Who is Audrey Faith Perry ?The world knows her as Faith Hill, Hill is an Americancountry singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill's voice (described as both soulful and raspy)[1] and careful song selection[2] have helped her to sell more than 35 million records and accumulate 8 number-one singles and 3 number-one albums on the Country charts.
Hill was born on September 21, 1967 in Ridgeland, Mississippi, near Jackson, Mississippi. She was adopted as an infant and raised by a couple in the nearby town of Star. Her adoptive parents reared their two biological sons along with Hill in a devout Christian environment.[2]
Hill's vocal talent was apparent early, and she had her first public performance, a 4-H luncheon, when she was seven.[4] In 1976, a few days before her 9th birthday, she attended a concert by Elvis Presley
at the State Fair Coliseum, in Jackson, which impressed her deeply. By the time she was a teenager, Hill was a regular performer at area churches, even those not in her own Baptist denomination.[5] At 17, Hill formed a band that played in local rodeos. She briefly attended college at Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi, but at 19 quit school to move to Nashville and pursue her dream of being a country singer. In her early days in Nashville, Hill auditioned to be a backup singer for Reba McEntire,
but failed to secure the job.[2] After a stint selling T-shirts, Hill became a secretary at a music publishing firm.[4]
Apart from her quest for entry into the music industry, Hill also began working toward a more robust family life. In 1988 she married songwriter and music executive Dan Hill, who provided the surname she would use as she became famous. Her first husband was not prominent Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Hill despite the similar name.[6] Two years later, she began a search for her natural mother, whom she eventually met and with whom she corresponded until her mother's death.[7]
A co-worker heard Hill singing to herself one day, and soon the head of her music publishing company was encouraging her to become a demo singer for the firm.[4] She supplemented this work by singing backup vocals for songwriter Gary Burr, who often performed his new songs at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe. During one of those performances, an executive from Warner Bros. Records was in the audience, and, impressed with Hill's voice, began the process of signing her to a recording contract.[2]
Shortly after the release of her album, Hill found her marriage falling apart. She and Dan Hill divorced in 1994.[7]
Hill's debut album was Take Me as I Am (1993); sales were strong, buoyed by the chart success of "Wild One." Hill became the first female country singer in 30 years to hold Billboard's number one position for four consecutive weeks when "Wild One" managed the feat in 1994.[8] Her version of "Piece of My Heart", also went to the top of the country charts in 1994[4] although rock fans drew unflattering comparisons to Janis Joplin's
cover. The album sold a total of 3 million copies.[4]
The recording of Faith's second album was delayed by surgery to repair a ruptured blood vessel on her vocal cords. It Matters to Me finally appeared in 1995 and was another success, with the title track becoming her fourth number-one country single. Several other top 10 singles followed, and more than 3 million copies of the album were sold.[4] The fifth single from the album, "I Can't Do That Anymore,"
In Spring 1996, Hill began the Spontaneous Combustion Tour with country singer Tim McGraw. At that time, Hill had recently become engaged to her former producer, Scott Hendricks, and McGraw had recently broken an engagement. McGraw and Hill were quickly attracted to each other and Hill broke her engagement so that she and McGraw could begin dating. The pair became engaged on the tour and married on October 6, 1996.[7] They have three daughters together: Gracie Katherine (b. 1997), Maggie Elizabeth (b. 1998) and Audrey Caroline (b. 2001). Since their marriage, Hill and McGraw have striven to never be apart for more than three consecutive days.[2]
After the release of It Matters to Me,
Hill took a three-year break from recording to give herself a rest from four years of touring and to begin a family with McGraw. During her break, she joined forces with her husband for their first duet, "It's Your Love".[1]
The song stayed at number one for six weeks,[4] and won awards from both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. Hill has remarked that sometimes when they perform the song together, "it [doesn't] feel like anybody else was really watching."[1]
She reentered the music business in 1998 with Faith.[1] The album showcased her progression toward a more mainstream, pop-oriented sound, although it retained some country sound. "This Kiss"
