Alicia Keys

Lore & Background

Alicia Keys' debut studio album *Songs in A Minor* was released on June 26, 2001, by J Records. It earned Keys five Grammy Awards at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards (2002), tying Keys with Lauryn Hill as the female artist with the most Grammy Awards won in a single ceremony. While on the *Songs in A Minor* Tour (2002), Keys began developing ideas for what would become *The Diary of Alicia Keys*. She conceived it as an intimate record and refrained from seeking collaborators out to contribute. Keys began writing songs as early as 2001, with 'If I Ain't Got You' being among the first—she felt inspired to write it on a flight after hearing the news of Aaliyah's death in a plane crash in August 2001. Recording sessions took place at Kampo Studio in New York City, KrucialKeys Studios, The Hit Factory, and Quad Recording Studios, among others. Keys equipped her recording locations with live instruments to capture the desired 1960s–1970s sound. The album's sole track not written by Keys is 'If I Was Your Woman'/'Walk on By', a vocal cover of Gladys Knight & the Pips' song against an instrumental sample from Isaac Hayes' 'Walk On By'.

Reader's Guide

Alicia Keys' second studio album *The Diary of Alicia Keys* was released on November 21, 2003, by J Records. Keys eschewed the neo soul style of *Songs in A Minor* in favor of 1960s–1970s-influenced traditional soul. It yielded four singles, three of which—'You Don't Know My Name', 'If I Ain't Got You', and 'Diary'—reached the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The album earned Keys a second Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. By the release of its successor *As I Am* (2007), *The Diary of Alicia Keys* had sold over eight million copies worldwide. In 2020, it was certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of five million in the US. In commemoration of its 20th anniversary, the album was reissued as *The Diary of Alicia Keys 20* in December 2023, and won a Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album.

Did You Know?

• Christina Aguilera asked Keys to write a song for her album *Stripped* (2002); Keys considered giving her 'If I Ain't Got You' but was persuaded not to by J Records' A&R Peter Edge.
• Recording of tracks like 'You Don't Know My Name' and 'If I Ain't Got You' was interrupted by the August 14–16, 2003 Northeast blackout.
• The final track recorded for the album, 'Harlem's Nocturne', was recorded at Plus XXX in Paris and finished at The Hit Factory in New York.