How is The Net Worth of Alicia Keys an Insane $150m?

What is Alicia Keys’ Net Worth?

The Usual Intro

Alicia Keys, originally named “Alicia Augello Cook,” is a highly respected American singer, actress, composer, and pianist. She is also a notable entertainment investor. Keys played an instrumental role in the hit television reality series, The Voice.

She was trained in classical piano and started composing music at age 12. By age 15, she had her first recording contract with Columbia Records. Her career officially began in 1996 and is still going strong. Today, she is worth more than $150 million.

Before the Spotlight

Alicia Keys was born on January 25, 1981, in New York. She was raised by Nikki Augello, her single mother. 

Keys attended the prestigious PPAS (Professional Performance Arts School) in Manhattan, where she excelled to such a degree that she was able to graduate by age 16.

The Journey to Success

 In 1998, Keys signed with Arista Records, which was headed by Clive Davis. 

In 1999,  Keys left Arista to follow Davis to J. Records. That year, she composed, sang, and produced her first album. The album Songs in a Mirror was released in 2001. 

The highly acclaimed album won Grammys for Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song, and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. 

In 2003,  Keys released The Diary of Alicia Keys, her second album, which debuted at number 1 on the charts.  She was again awarded at the Grammys with honors for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Performance by a Group of Duo, an award she shared for the song, My Boo, which she sang with Usher. 

Keys’ third album, As I Am, was released in 2007 and, like the previous album, debuted at the top of the charts, resulting in over 740 thousand copies during the first week after its release. This album earned two additional Grammy’s for the artist. During this time, she began to collaborate with other musical artists. 

The following year, she recorded Another Way to Die with pop musician Jack White, a song that was chosen as the theme song for the James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. The following year, she and Jay Z recorded Empire State of Mind, which was another hit. 

By the conclusion of the following year, Keys had released her fourth album, which did not do as well as her earlier albums but still debuted at number 2. The album, The Element of Freedom, featured a single called Doesn’t Mean Anything, which made it to number 60 on the Billboard Hot 200 song list and became the artist’s first album to soar to the top of the charts in the UK.

Keys’ fifth studio album, Girl on Fire, was released in 2012, where Keys found herself back in the number one slot. The work resulted in another Grammy win for Best R&B Album two years later, followed by another successful album. The album featured two songs that reached the number 1 slot on the R&B Hip Hop chart and number 2 on the Billboard Hot 200. 

The Best Moments

• 1999 — Keys released her first album, Songs in a Mirror.
• 2002 — First Grammy awards
• 2003 — Second album release, The Diary of Alicia Keys
• 2004 — Grammys awarded for second album
• 2007 — Release of the third album, As I Am
• 2008 — Grammys awarded for third album
• 2008 — Musical collaboration with  Jack White
• 2009 — Musical collaboration with  Jay Z
• 2010 — Release of fourth album, The Element of Freedom
• 2012 — Release of fifth album, Girl on Fire
• 2016 — Release of sixth album, Here
• 2020 — Release of seventh album, Alicia
• 2021 — Release of eighth album, Keys

The Private Side

Last year, after 20 years with Sony Records, Alicia Keys recorded her last album, which fulfilled her contract, then left to perform as an independent artist. 

She married Kaseem Dean ( AKA Swizz Beatz), a top hip-hop producer, in 2010.  The couple has two sons.  Their La Jolla mansion was featured in Architectural Digest, where it was described as “a modernist masterpiece.” Ms. Keys now records from her home recording studio. 

Alicia Keys’ Related YouTube Video

73 Questions With Alicia Keys | Vogue

Famous Quotes of Alicia Keys

• “I’d rather not have anything than live my life as a liar.”
  
• “I love the written word so much. I know it’s going to flow naturally.”
  
• “Simplicity makes me happy.”

The Social World

Here are the social media following count and official handles of Alicia Keys:

• Facebook: 42 million followers
• Instagram: 24 million followers
• Twitter: 30 million followers
• Youtube: 5.9 million subscribers

Lessons for Entrepreneurs

• Visualize your dreams
  
• Dedicate every action to making them come true.
  
• Work hard
  
• Never give up

The Unusual Stuff

• Alicia Keys was awarded a full scholarship to Columbia University but left after four months to pursue her musical career.
  
• Keys and husband Keerem Dean (AKA Swizz Beats) purchased the $20 million mansion in La Jolla, California, that is the inspiration for Tony Stark’s Malibu home in the Iron Man films.
  
• The subterranean garage of the Keys-Beats home was actually used in the Iron Man series.
  
• One of Keys’ nicknames is “Lellow.”

Answering Frequent Questions

Who is Alicia Keys’ favorite composer?

Keys’ favorite composer is none other than Frederick Chopin, whose work she studied early in life. 

Has Alicia Keys ever used a different stage name?

At one time, Keys was considered using the stage name “Alicia May Wilds.”

What is Alicia Keys’ ethnicity?

Alicia’s dad is African-American, while her mother is of Scottish-Irish, English, and Italian descent. 

The Closing Remarks

Alicia Keys is one of the world’s most highly accomplished musical entertainers. Her musical catalog boasts copious Grammy Awards in numerous categories.  She is a formally-trained classical pianist and vocalist. Her career reaches far beyond the realm of music and onto the silver screen, with her acting debut at age four on The Cosby Show. 

Featured image credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com