became a number one country hit, and was the first of her singles to place on the pop charts, peaking at number seven. More than six million copies of the album were sold. The album also delivered several other hits including another duet with McGraw, "Just To Hear You Say That You Love Me",
To follow up this newfound success, Hill immediately released Breathe, which debuted at the top of the Billboard Country and all genre charts, ahead of albums by Mariah Careyand Savage Garden.[9]
Although the album had few overt country sounds, it "complement[ed] her vocal strengths."[10] For the first time, the album consisted solely of songs about love and did not venture into the more somber territory that her previous albums had touched.[10] The title track, "Breathe", reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[9] "The Way You Love Me" hit the top 10 as well, topping out at number six on the charts, and became one of the longest-running singles in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 (57 weeks). The album won Hill three Grammy Awards including Best Country Album, Best Country Collaboration With Vocals for "Let's Make Love"
featuring Tim McGraw and Best Country Female Vocal Performance for "Breathe."[11] It also marked a step away from her girl-next-door image, as the videos and promotional pictures all portrayed a much sexier image. Breathe has sold almost 10 million copies worldwide.[12]
2000 was an especially busy year for Hill. Besides a successful tour with her husband, Hill was featured in a CBS television special, VH1's Behind the Music, VH1 Divas 2000, and the Lifetime cable channel's Intimate Portraits series.[9] She signed an endorsement deal with CoverGirl makeup,[4] performed at the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards, appeared on the cover of numerous magazines, and performed the national anthem at the Super Bowl.[9] Hill was also named to Mr. Blackwell's 10-best dressed women of 2000, the only singer listed among actresses and other celebrities. Hill and McGraw also embarked on their first Soul2Soul tour, the "Soul2Soul Tour 2000."[13]
Musically, in 2000 Hill recorded a song for the movie Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The song also appeared on the pop and country charts. Hill's success on the pop charts disturbed some country music insiders, who questioned whether she was trying to dismiss her country roots and move into the pop genre. Despite the grumbling, Hill won the CMA Female Vocalist of The Year Award, and in her acceptance speech announced, "I love this business and I love this industry... and my heart is here."[9]
also appeared on the album There You'll Be: The Best Of Faith Hill, an international greatest hits album. The album featured some dance mixes of "Piece Of My Heart,"
"Let Me Let Go," "The Way You Love Me,"
and "Breathe."
In 2002, Hill released her new album with a more pop-oriented sound, Cry. The album "spotlight[ed] her impressive set of pipes," but also marked the completion of her "transformation into a pop diva," containing few nods to her country roots. Though the album debuted at number one on Billboard magazine's pop and country album charts,[4] and Hill made her debut as musical guest on Saturday Night Live, the album's singles (including the title track "Cry",
written and originally performed by Angie Aparo) received much less radio airplay than her previous smashes.[14] The album however, did win a Grammy Award and 3.7 million copies have been sold worldwide.[11]
Faith Hill's 2002 single "Baby You Belong"
off her Cry album was used as the theme song for the movie Lilo & Stitch. The music video featured clips from the movie as well as performance clips.
In 2005, Faith Hill returned with her new country album, Fireflies. The CD debuted on top of the Billboard Country and all genre album charts, placing her among only a handful of artists to have three consecutive albums debut at number one on both charts.[15] The debut single, "Mississippi Girl",
became Hill's highest-debuting single. The song was written specifically for her by John Rich (of Big and Rich) and Adam Shoenfield
of MuzikMafia,
and tells the abbreviated story of her life. Hill recorded two other songs by Rich, "Sunshine and Summertime"
and "Like We Never Loved at All",
both of which became successful singles.[16] The title track, "Stealing Kisses"
and "If You Ask" were written by artist Lori McKennaand also appear on McKenna's albums. The album marked a return to Hill's country roots and succeeded in reestablishing her place on country radio.[17]
In 2006, after a six-year break from touring following the birth of her youngest daughter,[2] Hill and husband Tim McGraw embarked on their Soul2Soul II Tour 2006. The tour became the highest grossing country music tour ever with a gross of $90 million.[18][3] It was named "Major Tour of the Year" by the prestigious Pollstar, beating out such heavyweights as Madonna and the Rolling Stones.
