Alicia Keys's Real Name: Alicia Augello Cook

Quick answer: Alicia Keys's documented original name is Alicia Augello Cook. Encyclopaedia Britannica lists that as her original name and dates her birth to January 25, 1981, in New York, New York. AllMusic independently gives the same form and the same date in New York (Britannica; AllMusic).

Real name and early life

She is known professionally as Alicia Keys; AllMusic also lists the nickname Lellow. AllMusic says Alicia Augello Cook was born in Hell's Kitchen in early 1981 and raised by her Italian-American mother. Both sources say she began piano lessons at seven, concentrating on classical music and jazz in Britannica's account. Britannica adds that her writing showed modern influences but was rooted in earlier soul artists, including Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. AllMusic says she began writing songs four years later, at 11; Britannica says she began composing at 14, a difference in the reported starting age. Both agree that she graduated as valedictorian of the Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan at 16. AllMusic says she received offers from both Columbia University and Columbia Records, tried to juggle them, and then focused on music, taking the stage name Alicia Keys. Britannica says that after attracting Clive Davis she signed to Arista Records in 1998 and was among the first artists on his new label, J Records, in 2000.

Career highlights

Her debut album, Songs in A Minor (2001), was a huge success, both sources record. AllMusic says it sold more than 50,000 copies on its first day and more than ten million worldwide, and that she collected five Grammys for the debut. Britannica highlights the hit "Fallin'" (2001), later singles including "No One" (2007), and "Empire State of Mind" (2009), a collaboration with Jay-Z. AllMusic traces a run of high-charting albums including The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), As I Am (2007), The Element of Freedom (2009), Girl on Fire (2012), and Here (2016), plus later records Alicia (2020), Keys (2021), the holiday album Santa Baby (2022), and a 2023 anniversary edition of The Diary of Alicia Keys. AllMusic also notes ten additional Grammy Awards after the debut. Britannica and AllMusic both note the Broadway musical Hell's Kitchen; AllMusic says it premiered in 2024 and was marked by the soundtrack song "Kaleidoscope."

Name notes for searchers

Alicia Augello Cook is the documented original name; the professional name is Alicia Keys. Searchers looking for the singer of "Fallin'" or Songs in A Minor are usually aiming at the same person.