songs in a minor

Ten years ago this classically-trained pianist and hip-hop diva was on top of the world with the assured and stylish old soul of her debut album. Alicia Keys signed with Columbia Records right out of high school; but had difficulty working with the producers who told her to "just get in the booth and sing". The label rejected the album and dropped her. Clive Davis bought the contract and signed her to Arista; and when that label fired him, he took Keys with him to his new label J Records. He gave her creative control, allowing her to write, produce, and arrange much of the album. She says, "It allowed me to become a better musician because I wasn't stifled." The working title was 'Soul Stories in A Minor' and thirty-two songs were recorded during the sessions which took place over four years at Backroom Studios in Glendale, California; Battery Studios, KrucialKeys Studios, The Hit Factory, Unique Studios (all in New York City); and Doppler Studios and Southside Studios in Atlanta, Georgia with producers Kerry "Krucial" Brothers, Jermaine Dupri, Brian McKnight, Kandi Burruss, Jimmy Cozier, Arden Altino, and Miri Ben-Ari. Keys calls the album a "fusion of my classical training, meshed with what I grew up listening to...things I've been exposed to and drawn from and my life experiences" An appearance on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' doubled advance orders for the album, which debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling more than a quarter of a million copies in its first week. It went on to sell over twelve million copies worldwide. 'Songs in A Minor' also won five Grammy Awards: Song of the Year, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Best R&B Song for "Fallin'", Best New Artist, and Best R&B Album.

'Fallin'' contains a sample of James Brown's 'It's a Man's Man's Man's World'. The single peaked at number one in Belgium, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. It won three Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year, Best R&B Song, and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and was also nominated for Record of the Year. Alicia says, "I wanted to write a song for someone who was 10 or 12 years old -- like a young Michael Jackson. Even though he was young, he was singing some deep stuff back then. It is about the ins and outs of a relationship. Sometimes, you're completely head-over-heels in love with someone, and sometimes you can't stand that person. You fall in and out, sometimes it goes back and forth, and that's just what relationships are about."

'A Woman's Worth' co-written with Erika Rose. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The video is a continuation of the storyline from the 'Fallin'' video.

"'Cause a real man knows a real woman

When he sees her (when he sees her)

And a real woman knows a real man

Ain't 'fraid to please her (please me)

And a real woman knows a real man

Always comes first (first, baby)

And a real man just can't deny

A woman's worth"

'How Come You Don't Call Me', a cover of Prince's 'How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?' peaked at number fifty nine on the Billboard Hot 100. The idea to do the song came from her manager, Jeff Robinson and J Records executive Peter Edge. "I had never heard it before," she admits. "They gave me a copy of the song on tape. I played it every day for three weeks. It is so raw and so truthful -- I was just feeling it. It really came out well."

'Girlfriend' was produced by Jermaine Dupri, who wrote the song with Keys and Joshua Thompson. It peaked at number eighty two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

She wrote 'Troubles' with Kerry Brothers, Jr. She says, "That's when the album started comin' together. Finally, I knew how to structure my feelings into something that made sense, something that can translate to people. That was a changing point. My confidence was up, way up."