In 2007, Hill started work on her first domestic greatest hits package, titled The Hits, which was released on October 2. It contains two new tracks; "Lost"
as well as twelve addtional tracks. The album also features hits covering her entire career from 1993–2005. Included with The Hits is a DVD of 11 of Hill's music videos.[19]
She's also featured on husband Tim McGraw's 2007 album Let It Go.
She sings two duets with him, "I Need You"
and "Shotgun Rider."
Both songs were sung at the couple's critically acclaimed Soul2Soul II Tour 2006. She and Tim also did an encore of their Soul2Soul II Tour; Soul2Soul 2007 began in June and ran through August. The song I Need You has been nominated twice at the 2008 Grammy Awards for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals and Best Country Song. The show took place at the Staples Centerin Los Angeles, CA on February 10, 2008 but the song didn't win.
In 2007 Faith Hill took over as the signature voice of NFL on NBC's Sunday Night Football, singing the theme song about which the show's producer said:[20]
It's not often that you get the opportunity to have a mega-star like Faith Hill perform the signature open to your show.
—NBC Sunday Night Football producer Fred Gaudelli,MSNBC
In September 2008, Hill issued her first Christmas album, titled Joy to the World. The compilation was given a positive reviews, including about.com, which gave the album four in a half out of five stars, calling the album, "a great collection of classic Christmas songs." Hill continually worked on the album two years prior to its official release. The album included one new track, "A Baby Changes Everything,"
Faith Hill is releasing her first fragrance by Coty in October 2009, possibly with a new album to follow. [23]
In 1996 Hill guest starred in the American television series Touched by an Angel[24] and although she was rumored to have won a part in Mel Gibson's We Were Soldiers, she did not actually appear in the movie.[25] Her movie debut came in the summer of 2004, when Hill co-starred with Nicole Kidman,Matthew Broderick
and Glenn Close
in director Frank Oz's
remake of the 1975 thriller The Stepford Wives.[26] However, the movie was savaged by critics[27][28][29] and flopped at the box office,[30] and Hill has not made another acting appearance since.
Hill used her 1999 tour to support a national children's book drive. Fans who donated books at one of her concerts were entered into a drawing to meet her personally after the show.[31] The effort resulted in the donation of 35,000 children's books, which were distributed to hospitals, schools, libraries, and daycare centers in 40 cities across the United States.[32]
In the days immediately following Hurricane Katrina, Hill and her husband, who was raised in Louisiana, joined groups taking supplies to Gulfport, Mississippi. The two also hosted several charity concerts to benefit those who were displaced by the storm.[33] Later in the year the couple established the Neighbor's Keeper Foundation, which provides funding for community charities to assist with basic humanitarian services in the event of a natural disaster or for desperate personal circumstances. In a special gesture, the couple also donated profits from their performance in New Orleans to Hurricane Katrina relief.[34]
Who is Jonathan Mortimer Smith?[1][2] The world knows him by his stage nameLil Jon, Jon is an American producer, promoter, and rapper. He is best known as a pioneer of the hip hopsub-genrecrunk. His work is recognizable by his distinctive hype shouts of "what?!","hey!", "yeah!", and "okay!".* Lil Jon started off his career with DJ'ing at a night club in Pheonix. Lil Jon became a huge rapper when a guy named, Jermaine Dupri thought he had a lot of talent and got him into the music business.
Lil Jon came out with his first album with the East Side Boyz, Get Crunk, in 1997. Although he became a huge rapper, staring on the show "Pimp My Ride", Lil Jon was thought to be a geeky nerd in high school.
