Born Alicia Augello Cook in Harlem, NY on Jan. 25, 1981 to her Irish-Italian mother, Terri Augello, and her Jamaican father, Craig Cook, Keys was raised in the New York City neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen.



Augello and Cook separated when Keys was still very young, leaving her to be raised primarily by her actress mother who provided support for her daughter's bourgeoning musical talent. Keys began playing the piano at the age of seven, focusing on the classical compositions of Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin and later expanding her repertoire to jazz greats Oscar Peterson and Fats Waller.

At the age of 14, Keys wrote her first orig

​

inal song, "Butterflyz" which later appeared on her debut album. Keys attended New York's Professional Performing Arts School as a choir major where she honed her vocal skills while playing piano showcases around New York at night. An exceptional student, Keys graduated early at the age of 16 and was honored as class valedictorian. She went on to attend Columbia University briefly but decided instead to focus on a music career full-time.

​

Source: http://movies.yahoo.com/person/alicia-keys-1981/biography.html