Alicia Keys

In 1994, manager Jeff Robinson met 13-year old Keys, who participated in his brother's youth organization called Teens in Motion.[39][50] Robinson's brother had been giving Keys vocal lessons in Harlem.[40] His brother had talked to him about Keys and advised him to go see her, but Robinson shrugged it off as he had "heard that story 1,000 times". At the time, Keys was part of a three-member band that had formed in the Bronx and was performing in Harlem.[39][47] Robinson eventually agreed to his brother's request, and went to see Keys perform with her group at the Police Athletic League center in Harlem. He was soon taken by Keys, her soulful singing, playing contemporary and classical music and performing her own songs.[39][42] Robinson was excited by audiences' reactions to her. Impressed by her talents, charisma, image, and maturity, Robinson considered her to be the "total package", and took her under his wing.[45][47][50] By this time, Keys had already written two of the songs that she would later include on her debut album, "Butterflyz" and "The Life".[45][47]

Robinson wanted Keys to be informed and prepared for the music industry, so he took her everywhere with him, including all the meetings with attorneys and negotiations with record labels, while the teenager often became disgruntled with the process.[39] Robinson had urged Keys to pursue a solo career, as she remained reluctant, preferring the musical interactions of a group. She took Robinson's advice after her group disbanded, and contacted Robinson who in 1995 introduced her to A&R executive Peter Edge.

Robinson and Edge helped Keys assemble some demos of songs she had written and set up a showcases for label executives.[23][39][42] Keys performed on the piano for executives of various labels, and a bidding war ensued.[21][42] Edge was keen to sign Keys himself but was unable to do so at that time due to being on the verge of leaving his present record company, Warner Bros. Records, to work at Clive Davis' Arista Records.[21][39][51] During this period, Columbia Records had approached Keys for a record deal, offering her a $26,000 white baby grand piano; after negotiations with her and her manager, she signed to the label, at age 15. Keys was also finishing high school, and her academic success had provided her opportunity for scholarship and early admission to university.[21][39][51] That year, Keys accepted a scholarship to study at Columbia University in Manhattan.[23] She graduated from high school early as valedictorian, at the age of 16, and began attending Columbia University at that age while working on her music.[21][45] Keys attempted to manage a difficult schedule between university and working in the studio into the morning, compounding stress and a distant relationship with her mother. She often stayed away from home, and wrote some of the most "depressing" poems of her life during this period. Keys decided to drop out of college after a month to pursue music full-time.[23][36][45]

Columbia Records had recruited a team of songwriters, producers and stylists to work on Keys and her music. They wanted Keys to submit to their creative and image decisions.[23] Keys said they were not receptive to her contributions and being a musician and music creator.[45][46] While Keys worked on her songs, Columbia executives attempted to change her material; they wanted her to sing and have others create the music, forcing big-name producers on her who demanded she also write with people with whom she was not comfortable.[11][40] She would go into sessions already prepared with music she had composed, but the label would dismiss her work in favor of their vision.[46] "It was a constant battle, it was a lot of -isms", Keys recalled. "There was the sexism, but it was more the ageism – you're too young, how could you possibly know what you want to do? – and oh God, that just irked me to death, I hated that."[23] "The music coming out was very disappointing", she recalled. "You have this desire to have something good, and you have thoughts and ideas, but when you finish the music it's shit, and it keeps on going like that."[42] Keys would be in "perpetual music industry purgatory" under Columbia, while they ultimately "relegated [her] to the shelf".[47] She had performed "Little Drummer Girl" for So So Def's Christmas compilation in 1996,[47] and later co-wrote the song "Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)" for the Men in Black (1997) film soundtrack, the only released recording Keys made with Columbia.[36][40]

Keys "hated" the experience of writing with the people Columbia brought in. "I remember driving to the studio one day with dread in my chest", she recalled.[21] Keys said the producers would also sexually proposition her.[11][27][45] "It's all over the place. And it's crazy. And it's very difficult to understand and handle", she said.[45] Keys had already built a "protect yourself" mentality from growing up in Hell's Kitchen, which served her as a young teen then in the industry having to rebuff the advances of producers and being around people who "just wanted to use [her]".[27][38] Keys felt like she could not show weakness.[27] Executives at Columbia also wanted to manufacture her image, with her "hair blown out and flowing", short dresses, and asking her to lose weight; "they wanted me to be the same as everyone else", Keys felt.[21] "I had horrible experiences," she recalled. "They were so disrespectful ... I started figuring, 'Hey, nothing's worth all this.'"[11] As months passed, Keys had grown more frustrated and depressed with the situation, while the label requested the finished tracks.[21][42][45] Keys recalled, "it was around that time that I realized that I couldn't do it with other people. I had to do it more with myself, with the people that I felt comfortable with or by myself with my piano."[45] Keys decided to sit in with some producers and engineers to ask questions and watch them technically work on other artists' music.[42] "The only way it would sound like anything I would be remotely proud of is if I did it", Keys determined. "I already knew my way around the keyboard, so that was an advantage. And the rest was watching people work on other artists and watching how they layer things".[42]

