Basic:
Birthday: January 25, 1981
Astrological Sign: Aquarius
Age: 25
Originally From: Harlem, New York
Lives: in New York City
Nicaname: Lellow
Education: The Professional Performance Arts School, Manhattan, New York; majored in choir; graduated early at 16
Columbia University, New York; accepted at 16 years old; did not attend so she could pursue singing professionally.
Mother: Caucasian; told Alicia she could quit anything but piano
Father: African American
Musical Influences: Chopin, Marvin Gaye, Mary J. Blige, Miles Davis, The Notorious B.I.G., Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, Beethoven
Instruments: Piano, guitar
Would Like To Collaborate With: Lauryn Hill, Gwen Stefani
Favorite Album: "Songs In The Key Of Life" by Stevie Wonder
Nationality: American, and as Alicia says herself: bi-racial
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Vanilla w/ chocolate fudge
Favorite Food to Eat With Hands: Mango
Wrote First Song at Age: 14
Began playing piano at age 7
Favorite Colors: Blue and purple
Record Label: J Records
First Public Performance: The Wizard of OZ at age 4
Favorite book: The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (she loves to read, when she has time!)
Mood Music: Anything by Marvin Gaye. "It makes you feel love, so that makes you feel sexy."
Turn-on: A guy's walk. "If he walks with confidence, I'm definitely attracted."
Turnoff: "If (a guy) talks too damn much about nothing. If he opens his mouth and it never closes, I get really annoyed."
Idols: Stevie Wonder and Maya Angelou
Worst Feature: Her calves. "I have huge calves. I can put on high boots and a skirt or shorts because the boots will only zip up a certain amount."
Secret Talent: "I'm a very good swimmer. I trained so I could be in the Olympics."
Who's sexy: Mekhi Phifer.
Bad Habit: "I crack my neck. Everyone tells me I better be careful because I might break it."
Best Advice: "My grandmother said, 'Nothing before its time," That's a good way to put things in perspective."
Describes herself as: "Evolving."

Notes:
Height: 5'8" (1.73 cm)
Is a 9x Grammy Award-winner.
Was the first artist signed to music industry legend Clive Davis's record label, J Records.
Named one of People Magazine's "Breakthrough Stars of 2001".
Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine in 2002.
Was featured as #12 in Maxim Magazine's "Hot 100 of 2002" supplement.
Is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. (in 2004)
Her song debut, "Fallin'" became a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Chart in the U.S.
Her debut album, "Songs In A Minor", debuted at #1 on both the Billboard 200 Album Chart and the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart.
Keys's 2nd album, "The Diary of Alicia Keys", debuted at #1 on the same charts as well.
Has known Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Usher since she was 14.
"Keys" is not Alicia's real last name. It is actually "Augello Cook". The whole "Keys" thing ties into her playing the piano. She is NOT related to R&B singer Tweet (a.k.a. Charlene Keys).
Alicia also plays the guitar.
Wrote and produced "Impossible", one of the songs on Christina Aguilera's album, "Stripped".
If Alicia could cancel any TV show it would be Jerry Springer – it's oversaturated

Education:
Keys attended the Professional Performance Arts School in Manhattan, where she majored in choir. After graduating at age 16, she attended Columbia University but quit school so she could pursue singing professionally.

Career:
A native New Yorker, Keys was encouraged at a young age to play the piano. She took lessons until she was a teen-ager but became a choir major after enrolling in Manhattan's Professional Performance Arts School - the school made famous in the 1980 movie "Fame." Columbia University beckoned following her graduation from the arts-oriented high school. But the lure of the professional music business proved too strong, and Keys left Columbia to sign a record deal with Arista Records in 1998. When Arista head Clive Davis joined J Records, Keys followed. She's been working closely with Davis since then. Keys' debut topped the Billboard 200 album chart from the beginning, and critics hailed the musician as a unique talent. She also writes her own lyrics.

Other:
Alicia Keys is one of the very few living people ever mentioned in Bob Dylan's lyrics. In his 2006 song "Thunder on the Mountain," Dylan sings: "I was thinking 'bout Alicia Keys, I couldn't keep from crying/While she was born in Hell's Kitchen, I was livin' down the line/ I'm wondering where in the world Alicia Keys could be, I been looking for her even clear through Tennessee." Alicia herself responded, "I'm crazy excited about it and I'm honored to be on his mind."

Personal Quote :
"I would love to see less focus on the physical," Keys told Rolling Stone magazine in December. "It's a very physical business, very skin-driven, very body-driven, and I have big fights about that."