Lil Jon was born January 27, 1971 and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and graduated from Douglass High School in 1989. He worked for So So Def between 1993 and 2000, which is where he got his stage name Lil Jon.[2]
Lil Jon is a big fan of the Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL[3] and writes a blog on NHL.com.[4] He has also stated on the blog that his son plays hockey. Atlanta Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen also has a picture of Lil Jon on the back of his helmet.[5] He also has his own energy drink, called CRUNK!!![6], and has his own line of Oakley Sunglasses.[7]
Lil Jon says that he "was inspired by the synthesizer sounds of rave/dance music he heard playing in Atlanta strip clubs".[8]
Before recording the album, Lil Jon severed his negotiation with record label TVT. Two years ago, Jon vowed never to record for TVT Records again, alleging that TVT owner Steve Gottlieb was shortchanging him.[9]
“
After a long battle and negotiations with TVT, we worked out our differences. TVT cut the check and now it's time for me to get back to work.[9]
”
Jon said in a statement: "Crunk Rock is going to be some next level shit".[9]
As part of TVT Records' 2008 bankruptcy auction, Lil Jon withdrew his multi-million dollar objection to the TVT sale proceedings and agreed to TVT’s transfer of his artist agreement to The Orchard. In return, The Orchard released Lil Jon from all future compulsions and returned the rights to the master recordings of his constantly delayed LP, Crunk Rock.[10]
Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz, Lil Scrappy - What U Gon' Do
Lil Jon - I Like Dem Girlz
Lil Jon VS Yung Joc - Snap Ur Fingers Cuz It's Goin Down
Paradiso Girls featuring Lil Jon and Eve - Patron Tequila
Bravehearts; Lil Jon;Nas - Quick To Back Down
<a href="http://www.joost.com/135c3w7/t/Bravehearts-Lil-Jon-Nas-Quick-To-Back-Down" mce_href="http://www.joost.com/135c3w7/t/Bravehearts-Lil-Jon-Nas-Quick-To-Back-Down">Quick to Back Down</a>
Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz, Mystikal, Krayzie Bone - I Don't Give A
Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz - Put Yo Hood Up
Pitbull Feat. Lil Jon - Toma (MTV Version)
Snap Yo Fingers - Lil Jon ft Sean Paul & E-40
Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz, Ice Cube - Roll Call
Usher ft Ludacris & Lil' Jon - Yeah !!!
Part 2
Sonny Emory, Lil John on drums, Grant Green Jr, Ike on bass - Part 2
Who is Alicia Augello Cook?
The world knows her by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American recording artist, musician and actress. She attended Professional Performing Arts School and graduated at 16. She later attended Columbia University before dropping out to pursue her music career. Keys released her debut album with J Records, having had previous record deals first with Columbia and then Arista Records.
Keys' debut album, Songs in A Minor, was a commercial success, selling over 12 million copies worldwide. She became the best-selling new artist and best-selling R&B artist of 2001. The album earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Fallin'". Her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, was released in 2003 and was also another success worldwide, selling eight million copies. The album garnered her an additional four Grammy Awards in 2005. Later that year, she released her first live album, Unplugged, which debuted at number one in the United States. She became the first female to have an MTV Unplugged album to debut at number one and the highest since Nirvana in 1994.
Keys made guest appearances in several television series in the following years. She made her film debut in Smokin' Aces and went on to appear in The Nanny Diaries in 2007. Her third studio album, As I Am, was released in the same year and sold nearly six million copies worldwide, earning Keys an additional three Grammy Awards. The following year, she appeared in The Secret Life of Bees, which earned her a nomination at the NAACP Image Awards. Throughout her career, Keys has won numerous awards and has sold over 30 million albums worldwide, establishing herself as one of the best-selling artists of her time.
Keys was born January 25, 1981 Alicia Augello Cook on January 25, 1981, in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan, in New York City, New York.[1][2] She is the daughter and only child of Irish-Italian mother Teresa Augello, a paralegal and part-time actress, and Jamaican father Craig Cook, a flight attendant.[3][4][5][6] She expressed that she was comfortable with her biracial heritage because she felt she was able to "relate to different cultures".[2][7] Her parents separated when she was two and she was subsequently raised by her mother during her formative years in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan.[8] In 1985, Keys made an appearance on The Cosby Show at the age of four,
If you watch the clip on you tube when he puts her on his knee he calls her the singer!
where she and a group of girls played the parts of Rudy Huxtable's sleepover guests in the episode "Slumber Party".[9][10] Throughout her childhood, Keys was sent to music and dance classes by her mother.[11] She began playing the piano when she was seven and learned classical music by composers such as Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin.[3] She enrolled in the Professional Performing Arts School at the age of 12, where she majored in choir and began writing songs at the age of 14.[4][12] She graduated in three years as valedictorian at the age of 16.[13] She was accepted to Columbia University and had a recording contract with Columbia Records; she attempted to manage both, but dropped out of college after four weeks to pursue her musical career.[13][14]
Keys signed a demo deal with Jermaine Dupri
and So So Def Recordings, where she appeared on the label's Christmas album performing "The Little Drummer Girl".