Her partner Kerry "Krucial" Brothers suggested to Keys she buy her own equipment and record on her own.[45] Keys began working separately from the label, exploring more production and engineering on her own with her own equipment.[42] She had moved out of her mother's apartment and into a sixth-floor walk-up apartment in Harlem with Brothers, where she fit a recording studio into their bedroom and worked on her music.[45] Keys felt being on her own was "necessary" for her sanity. She was "going through a lot" with herself and with her mother, and she "needed the space"; "I needed to have my own thoughts, to do my own thing."[42] Keys and Brothers later moved to Queens and together they turned the basement into KrucialKeys Studios.[45] Keys would return to her mother's house periodically, particularly when she felt "lost or unbalanced or alone". "She would probably be working and I would sit at the piano", she reminisced.[45] During this time, she composed the song "Troubles", which started as "a conversation with God", working on it further in Harlem. Around this time the album "started coming together", and she composed and recorded most of the songs that would appear on her album.[34][42][45] "Finally, I knew how to structure my feelings into something that made sense, something that can translate to people", Keys recalled. "That was a changing point. My confidence was up, way up."[42] The different experience reinvigorated Keys and her music.[45] While the album was nearly completed, Columbia's management changed and more creative differences emerged with the new executives. Keys brought her songs to the executives, who rejected her work, saying it "sounded like one long demo". They wanted Keys to sing over loops,[42] and told Keys they will bring in a "top" team and get her "a more radio-friendly sound". Keys would not allow it; "they already had set the monster loose", she recalled. "Once I started producing my own stuff there wasn't any going back."[45] Keys stated that Columbia had the "wrong vision" for her. "They didn't want me to be an individual, didn't really care", Keys concluded. "They just wanted to put me in a box."[11] Control over her creative process was "everything" to Keys.[46]

Keys had wanted to leave Columbia since they began "completely disrespecting [her] musical creativity".[21] Leaving Columbia was "a hell of a fight", she recalled. "Out of spite, they were threatening to keep everything I'd created even though they hated it. I thought I'd have to start over again just to get out, but I didn't care."[21] Keys said in 2001: "It's been one trial, one test of confidence and faith after the next." To Keys, "success doesn't just mean that I'm the singer, and you give me my 14 points, and that's all. That's not how it's going to go down."[52] Edge, who was by that time head of A&R at Arista Records,[23] said, "I didn't see that there was much hands-on development at Columbia, and she was smart enough to figure that out and to ask to be released from her contract, which was a bold move for a new artist."[45] Edge introduced Keys to Arista's then-president, Clive Davis, in 1998.[23][53]

Robinson and Keys, with Davis's help, were able to negotiate out of the Columbia contract and she signed to Arista Records in late 1998.[40][45][51] Keys was also able to leave with the music she had created.[21] Davis gave Keys the creative freedom and control she wanted, and encouraged her to be herself.[11][53] Keys said of Davis's instinct: "he knows which artists are the ones that maybe are needing to craft their own sound and style and songs, and you just have to let an artist go and find that space. And I think he somehow knew that and saw that in me and really just let me find that."[47] After signing with Davis, Keys continued honing her songs.[11] Keys almost chose Wilde as her stage name at the age of 16 until her manager suggested the name Keys after a dream he had. She felt that name embodied her both as a performer and person.[54] Keys contributed her songs "Rock wit U" and "Rear View Mirror" to the soundtracks of the films Shaft (2000) and Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), respectively.[55][56]

In 2000, Davis was ousted from Arista and the release of Keys's album was put on hold. Later that year, Davis formed J Records and immediately signed Keys to the label.[21] "He didn't try to divert me to something else", Keys said on following Davis to his new label. He understood that she wants to be herself and not "made into what somebody else thinks I should be."[36]

