ASCAP Golden Note Award

Alicia Keys is that rare kind of superstar, an icon of talent and grace who is never content to rest on her laurels. For her, prosperity is measured through passion, inspiration, self-fulfillment and life experiences.

Born and bred in New York's Hell's Kitchen, Keys listened to a wide range of music growing up and received early training in classical and jazz piano. However, it wasn't until Keys attended the Professional Performing Arts School that Keys was introduced to the art of songwriting, arranging and producing. Discovered by manager Jeff Robinson when she was 14, Keys performed throughout the tri-state area, anywhere and everywhere she could. She received a scholarship to Columbia University, and attended briefly before embarking on a music career.

That eclectic education and early life lessons inspired the fusion of soul, hip-hop, jazz and classical found on Keys' Grammy-winning first album, Songs In A Minor, released on J Records in 2001. Debuting at number 1 on the Billboard charts, Minor would eventually sell over 10 million units worldwide. Two years later, after relentless touring, Keys unveiled The Diary of Alicia Keys. The acclaimed anthology was certified seven-times platinum and garnered four Grammys. It was so well-received that in October 2005, she released the live record Alicia Keys Unplugged, featuring collaborations with Common, Mos Def, Damian Marley and Adam Levine of Maroon 5.

Keys' third studio album, As I Am, came as the culmination of her world travels and personal experiences. It raised the musical bar with stellar production by Keys, Linda Perry, Jack Splash, Mark Batson and Kerry "Krucial" Brothers, and became yet another milestone recording, with over 742,000 units sold during its first week of release in November 2007, the biggest debut for a female R&B artist in SoundScan history. Her hit single "No One" won 2008 Grammys for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, as well as 2009 ASCAP Pop and Rhythm & Soul Music awards. Enjoying one of the most successful periods of her career, Keys kicked off the As I Am Tour in February 2008, selling out shows in Europe, Asia and the U.S.

Throughout her career, Keys has earned numerous accolades. In addition to twelve Grammy Awards, she's earned eleven ASCAP Rhythm & Soul awards and nine ASCAP Pop awards, and was named ASCAP's Rhythm & Soul Songwriter of the Year in 2005. Keys nabbed eleven Billboard Music Awards, five American Music Awards, three World Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, three BET Awards, fourteen NAACP Image Awards, seven Soul Train Music Awards, two People's Choice Awards and more.

Complementing her musical achievements, Keys is the author of the best-selling Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems & Lyrics. She and Jeff Robinson are co-developing, co-writing and developing original series for television and film, with their production company, Big Pita, Lil' Pita (BPLP). Recently, BPLP entered into a multi-year production deal with Disney. In 2007, Keys made her silver screen debut as assassin Georgia Sykes in Smokin' Aces; later that year, she banked screen time with Scarlett Johansson in The Nanny Diaries. She hit the big screen once again in October 2008 in a film adaptation of The Secret Life of Bees.

Keys' desire for diversification translates to her philanthropic efforts. In 2002, she co-founded Keep A Child Alive, a non-profit dedicated to providing treatment to children and families living with HIV/AIDS in Africa and the developing world. As ambassador and musical director of the annual Black Ball, Keys has brought together musical luminaries such as Bono, Kanye West, Kathleen Battle, Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani and David Bowie among others to help raise awareness and vital funds to help the sufferers of the AIDS pandemic. And her charitable contributions are felt on her home soil, as a board member of the non-profit Frum Tha Ground Up, devoted to inspiring, motivating and encouraging America's youth. She's also involved with Teens in Motion, a grassroots organization that provides a safe environment for teens to excel via arts and self-esteem workshops.

Alicia Keys continues to invest her attention and energy to every commitment she makes. Whether it's producing another muti-platinum award-winning album or serving as a global activist, this soul maven remains a consummate musician, actress, entrepreneur and humanitarian.