Keys was raised by a single mother in the Hell’s Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. Keys released her debut album with J Records, having had previous record deals first with Columbia and then Arista Records. Later that year, she released her first live album, Unplugged, which debuted at number one in the United States. She released her fourth album, The Element of Freedom, in December 2009, which became Keys’ first chart-topping album in the United Kingdom. Her parents separated when she was two and she was subsequently raised by her mother during her formative years in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan. The following year Robinson introduced Keys to her future A&R at Arista Records, Peter Edge, who later described his first impressions to HitQuarters: “I had never met a young R&B artist with that level of musicianship. So many people were just singing on top of loops and tracks, but she had the ability, not only to be part of hip-hop, but also to go way beyond that.” Edge helped Robinson create a showcase for Keys and also got involved in developing her demo material.
Alicia Keys parties with brother in NYC Alicia Keys and husband Swizz Beatz enjoyed a night out with her brother Cole on Saturday (24.03.12) to celebrate his 21st birthday. Alicia Keys parti… [link]