Happy Birthday, Alicia Keys!

Back in October, Alicia Keys celebrated a very important birthday — that of her son Egypt Daoud Dean, her first child with husband Swizz Beatz. But today she gets to celebrate her own birthday, as the Manhattan-born Keys is now 30 years old. Astonishingly, Keys has been a player in the music game for a decade now, as her debut album Songs in A Minor came out way back in 2001. She made an immediate impact with her unique sound, which took the tropes of bohemian R&B and blended in organic funk, coffeehouse folk and just a little bit of flashy vocal pizazz. Keys' early singles ("A Woman's Worth," the Prince cover "How Come You Don't Call Me" and especially the infectious smash "Fallin'") were all refreshing and thrilling, and her sound only evolved from there. Her 2003 album The Diary of Alicia Keys not only expanded the boundaries of her sound but also blew open the scope of her lyrics. Tracks like "If I Ain't Got You" and "Karma" not only attacked the Billboard charts but also sought to reinvent the genre in real time.

The hits kept coming, as 2007's As I Am yielded the huge singles "No One" and "Teenage Love Affair," and 2009's The Element of Freedom gave way to "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down" (a sequel to her chart-topping hit with Jay-Z) and "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" (a tag-team with Canadian hip-hop superstar Drake). But perhaps Keys' greatest song came early in the cycle for The Element of Freedom in "Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart," which is probably the best Prince song the Purple One never wrote.


Alicia Keys Working on Fifth Studio Album, Due This Year

Alicia Keys' most recent release was the song 'Speechless,' a Swizz Beatz-produced track where the R&B songstress waxed poetic about her newborn son. Now, her longtime producer Kerry "Krucial" Brothers confirms that Keys is at work on a new album, which will hit stores later this year.

At the ASCAP Grammy Brunch last weekend, Krucial told Rap-Up that he has been in the studio with the singer recording new material for her fifth solo album. "We do got a release coming this year, but I can't speak on it yet," he said, declining to give any specifics. "Last week we was in the studio working on stuff," he continued, explaining how the process was different this time around. "The writing is the same. The only thing changed is the schedule. We leave earlier now. No more to-the-crack-of-dawn stuff -- at least not for now."

Keys' 2009 album 'The Element of Freedom' debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, racking up 417,000 in sales during its first week in stores. In recent weeks, the 'Empire State of Mind' singer has been spotted out and about with husband Swizz Beatz, including courtside at a Knicks game in New York City.

Keys' online birthday tribute from fans

Alicia Keys was brought to tears as she celebrated turning 30 on Tuesday after a group of devotees created a website dedicated to her special day.
The R&B star was sent a link to happybirthdayalicia.tumblr.com to mark her milestone and the No One hitmaker admits she welled up when she saw the online tribute.

Taking to her Twitter.com page, the birthday girl writes, "OMG (Oh my god)! I'm over here crying from this beautiful & thoughtful site u guys did 4 me! U mean so much 2 me (sic)!"

The website features blog posts, video messages, song dedications, artwork and photos from fans around the world, all expressing their love for the new mum, and wishing her a very happy birthday.

Alicia Keys to Headline HP Ads During Grammys

It's been a big day for HP, who unveiled the TouchPad iPad competitor, and the Veer and Pre3 smartphones. All of these products run webOS.

Robert Scoble says the company has "fired Microsoft" and that it is making Android "look even more creaky (and RIM, Nokia, Microsoft not in the game)." Not bad for PR.

The company also announced a new marketing campaign with the theme of "Everybody On". It's a global campaign that "celebrates how people around the world are using HP technology to pursue their personal and professional passions."

"Technology plays a vital role in how people explore, develop and enable their passions," said Richard Gerstein, SVP, Strategy and Worldwide Marketing, Personal Systems Group at HP. "Five years ago the personal computer was the center of one’s connected life, while today people are at the center and their technology – across smartphones, tablets, PCs and cloud services – needs to provide seamless connectivity to what is important to them."

The campaign will span music, fashion, community activism, business, and more, according to the company, and it is supported by an integrated campaign featuring print, broadcast, online, and social media. The campaign itself was created by HP's own Personal Systems Group, and build on its "The Computer is Personal Again" campaign.

ALICIA KEYS and SWIZZ BEATZ must have gone to Specsavers before turning up to support the New York Knicks

They both sported some natty frames at the Madison Square Garden basketball game.

