Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, pianist, cellist and actress. Born in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York, she attended Professional Performing Arts School and graduated at sixteen. 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.

She is the daughter and only child of Teresa "Terri" Augello, a paralegal and part-time actress, and Craig Cook, a flight attendant. Keys' mother is of Irish-Italian descent, and her father is Jamaican. Her parents separated when she was two and she was subsequently raised by her mother during her formative years in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan.

Keys began playing classical music on the piano at the age of seven. She majored in choir at the age of 12 and began writing songs at the age of 14. Being an accomplished pianist, she incorporates piano on majority of her songs and often writes about love and heartbreak. She was inspired by several musicians, including Prince, Nina Simone, Barbra Streisand, Marvin Gaye and Quincy Jones. Keys' style is rooted in gospel and vintage soul music, improved by bass and programmed drumbeats. She heavily incorporates classical piano and soul into her music, but began experimenting with genres, including pop and rock, in her third studio album, As I Am. Patrick Huguenin of the New York Daily News stated that her incorporation of classical piano riffs contributed to her breakout success. Jet magazine states she "thrives" by touching her fans with "piano mastery, words and melodious voice". 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".