Keys played small shows across America, performed at industry showcases for months and then on television.[42][53] Davis thought "pop stations might feel she's too urban. Urban might feel she's too traditional", and as he felt Keys was a "compelling, hypnotic performer" best experienced in person, he had Keys perform her music to different crowds in different places to spread the word.[39][42][53] "I created opportunities for those who saw her to spread the word", Davis recalled. "She is her own ambassador."[39] Davis wanted to "let people discover her, and you can only do that with a few artists."[23][49] Keys later performed on The Tonight Show in promotion for her upcoming debut.[42] Davis wrote a letter to Oprah asking her to have Keys, Jill Scott, and India.Arie perform on her show to promote new women in music.[42] Oprah booked Keys the day she heard her song "Fallin'", her debut single.[11][39] Keys performed the song on Oprah's show the week prior to the release of her debut album.[47] "Fallin'", released as a single in April, went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and stayed atop the chart for six consecutive weeks.[47][57] Ebony magazine wrote that at the time "the music that was pumping on the airwaves was hip-hop and rap – not Alicia's unique blend of classical meets soul, meets hip-hop, meets, well, Alicia. What could have been a recipe for disaster ... turned into the opportunity of a lifetime."[39] Keys as an artist since her early days, Davis said, "does her own thing. She has set out her own vision. That's the way it is for artists of her ilk ... They don't try to fit in. They try to establish their own paths ... [she has] sure natural instinct and sure vision" and "a respect for musical history."[23][39]

Songs in A Minor, which included material that Columbia Records had rejected, was released on June 5, 2001,[45][47] to critical acclaim.[60][61][62] Musically, it incorporated classical piano in an R&B, soul and jazz-fused album.[63] Jam! described the music as "old-school urban sounds and attitude set against a backdrop of classical piano and sweet, warm vocals".[64] USA Today wrote that Keys "taps into the blues, soul, jazz and even classical music to propel haunting melodies and hard-driving funk".[65] Songs in A Minor would be "lauded for its mix of traditional soul values and city-girl coolness", wrote The Guardian.[34] PopMatters wrote that "Keys's Songs in A Minor is a testament to her desire (and patience) to create a project that most reflects her sensibilities as a 20-year-old woman and as a musical, cultural, and racial hybrid."[49]

Keys performing in Frankfurt, Germany, 2002

Songs in A Minor debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at number one, selling 236,000 in its first week at retail.[20][47] On its second week, word of mouth and exposure from television performances was so significant that record stores requested another 450,000 copies.[42] The album went on to sell over 6.2 million copies in the United States and 12 million internationally.[66][67] It was certified six times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[68][69] Songs in A Minor established Keys's popularity both inside and outside of the United States where she became the best-selling new artist and R&B artist of the year.[47][70]

The album's second single, "A Woman's Worth", was released in February 2002 and peaked at seven on the Hot 100 and number three on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs; becoming her second top ten single on both charts.[71] Released in June, "How Come You Don't Call Me", Keys's cover of Prince's song, served as the album's third single, peaking at 59 on the Hot 100. The album's fourth single "Girlfriend" was released in the United Kingdom where it peaked at 82. The following year, the album was reissued as Remixed & Unplugged in A Minor, which included eight remixes and seven unplugged versions of the songs from the original.

Songs in A Minor received six Grammy Award nominations, including Record of the Year for "Fallin'". At the 2002 Grammy Awards, Keys won five awards: Song of the Year, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Best R&B Song for "Fallin'", Best New Artist, and Best R&B Album.[72] Keys tied Lauryn Hill's record for the most Grammy wins for a female solo artist in a year.[21][73] That year, Keys wrote and produced the song "Impossible" for Christina Aguilera's album Stripped (2002), also providing background vocals and piano.[74][75] During the early 2000s, Keys also made small cameos in television series Charmed and American Dreams.[7]

Keys performing at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2004

Keys followed up her debut with The Diary of Alicia Keys, which was released in December 2003. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 618,000 copies its first week of release, becoming the largest first-week sales for a female artist in 2003.[76] It sold 4.4 million copies in the United States and was certified four times Platinum by the RIAA.[68][77] It sold eight million copies worldwide,[78] becoming the sixth-biggest-selling album by a female artist and the second-biggest-selling album by a female R&B artist.[79] The album's lead single, "You Don't Know My Name", peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for eight consecutive weeks, her first Top 10 single in both charts since 2002's "A Woman's Worth". The album's second single, "If I Ain't Got You", was released in February 2004 and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for six weeks. The album's third single, "Diary", peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, being their third consecutive Top 10 single in both charts. The album's fourth and final single, "Karma", which peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 17 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, first release to fail to achieve top ten status on both charts. "If I Ain't Got You" became the first single by a female artist to remain on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for over a year.[80][81][82][83][84] Keys also collaborated with recording artist Usher on the song "My Boo" from his 2004 album, Confessions (Special Edition). The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for three weeks, became her first number-one single on the Hot 100 since 2001's "Fallin'". Keys won Best R&B Video for "If I Ain't Got You" at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards; she performed the song and "Higher Ground" with Lenny Kravitz and Stevie Wonder.[85][86]