Alicia Keys: Little Drummer Girl - For more amazing video clips, click here
She also co-wrote and recorded a song entitled "Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)",
Alicia Keys - Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing) Fanmade - These bloopers are hilarious
which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1997 film, Men in Black.[14]
The song was Keys' first professional recording; however, it was never released as a single and her record contract with Columbia ended after a dispute with the label. Keys called Clive Davis,
who sensed a "special, unique" artist from her performance and signed her to Arista Records, which later disbanded.[1][2] Keys almost chose Wilde as her stage name until her manager suggested the name Keys after a dream he had. Keys felt that name represented her both as a performer and person.[15] Following Davis to his newly formed J Records label, she recorded the songs "Rock wit U" and "Rear View Mirror", which were featured on the soundtracks to the films Shaft
(2000) and Dr. Dolittle 2
(2001), respectively.[16][17]
Keys released her first studio album, Songs in A Minor, in June 2001. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 236,000 copies in its first week.[19] The album sold six million copies in the United States,[20] where it was certified six times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[21] It went on to sell over 12 million copies worldwide,[22] establishing Keys' popularity both inside and outside the United States, where she became the best-selling new artist and best-selling R&B artist of 2001.[23] The album's lead single, "Fallin'",
Alicia Keys- Fallin' (Live Wetten Dass) - Watch a funny movie here
spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.[24] The album's second single, "A Woman's Worth",
peaked at number three on the same chart.[25] 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 led Keys to win five awards at the 2002 Grammy 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; "Fallin'" was also nominated for Record of the Year. Keys became the second female solo artist to win five Grammy Awards in a single night, following Lauryn Hill at the 41st Grammy Awards.[26] That same year, she collaborated with Christina Aguilera for the latter's upcoming album Stripped on a song entitled "Impossible",
Christina Aguilera ft Alicia Keys Impossible
Impossible - Christina Aguilera Ft. Alicia Keys - Click here for the funniest movie of the week
which Keys wrote, co-produced, and provided with background vocals.[27] During the early 2000s, Keys also made small cameos in television series Charmed
and American Dreams.[3]
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.[28] It sold 4.4 million copies in the United States and was certified four times Platinum by the RIAA.[21][29] It sold eight million copies worldwide,[30] becoming the sixth biggest-selling album by a female artist and the second biggest-selling album by a female R&B artist.[31] The singles "You Don't Know My Name"
both reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and the third single, "Diary", entered the top ten.[32][33][34] The fourth single, "Karma",
Alicia Keys - Karma (Official Music Video) - Funny video clips are a click away
was less successful on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 20.[35] "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.[36]
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.[37][38]
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."[39] 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".[40] The book sold over $500,000 and Keys made The New York Times bestseller list in 2005.[41][42] The following year, she won a second consecutive award for Best R&B Video at the MTV Video Music Awards for the video "Karma".[43] 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.[44] 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.[45]
My Boo Live - Usher Feat Alicia Keys - For more amazing video clips, click here
Keys performed and taped her installment of the MTV Unplugged
series in July 2005 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.[46] During this session, Keys added new arrangements to her original songs and performed a few choice covers.[47] 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.[48] The album sold one million copies in the United States, where it was certified Platinum by the RIAA, and two million copies worldwide.[3][21][49] The debut of Keys' 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.[23] 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.[50] It remained at number one on the Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay for 11 weeks.[51]
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.[52] 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 assisted Keys in creating her albums as well as create music for other artists.[53]
In 2006, Keys won three NAACP Image Awards, including Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Song for "Unbreakable".[54]