The couple were enjoying a rare night out without baby EGYPT, born in October last year, and the new mum dazzled in a studded blue leather jacket as their team beat Miami Heat 93-88.
The match, which was also watched by KANYE WEST, SPIKE LEE and DONALD TRUMP, was a birthday treat for Alicia, who turned 30 on Tuesday.

The Empire State Of Mind singer began dating the producer, real name KASSEEM DAOUD DEAN, in 2009 while he was going through a divorce from first wife MASHONDA.

They wed in July 2010 in Corsica surrounded by celebrity pals, who included QUEEN LATIFAH and BONO.

Alicia Keys & Swizz Beatz Cuddle Up Courtside

A few days after her 30th birthday, a bespectacled Alicia Keys hit the court with Swizz Beatz to catch the New York Knicks take on the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The stylish couple rocked fancy footwear while holding hands and sharing laughs.
Earlier in the week, the new mom celebrated at an Egyptian-themed party thrown by her husband. Belly dancers entertained the VIP crowd, which included Jay-Z and Beyoncé, who snacked on red velvet cupcakes and sipped Dom Pérignon until the early morn’.

Alicia Keys Joins HP’s ‘Everybody On’ Campaign

As part of the 53rd annual telecast of the Grammy Awards on Sunday, HP is launching its “Everybody On” campaign. Along with rock legend Lou Reed, R&B singer-songwriter Alicia Keys is getting in on the campaign, explaining how HP’s technology helps her transfer the organic sound from her piano at home with her on tour and beyond.
Keys’ collaboration with hip-hop impresario Jay-Z (who appeared in HP’s “Hands” campaign) “Empire State of Mind” is up for Record of the Year at the Grammys, and the song plays throughout the two-minute spot. The HP TouchPad will also have its own role in the Grammy telecast displaying what’s coming next in the show as part of CBS/Grammy bumpers that will air live during the awards.

So, if you need some sort of reason to watch the Grammys other than the music (don’t worry, Carlos Santana isn’t nominated for anything major this year), you can always watch for the HP product placement. Or, maybe you can cheer on Chrysler/Brisk as their spokesperson, Eminem, takes home Album of the Year honors for Recovery. Isn’t watching the music industry celebrate itself fun?

Alicia Keys Reminisces in HP Promo

Alicia Keys looks back on the beginning of her career in a promo for “The Beat Is On with HP” campaign. In the clip, the glowing songstress recalls recording her debut Songs in A Minor in her Harlem bedroom, turning her closet into a booth, and driving her fellow tenants nuts.
“You could imagine how we tortured the neighbors. They would bang on the ceiling with a broom come three or four in the morning and I’m sitting here singing passionately at the top of my voice,” she said. “I really feel like a lot of that is the reason why that album has the particular feeling that it does, because we didn’t have anything. Sometimes, when you don’t have much, you make the best out of what you have and it makes a vibe and an energy.”

Alicia Keys' Birthday Bash

Amidst 19 inches of snow, Alicia Keys celebrated her 30th birthday at Casa La Femme in New York . Her husband, Swizz Beatz, threw her an Egyptian-themed bash that included guests such as Gayle King, Jay-Z and Beyonce. The party, which consisted of belly dancers, sunflowers, orange trees, red velvet cupcakes and Don Perignon, ended with restaurant staff helping the singer dig her car out from under the snow.

Alicia Keys & Swizz Beatz: “Spider Man” Family Fun

Enjoying a family outing, Alicia Keys and her husband Swizz Beatz hit up a performance of “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” in New York City last night (February 6).

The showbiz couple treated two of their kids to the Broadway production and attracted plenty of paparazzi attention in the process.

In related news, Alicia gave props to the Egyptians fighting for change by posting a note on her webpage.

She wrote, "I have visited Egypt and, as I travelled through along the streets of Cairo, the back streets of Alexandria and the villages along the Nile, it was easy to see that a small, quiet vibration was growing, building, reaching to a pitch that is now heard by the ears of the world.”"In every case this deeply rooted will to express what cannot be denied, rises up and forces all of us to recognize and respect this voice that produced the sound of freedom playing long and strong throughout Egypt.”

"Now when I look at my son, I realize more than ever that his name represents more than the will to be free – it stands for the fight for change, and the courage to shout! We can hear the voice... and it is ours."

Enjoy the pictures of Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz taking their kids to attend 'Spiderman: Turn off the Dark' in NYC (February 6).