While attending the Cannes Film Festival in May 2004, it was announced that Keys intended to make her film debut in a biopic about biracial piano prodigy Philippa Schuyler.[87] The film was to be co-produced by Halle Berry and Marc Platt.[88] September 25, Alicia Keys headlined the Wall of Hope concert on the Northern Gate Juyongguan section of the Great Wall of China, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Great Wall of China's restoration project that was part of a series of benefit concerts.[89][90]

Later that year, Keys released her novel Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems and Lyrics, a collection of unreleased poems from her journals and lyrics. The title derived from one of her poems, "Love and Chains" from the line: "I don't mind drinking my tears for water."[91] She said the title is the foundation of her writing because "everything I have ever written has stemmed from my tears of joy, of pain, of sorrow, of depression, even of question".[92] The book sold over US$500,000 and Keys made The New York Times bestseller list in 2005.[30][93] The following year, she won a second consecutive award for Best R&B Video at the MTV Video Music Awards for the video "Karma".[94] Keys performed "If I Ain't Got You" and then joined Jamie Foxx and Quincy Jones in a rendition of "Georgia on My Mind", the Hoagy Carmichael song made famous by Ray Charles in 1960 at the 2005 Grammy Awards.[95] That evening, she won four Grammy Awards: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "If I Ain't Got You", Best R&B Song for "You Don't Know My Name", Best R&B Album for The Diary of Alicia Keys, and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" for "My Boo" with Usher.[96]

Keys performed and taped her installment of the MTV Unplugged series in July 2005 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.[97] During this session, Keys added new arrangements to her original songs and performed a few choice covers.[98] The session was released on CD and DVD in October 2005. Simply titled Unplugged, the album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with 196,000 units sold in its first week of release.[99] The album sold one million copies in the United States, where it was certified Platinum by the RIAA, and two million copies worldwide.[68][7][100] The debut of Keys's Unplugged was the highest for an MTV Unplugged album since Nirvana's 1994 MTV Unplugged in New York and the first Unplugged by a female artist to debut at number one.[70] The album's first single, "Unbreakable", peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[101] It remained at number one on the Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay for 11 weeks.[102] The album's second and final single, "Every Little Bit Hurts", was released in January 2006, it failed to enter the U.S. charts.

Keys opened a recording studio in Long Island, New York, called The Oven Studios, which she co-owns with her production and songwriting partner Kerry "Krucial" Brothers.[103] The studio was designed by renowned studio architect John Storyk of WSDG, designer of Jimi Hendrix' Electric Lady Studios. Keys and Brothers are the co-founders of KrucialKeys Enterprises, a production and songwriting team who have assisted Keys in creating her albums as well as creating music for other artists.[104]

Keys performing in 2008

In 2006, Keys won three NAACP Image Awards, including Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Song for "Unbreakable".[105] She also received the Starlight Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.[106] In October 2006, she played the voice of Mommy Martian in the "Mission to Mars" episode of the children's television series The Backyardigans, in which she sang an original song, "Almost Everything Is Boinga Here".[107] That same year, Keys nearly had a mental breakdown. Her grandmother had died and her family was heavily dependent on her. She felt she needed to "escape" and went to Egypt for three weeks. She explained: "That trip was definitely the most crucial thing I've ever done for myself in my life to date. It was a very difficult time that I was dealing with, and it just came to the point where I really needed to—basically, I just needed to run away, honestly. And I needed to get as far away as possible."[108]

In November 2006 Keys performed live with David Bowie at a fundraising event in New York. This would be Bowie's last public performance.[109]

Keys made her film debut in early 2007 in the crime film Smokin' Aces, co-starring as an assassin named Georgia Sykes opposite Ben Affleck and Andy García. Keys received much praise from her co-stars in the film; Ryan Reynolds called her "so natural" and said she would "blow everybody away." Smokin' Aces was a moderate hit at the box office, earning $57,103,895 worldwide during its theatrical run.[110][111] In the same year, Keys earned further praise for her second film, The Nanny Diaries, based on the 2002 novel of the same name, where she co-starred alongside Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans. The Nanny Diaries had a hit moderate performance at the box office, earning only $44,638,886 worldwide during its theatrical run.[112] She also guest starred as herself in the "One Man Is an Island" episode of the drama series Cane.[113]

