expect from the music industry so he began to bring her along to meetings and negotiations with his record label. He was impressed by her singing ability he decided to help her develop her talent. His brother had been providing the teen with vocal lesion and Robinson’s brother had told him that he should meet her, although he had been disinterested but agree to watch her perform with her group. Early CareerĪlicia Keys was discovered in 1994 when manager Jeff Robinson met a then 13 year old Keys because she was involved in his brothers youth organisation called Teens in Motion.
Alicia Keys at the 2009 American Music Awards Red Carpet. She is the co-founder and global ambassador of the non-profit HIV/AIDS organisation Keep a Child Alive. In addition to her singing career, Alicia Keys is also a humanitarian and philanthropist known for her activism. She has also been called one of the 100 Greatest Artists of all time by VH1. She was named by Billboard as one of the top R&B artists of the 2000s.
Over the course of her career she has sold more than 65 million records around the world and has earned a reputation as a musical icon. She is a classically trained pianist and has been composing songs since she was only twelve years old she was signed to Columbia Records at the age of fifteen before signing with Arista Records.