If the music industry was a school, Alicia Keys would be a straight As student. The New York-based R&B/soul star has won 12 Grammy Awards and sold more than 30 millions records worldwide.
When she's not busy making great music, Keys is involved in 'extra-curricular activities' including starring in movies and writing poetry, and is also the founder of a charity that helps Aids victims in Africa. What's particularly amazing is that this well-established, well-rounded member of the 'school' is still in her 20s.
Ever since her breakthrough debut Songs in A Minor in 2001, the biracial singer-songwriter has been pushing boundaries, daring to experiment with new sounds. Her musical talents and vocal power, showcased in the career-making Fallin', earned her major recognition and five Grammys.
She continued her musical experiments, mixing classical, soul, jazz, R&B and hip-hop in her distinctive, yet equally satisfying follow-ups, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003) and As I Am (2007). Both records topped the charts, delivering massive hits like You Don't Know My Name, If I Ain't Got You and No One, which between them won Keys a further six Grammys.
Although musically diverse, Keys' songs almost always revolve around love, heartbreak and female empowerment. And things haven't changed in her latest release, The Element of Freedom.
This time, Keys adds pop and progressive melodies to her list of musical ingredients, but unlike her previous statement-filled albums, this time the musician simply wants listeners to 'feel a sense of freedom, feel out-of-the-box, feel inspired'.