Keys released her third studio album, As I Am, in November 2007; it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 742,000 copies in its first week. It gained Keys her largest first week sales of her career and became her fourth consecutive number one album, tying her with Britney Spears for the most consecutive number-one debuts on the Billboard 200 by a female artist.[114][115] The week became the second-largest sales week of 2007 and the largest sales week for a female solo artist since singer Norah Jones' album Feels like Home in 2004.[116] The album has sold three million copies in the United States and has been certified three times Platinum by the RIAA.[117][118] It has sold five million copies worldwide.[119] Keys received five nominations for As I Am at the 2008 American Music Award and ultimately won two.[120] The album's lead single, "No One", peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for ten consecutive weeks, became her first number-one single on the Hot 100 since 2004's "My Boo" and becoming Keys's third and fifth number-one single on each chart, respectively.[121] The album's second single, "Like You'll Never See Me Again", was released in late 2007 and peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for seven consecutive weeks. From October 27, 2007, when "No One" reached No. 1, through February 16, 2008, the last week "Like You'll Never See Me Again" was at No. 1, the Keys was on top of the chart for 17 weeks, more consecutive weeks than any other artist on the Hot R&B/Hip/Hop Songs chart.[122] The album's third single, "Teenage Love Affair", which peaked at number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[122] The album's fourth and final single, "Superwoman", which peaked at number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[122][123]

Keys performing at the 2008 Summer Sonic Festival in Tokyo, Japan

"No One" earned Keys the awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song at the 2008 Grammy Awards.[124] Keys opened the ceremony singing Frank Sinatra's 1950s song "Learnin' the Blues" as a "duet" with archival footage of Sinatra in video and "No One" with John Mayer later in the show.[125] Keys also won Best Female R&B Artist during the show.[126] She starred in "Fresh Takes", a commercial micro-series created by Dove Go Fresh, which premiered during The Hills on MTV from March to April 2008. The premiere celebrated the launch of new Dove Go Fresh.[127] She also signed a deal as spokesperson with Glacéau's VitaminWater to endorse the product, and was in an American Express commercial for the "Are you a Cardmember?" campaign.[128][129] Keys, along with The White Stripes' guitarist and lead vocalist Jack White, recorded the theme song to Quantum of Solace, the first duet in Bond soundtrack history.[130] In 2008, Keys was ranked in at number 80 the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists.[131] She also starred in The Secret Life of Bees[132] Her role earned her a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards.[133] She also received three nominations at the 2009 Grammy Awards and won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Superwoman".[134]

In an interview with Blender magazine, Keys allegedly said "'Gangsta rap' was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other, 'gangsta rap' didn't exist" and went on to say that it was created by "the government". The magazine also claimed she said that Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. were "essentially assassinated, their beefs stoked by the government and the media, to stop another great black leader from existing".[27] Keys later wrote a statement clarifying the issues and saying her words were misinterpreted.[135] Later that year, Keys was criticized by anti-smoking campaigners after billboard posters for her forthcoming concerts in Indonesia featured a logo for the A Mild cigarette brand sponsored by tobacco firm Philip Morris. She apologized after discovering that the concert was sponsored by the firm and asked for "corrective actions". In response, the company withdrew its sponsorship.[136]

Keys at the 37th Annual American Music Awards red carpet, November 2009

Keys in South Africa for the FIFA World Cup Kick Off Concert, July 2010

In 2009, Keys approached Clive Davis for permission to submit a song for Whitney Houston's sixth studio album I Look to You. She subsequently co-wrote and produced the single "Million Dollar Bill" with record producer Swizz Beatz.[137] Months later, she was featured on rapper Jay-Z's song "Empire State of Mind" which was the lead single from his eleventh studio album The Blueprint 3. The song was a commercial and critical success, topping the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her fourth number-one song on that chart.[138] Additionally, it won Grammy Awards for 'Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and 'Best Rap Song' the following year, among a total of five nominations.[139] The following month, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers honored Keys with the Golden Note Award, an award given to artists "who have achieved extraordinary career milestones".[140] She collaborated with Spanish recording artist Alejandro Sanz for "Looking for Paradise", which topped the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, this was Keys's first number one on all three charts, which also made her the first African-American of non-Hispanic origin to reach number 1 on the Hot Latin Tracks.[141]