Alicia Keys - Unbreakable (Official Music Video) - More free videos are here
She also received the Starlight Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.[55] 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".[56] That same year, Keys nearly suffered a 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."[57][58]
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; Reynolds said that Keys was "so natural" and that she would "blow everybody away".[59][60] 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.[61]
She also guest starred as herself in the "One Man Is an Island" episode of the drama series Cane.[62]
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.[63][64] 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.[65] The album has sold nearly four million copies in the United States and has been certified three times Platinum by the RIAA.[66][67] It has sold nearly six million copies worldwide.[68] Keys received five nominations for As I Am at the 2008 American Music Award and ultimately won two.[69] The album's lead single, "No One", peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, becoming Keys' third and fifth number-one single on each chart, respectively.[70]. 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.[71] The album's third single, "Teenage Love Affair",
earned Keys the awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song at the 2008 Grammy Awards.[73] 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.[74] Keys also won Best Female R&B Artist during the show.[75] 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.[76] She also signed a deal as spokesperson with Glacéau's VitaminWater
to endorse the product,[77] and was in an American Express commercial for the "Are you a Cardmember?" campaign.[78] Keys, along with The White Stripes'
guitarist and lead vocalist Jack White,
recorded a theme song to Quantum of Solace,
the first duet in Bond soundtrack history. Another Way To Die
[79] In 2008, Keys was ranked in at number 80 the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists.[80] She also starred in The Secret Life of Bees,
a film adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's
acclaimed 2003 bestseller novel of the same name alongside Jennifer Hudson
and Queen Latifah,
released in October 2008 via Fox Searchlight.[81] Her role earned her a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards.[82] She also received three nominations at the 2009 Grammy Awards and won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Superwoman".[83]
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".[12] Keys later wrote a statement clarifying the issues and saying her words were misinterpreted.[84] 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.[85]
Keys and manager Jeff Robinson
signed a film production deal to develop live-action and animated projects with Disney. Their first film will be a remake of the 1958 comedy Bell, Book and Candle
and will star Keys as a witch who casts a love spell to lure a rival's fiancé.[86] Keys and Robinson also formed a television production company called Big Pita.[87] Keys and Robinson will develop live-action and animated projects from their company, Big Pita and Little Pita, with Keys as producer, thespian, banner spearheading soundtrack and music supervision.[88]
Keys is expected to play a 1940s biracial piano child prodigy, Philippa Schuyler,
in an upcoming film entitled Compositions in Black and White. It is based on a 1995 biographical book of the same name by Kathryn Talalay.[89]
"The challenge, in order to actually be able to play classical piano as a woman of mixed race, was by far more than I could ever imagine", Keys said, "That's what intrigued me about that role." The biopic will tell the difficult tale of Schuyler's controversial career, love-hate relationship with her mother, and the black community, her second career as a writer, and her eventual death in a helicopter accident. "Her story is very deep, even up to the point where the relationship between her and her mother gets very strained and she chooses to go to Europe and pass as a Spanish woman in order to be able to play, in order to be able to live a more normal life", Keys said, adding that she and Halle Berry
hoped to start shooting in early 2008, but has not been filmed to date. "As of right now, we're still in the first, second draft of the script", she said, "So a little bit of time—at least a year."[90]
It has been reported that Keys will release her fourth studio album in late 2009. As part of the promotional drive for the album, she will be performing at the Cayman Island Jazz Festival on December 5, the final night of the three day festival which will be broadcast on BET.[91] In June 2009, 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".[92]
An accomplished pianist, Keys incorporates piano into a majority of her songs and often writes about love, heartbreak and female empowerment.[2][41] She was inspired by several musicians, including Prince,
Nina Simone,
Barbra Streisand,
Marvin Gaye
and Quincy Jones.