Keys released her fourth studio album, The Element of Freedom, in December 2009.[142] It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 417,000 copies in its first week.[143] It was preceded by the release of its lead single "Doesn't Mean Anything" which peaked at sixty on the Hot 100, and fourteen on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[142][144] Keys was ranked as the top R&B recording artist of the 2000–2009 decade by Billboard magazine and ranked at number five as artist of the decade, while "No One" was ranked at number six on the magazine's top songs of the decade.[145][146][147] In the United Kingdom, The Element of Freedom became Keys's first album to top the UK Albums Chart.[148] The album's second single, "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart", was released in November and peaked at number twenty-seven on the Hot 100 and number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[144] The album's third single "Put It in a Love Song" featured recording artist Beyoncé. In February 2010, Keys released the fourth single, "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down" peaked at fifty-five on the Hot 100 and seventy-six on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[144] In May, "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" featuring rapper Drake was released as the album's fifth single. While only peaking at twenty-one on the Billboard Hot 100, it topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for twelve consecutive weeks. The song became the album's most successful single; Keys eighth number one on the chart;[144] and Key's first number one song in five years. The album's sixth and final single, "Wait Til You See My Smile", was released in December 2010 in the United Kingdom.

In May 2010, a representative for Keys and Swizz Beatz confirmed that they were engaged and expecting a child together.[149] Keys and Beatz had a wedding celebration near the Mediterranean Sea on July 31, 2010.[150] On October 14, 2010, Keys gave birth to their first son, in New York City.[151] She recorded a song together with Eve called "Speechless", dedicated to her son.[152]

In June 2011, Songs in A Minor was re-released as deluxe and collector's editions in commemoration of its 10th anniversary.[153] To support the release, Keys embarked on a four-city promotional tour, titled Piano & I: A One Night Only Event With Alicia Keys, featuring only her piano. Keys is also set to co-produce the Broadway premiere of Stick Fly, which was opened[154] in December 2011.[155] At the end of June, a wax figure of Keys was unveiled at Madame Tussauds New York.[156] On September 26, 2011, was the premiere of Project 5, known as Five, a short film that marks the debut of Keys as a director. It is a documentary of five episodes that tell stories of five women who had breast cancer and how it affected their lives. The production also has co-direction of the actresses Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore and film director Patty Jenkins.[157] On October 7, 2011, Sony Music's RCA Music Group announced that it would be absorbing Keys' longtime label, J Records, as well as Arista and Jive Records. With the shutdown, Keys (and various other artists previously signed to the three labels) released her following music material under RCA Records.[158][159]

Keys released her fifth studio album Girl on Fire, her first album through RCA Records on November 27, 2012.[160] Keys has stated that she wants the album to "liberate" and "empower" fans.[161] The album's title track was released on September 4 as its lead single and peak number eleven on Billboard hot 100, the single was Keys's first top twenty own single on the chart since 2007 single "Like You'll Never See Me Again", she performed the song for the first time at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards on September 6.[162][163] "Girl on Fire" is an uptempo anthem.[164] "Brand New Me" was released as the album's second single.[164] A softer ballad, it was noted as significantly different from the album's lead single.[164] Prior, two songs from Girl on Fire were released as promotion. The first was a song titled "New Day".[144] The song was later revealed to be the solo version of 50 Cent's lead single featuring Dr. Dre and Keys.[165][166] Another song, "Not Even the King" was uploaded to VEVO as a promotional song. Co-written by Scottish singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé, its lyrics talk about a rich love that couldn't be afforded by "the king".[167][168][169] Overall sales of the album were considerably lower than Keys's previous ones.

In September 2012, Keys collaborated with Reebok for her own sneakers collection.[170] In October 2012, Keys announced her partnership with Bento Box Entertainment's Bento Box Interactive to create an education mobile application titled "The Journals of Mama Mae and LeeLee" for iOS devices about the relationship between a young New York City girl and her wise grandmother. The app featured two of Keys's original songs, "Follow the Moon" and "Unlock Yourself".[171][172]

Keys at NRJ Music Awards 2013

In January 2013, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins and Keys officially unveiled the BlackBerry 10 mobile platform in New York City. Heins announced that Keys would be the company's new Global Creative Director.[173] In January 2014, BlackBerry said it will part ways with Keys at the end of that month.[174]

In June 2013, Keys's VH1 Storytellers special was released on CD and DVD.[175] In December 2013, Keys was featured on "I Will Pray (Pregherò)" released as a single from Italian singer Giorgia's studio album Senza paura.[176] In 2014, Keys collaborated with Kendrick Lamar on the song "It's On Again" for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 soundtrack.[177] In July 2014, it was reported that Keys had changed management from Red Light Management's Will Botwin to Ron Laffitte and Guy Oseary at Maverick.[178]

On September 8, 2014, Keys uploaded the music video to a new song called "We Are Here" to her Facebook page, accompanied by a lengthy status update describing her motivation and inspiration to write the song.[179][180] It was released digitally the following week. Keys was also working with Pharrell Williams on her sixth studio album, first set for a 2015 release.[181][182] In an interview with Vibe, Keys described the sound of the album as "aggressive".[183] One of the songs on the album is called "Killing Your Mother".[184][185] In the same interview Keys revealed one of the songs on the album was titled "Killing Your Mother" with WWD, Keys discussed her first beauty campaign with Givenchy as the face of the new fragrance Dahlia Divin.[184] In November 2014, Keys announced that she is releasing a series of children's books.[186] The first book released is entitled Blue Moon: From the Journals of MaMa Mae and LeeLee.[187] Keys gave birth to her second child, son Genesis Ali Dean, on December 27, 2014.[188] In 2015 Keys performed at the BET Awards 2015 with The Weeknd. Keys played the character Skye Summers in the second season of Empire. She first appeared in the episode "Sinned Against", which aired November 25, 2015.[189]

On March 25, 2016, Keys was announced as a new coach on Season 11 of The Voice.[190] During The Voice finale, she came in third place with team member We' McDonald. In May 2016, Keys released "In Common" and performed the song in the opening ceremony of 2016 UEFA Champions League Final in San Siro, Milan.[191] The song topped Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart on October 15.[192] On June 20, 2016, World Refugee Day, Keys released the short film Let Me In, which she executive produced in conjunction with her We Are Here organization. The film is a reimagining of the refugee crisis as taking place in the United States.[193][194][195] In October 2016, she released a single from upcoming album Here called "Blended Family (What You Do for Love)" featuring A$AP Rocky.[196] On November 1, 2016, Keys unveiled her short film, "The Gospel", to accompany the LP.[197] Keys's concert special Here in Times Square was aired on BET on November 3, and Here was released on November 4, peaking at number 2 of the Billboard 200, becoming her seventh top 10 album.[198] It peaked at number-one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming her seventh chart topper.[199]

In January 2017, she released the track "That's What's Up" that re-imagines the spoken word segment on the Kanye West song "Low Lights".[200] Keys returned for Season 12 of The Voice and won the competition with her artist Chris Blue, on May 23, 2017. In May 2017, in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Keys announced that she was working on her seventh studio album, therefore she did not return for the thirteenth series of The Voice.[201] In August 2017, she attended WE Day, an event of Canadian WE Charity organization.[202] On September 17, 2017, Keys performed at Rock in Rio, in a powerful and acclaimed performance.[203][204] On October 18, 2017, NBC announced that Keys would be returning to the series for the show's fourteenth season of The Voice alongside Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Kelly Clarkson. She placed in second place with her team member, Britton Buchanan with whom Keys released a cover version of Avicii's "Wake Me Up" as a single.[205] In December 2017, Keys appeared on Eminem's album Revival on the song "Like Home".[206] Keys also featured on the song "Morning Light" from Justin Timberlake's fifth studio album Man of the Woods (2018)[207] and on "Us", the third single from James Bay's second studio album Electric Light.[208]

On December 6, 2018, Keys spoke at the 13th Annual Billboard Women in Music event spotlighting her new non-profit named "She Is the Music".[209] As part of her address, Keys spoke briefly of the organization's efforts in creating an inclusive database of women in music and a partnership with Billboard to mentor young women interested in the music industry.[210] She created She is the Music upon learning that the number of women in popular music reached a six-year low in 2017, partnering with Jody Gerson, Sam Kirby and Ann Mincieli.[211][212]

On January 15, 2019, Alicia Keys was announced as the host of the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. When Keys hosted the event on February 10, 2019, it became the first time a woman hosted the show in 14 years.[213] Keys's performance playing two pianos at the same time was declared one of the best moments of the 61st Annual Grammy Awards by Entertainment Tonight as well as the Los Angeles Daily News who also noted her fashion.[214][215] Keys dedicated the performance to those who have inspired her, including Scott Joplin and Hazel Scott.