[93][94] Keys is a multi-instrumentalist who plays five different musical instruments.[95] Keys' style is rooted in gospel and vintage soul music, supplemented by bass and programmed drumbeats.[96] She heavily incorporates classical piano with R&B, soul and jazz into her music,[97][98] but began experimenting with genres, including pop and rock, in her third studio album, As I Am.[96][99][100] Patrick Huguenin
of the New York Daily News stated that her incorporation of classical piano riffs contributed to her breakout success.[36] Jet magazine states she "thrives" by touching her fans with "piano mastery, words and melodious voice".[101] The Independent described her style as consisting of "crawling blues coupled with a hip-hop backbeat", noting that her lyrics "rarely stray from matters of the heart".[102] Blender magazine referred to her as "the first new pop artist of the millennium who was capable of changing music."[103]
Keys has a vocal range of a contralto, which spans three octaves.[36][104] Critics have called her voice strong, raw and impassioned;[105][106] others feel that her voice is "emotionally manufactured" at times and that she pushes her voice out of its natural range.[105][106] Keys' songwriting is often criticized for lack of depth, which has lead to her writing abilities being called limited.[105] Her lyrics have been called generic, clichéd and that her songs revolve around generalities.[105][96] Greg Kot
of the Chicago Tribune feels that she "[pokes] around for multi-format hits rather than trying to project any sort of artistic vision".[106] Diversely, Jon Pareles
of Blender magazine stated that the musical composition of her songs makes up for their lyrical weakness,[99] while Gregory Stephen Tate
of The Village Voice compared Keys' writing and production to 1970s music.[107]
Joanna Hunkin
of The New Zealand Herald reviewed one of Keys' performances, where Kylie Minogue
also attended. She described Minogue's reaction to Keys' performance, saying "it was obvious she was just as much of a fan as the 10,000 other people at Vector Arena". She went on to say that Minogue was "the original pop princess bowing down to the modern-day queen of soul".[108] Hunkin characterized Keys' opening performance as a "headbanging, hip-gyrating performance" and her energy as "high-octane energy most bands save for their closing finale". At the end of her two-hour performance, fans "screamed, stomped and begged for a second encore".[108] Hillary Crosley
and Mariel Concepcion
of Billboard magazine noted that her shows are "extremely coordinated" with the audience's attention span "consistently maintained". The show ended with a standing ovation and Keys "proved that a dynamic performance mixed with superior musicianship always wins".[109] Throughout her career, Keys has won numerous awards and is listed on the Recording Industry Association of America's best-selling artists in the United States, with 14 million certified albums.[110] She has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and has established herself as one of the best-selling artists of her time.[9][111][112][107]
Keys is the co-founder and Global Ambassador of Keep a Child Alive, a non-profit organization that provides medicine to families with HIV and AIDS in Africa.[113] Keys and U2 lead singer Bono
recorded a cover version of Peter Gabriel
and Kate Bush's
"Don't Give Up", in recognition of World AIDS Day 2005. Keys and Bono's version of the song was retitled "Don't Give Up (Africa)" to reflect the nature of the charity it was benefiting.[114][115] She visited African countries such as Uganda, Kenya and South Africa to promote care for children affected by AIDS.[116][117][118] Her work in Africa was documented in the documentary Alicia in Africa: Journey to the Motherland and was available in April 2008.[119]
Keys has also donated to Frum tha Ground Up, a non-profit organization that aids children and teenagers with scholarships.[120][121] She performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the worldwide Live 8 concerts to raise awareness of the poverty in Africa and to pressure the G8 leaders to take action.[122] In 2005, Keys performed on ReAct Now: Music & Relief and Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast, two benefit programs that raised money for those affected by Hurricane Katrina.[123][124] In July 2007, Keys and Keith Urban
performed The Rolling Stones' 1969 song "Gimme Shelter"
at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey at the American leg of the Live Earth concerts.[125][126]
Keys performed Donny Hathaway's
1973 song "Someday We'll All Be Free" at the America: A Tribute to Heroes televised benefit concert following the September 11 attacks.[127] She participated in the Nobel Peace Prize Concert which took place at the Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway, on December 11, 2007, along with other various artists.[128] She recorded a theme song for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.
She joined Joss Stone
and Jay-Z
on the effort, which served as a theme song for Obama's campaign.[129] For her work, Keys was honored at the 2009 BET Awards with the Humanitarian Award.[130] more