In May 2019, Keys attended the 2019 Met Gala themed "Camp: Notes on Fashion" in New York City wearing a light aqua green sequined dress with hood alongside her husband Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean who wore a dark green suit and black bow tie.[216][217] The next month, Keys performed at Pride Live's Stonewall Day Concert on June 28, 2019, wearing a white jumpsuit with the name of her upcoming song "Show Me Love" in multi-colored beads on the back of the jumpsuit.[218] Included in the songs she performed was her own song "Girl on Fire", the performance was part of a concert in honor of those who fought for gay (LGBT) community rights in the Stonewall Riots.[218] Keys was announced as the buyer of the "Razor House" in the La Jolla community of San Diego, California in early September 2019.[219] In an interview with Billboard on December 5, 2019, Keys's recent move with her husband to the West Coast was briefly discussed.[220]

In September 2019, Keys released a new single, "Show Me Love" with Miguel. The accompanying music video starred actors Michael B. Jordan and Zoe Saldana.[221] The song impacted urban radio on September 24, 2019, as the first single from Keys's upcoming seventh studio album. Keys performed the track for the first time during her appearance at the 2019 iHeart Radio Music Festival in Las Vegas. The song was a commercial success on US Urban music charts and became Keys's first song to reach the Billboard Hot 100 since "Girl on Fire" in 2012; peaking at number 90 on November 22, 2019.[222] This success extended her record as the artist with the most number one singles on the Adult R&B Songs chart; reigning for 5 consecutive weeks. The song was atop this chart at the #1 position the weeks of December 14, December 21, and December 28 in 2019 and the weeks of January 4 and 11 in 2020.[223] As of the week of January 11, 2020 "Show Me Love" had been on the Adult R&B Songs Chart (any position) for 16 weeks (the chart has 30 positions).[223] It also became Keys's 11th song to reach number one on the Adult R&B Songs chart.[224] It was followed by the release of the single "Time Machine" in November 2019. The music video for "Time Machine" was released the same month and noted for its retro roller rink setting and vibes.[225]

In December 2019 Keys was awarded the American Express Impact Award for her efforts to foster female artist growth and provide them with new opportunities through the non-profit she co-founded the year before and developed in 2019 named She Is the Music.[226] Keys received the award at the 14th Annual Women in Music Billboard event on December 12, 2019.[226]

On January 26, 2020, Alicia Keys hosted the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards for the second year in a row as announced on November 14, 2019.[227] In addition to hosting the event, Keys performed multiple times including a tribute with Boyz II Men to basketball star Kobe Bryant who died in a helicopter crash earlier that same day.[228] Keys also performed her new song "Underdog" with Brittany Howard backing the performance on acoustic guitar.[228]

Keys's seventh studio album Alicia was originally scheduled to be released on May 15, 2020,[229] but then got postponed to September 18, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[230][231]

Keys released her memoir More Myself: A Journey on March 31, 2020. In September 2020, Keys launched her lifestyle brand Keys Soulcare.[232] On October 29, 2020, Alicia released "A Beautiful Noise" with Brandi Carlile to encourage Americans to get out and vote.[233] Alicia and Brandi performed "A Beautiful Noise" on Every Vote Counts: A Celebration of Democracy on CBS.[234] "A Beautiful Noise" was also included on the digital reissue of Keys's seventh studio album Alicia that was released on December 18, 2020.[235]

In May 2021, Keys was freatured on DMX's album Exodus in the song Hold Me Down.[236] To commemorate the 20th anniversary of her debut album, Songs in A Minor, Keys performed a three-song medley of singles from the album at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.[237] In June 2021, a 20th anniversary edition of Songs in A Minor was released.[238]

On September 9, 2021, Keys released the single "Lala (Unlocked)" featuring US rapper and singer Swae Lee of the hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd. The song was performed at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards. The music video was released on September 23, 2021.[239]

The single preceded the release of Keys' eighth studio album and follow-up companion to 2020's Alicia, entitled Keys. First previewed via Alicia's 2021 Noted YouTube docu-series,[240] the album was released on December 10, 2021, as a double album featuring both fully produced and broken down versions of new material.[241] Keys was Alicia's final release under RCA Records. On April 7, 2022, Keys released "City of Gods (Part II)" through her own label AKW Records. It was written and produced by Keys and is a sequel to the single "City of Gods" by Fivio Foreign, Kanye West and Keys.[242] On July 14, 2022, Keys unveiled that "Come for Me" featuring Khalid and Lucky Daye would be released as the next single, ahead of a re-release of the album titled Keys II during the following month. The music video was released the same day.[243][244][245]

After her contract with RCA Records ended following the release of Keys, Alicia released her ninth studio album and first Christmas album, Santa Baby, on November 4, 2022, exclusively on Apple Music, her first release as an independent artist; it peaked at number 148 on the Billboard 200.[246][247]