Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter. A classically-trained pianist, Keys was composing songs by age 12. She was signed at 15 years old by Columbia Records, and then, after disputes with the label, by Arista Records. Her debut album, Songs in A Minor, was released with J Records in 2001. Praised for Keys' musical talents and creative control, Songs in A Minor was critically and commercially successful, producing her first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Fallin'" and selling over 12 million copies worldwide. Songs in A Minor earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002. Her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), was also a critical and commercial success, spawning successful singles "You Don't Know My Name", "If I Ain't Got You" and "Diary", and selling eight million copies worldwide. The album garnered her an additional four Grammy Awards. Her duet song "My Boo" with Usher became her second number-one single in 2004. Keys released her first live album, Unplugged (2005), and became the first female to have an MTV Unplugged album debut at number one. Her third album, As I Am (2007), produced the Hot 100 number-one single "No One", selling 5 million copies worldwide and earning an additional three Grammy Awards. In 2007, Keys made her film debut in the action-thriller film Smokin' Aces. Her fourth album,The Element of Freedom (2009), became her first chart-topping album in the UK, and sold 4 million copies worldwide. In 2009, Keys also collaborated with Jay Z on "Empire State of Mind", which became her fourth number-one single, and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2010. Girl on Fire (2012) was her fifth Billboard 200 topping album, spawning the successful title track, and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. In 2013, VH1 Storytellers was released as her second live album. Her sixth studio album, Here (2016), became her seventh US R&B/Hip-Hop chart topping album. Keys has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including 15 competitive Grammy Awards, 17 NAACP Image Awards, 12 ASCAP Awards, and awards from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and National Music Publishers Association. She has sold over 35 million albums and 30 million singles worldwide. Considered a musical icon, Keys was named by Billboard the top R&B artist of the 2000s decade and placed number 10 on their list of Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years. VH1 also included her on their 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and 100 Greatest Women in Music lists, while Time have named her in their 100 list of most influential people in 2005 and 2017. Keys is also known for her humanitarian work, philanthropy and activism, and has received accolades for such work. Keys co-founded and is the Global Ambassador of the nonprofit HIV/AIDS-fighting organization Keep a Child Alive.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- January 25, 1981 (45)
- Hell's Kitchen, New York City, New York, USA
- Actor, producer and composer, also director
- 28 on MovieCove · 43 credits in all
What are Alicia Keys' films like?
Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 19
Light 11 · Serious 7 · Dark 2
Grounded 18 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1
A split, not a type: Gentle 12 · Charged 6 · Intense 2
Steady 14 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 1
Slow burn 15 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 1
Casual 13 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 11 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 6
Resolved 19 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
- Allyas Lynette in The Nanny Diaries (2007)
- Mentoras Alicia Keys in Uncharted (2023)
Moods and endings
- Happy10
- Bittersweet8
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Alicia Keys' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 19 of their 28 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Alicia Keys' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
43 credits, 28 with a MovieCove page; 120 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
The Color Purple(2023)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
The Diary of Alicia Keys - Live from New York (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Alicia Keys at the BBC (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Uncharted(2023)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Apple Music Live: Alicia Keys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Resort to Love(2021)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
How It Feels to Be Free (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Work It(2020)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Hustle(2019)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)
Hidden Figures(2016)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Queen of Katwe(2016)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all filmsLet Me In (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
The Gospel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Jem and the Holograms(2015)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
Empire(2015)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows
The Amazing Spider-Man 2(2014)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
12-12-12 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
12 Years a Slave(2013)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Girl Rising(2013)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Firelight(2012)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Five(2011)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
ITV Exposure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Sex and the City 2(2010)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Quantum of Solace(2008)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
The Secret Life of Bees(2008)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
The Nanny Diaries(2007)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Smokin' Aces(2006)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
The Backyardigans(2004)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows
American Dreams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
The Making of What's Going On: All-Star Tribute (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
The Proud Family(2001)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows
Dr. Dolittle 2(2001)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
Charmed(1998)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows
Men in Black(1997)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Later... with Jools Holland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
American Masters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
The Cosby Show(1984)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows
Untitled Alvin Ailey Project (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 86th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 41 titles, 40 of them dated from 1984 to 2025; peak year 2007.
Biggest box office
Smokin' Aces (2006)
Highest rated
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013)
Most popular right now
The Nanny Diaries (2007)
Film career
Peak 2007 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 2006Screen debut· Smokin' Aces
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
17 major awards from 35 major nominations, 2002–2025.
- Grammy Award, won · Best Musical Theater Album
- Grammy Award, won · Best Immersive Audio Album
- Grammy Award, nominated · Song of the Year
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
- Grammy Award, nominated · Album of the Year
- Grammy Award, won · Best R&B Album
- Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television/Mini-Series
- Grammy Award, won · Best Rap Song
- Grammy Award, won · Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
- Grammy Award, nominated · Record of the Year
Show 5 earlier yearsShow fewer
- Grammy Award, won · Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Short Form Music Video
- Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Song
- Grammy Award, won · Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
- Grammy Award, won · Best R&B Song
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best R&B Album
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best R&B Song
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
- Grammy Award, won · Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
- Grammy Award, won · Best R&B Album
- Grammy Award, won · Best R&B Song
- Grammy Award, won · Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group
- Grammy Award, nominated · Album of the Year
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best R&B Song
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group
- Grammy Award, nominated · Song of the Year
- Grammy Award, won · Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
- Grammy Award, won · Best New Artist
- Grammy Award, won · Best R&B Album
- Grammy Award, won · Best R&B Song
- Grammy Award, won · Song of the Year
- Grammy Award, nominated · Record of the Year
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Alicia Keys' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 66th percentile, the median of all 22; across their 20 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 74th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up10
- 50th to 74th10
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th4
Shape of the crowd
12 of their 28 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved3
- Divisive3
- Crowd Pleaser12
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed7
Reviewers score the acting 70/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Alicia Keys' work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Alicia Keys work with?
People who share at least 2 of Alicia Keys' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jennifer Hudson shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Leon KnolesShared titles: Aretha! A Grammy Celebration for the Queen of Soul (2019), A Musicares Tribute to Paul McCartney (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Leon Knoles
Actors
- Jennifer HudsonShared titles: Aretha! A Grammy Celebration for the Queen of Soul (2019), The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013), The Secret Life of Bees (2008)See all 3 shared titles with Jennifer Hudson
- Dave GrohlShared titles: Fox Presents the iHeart Living Room Concert for America (2020), A Musicares Tribute to Paul McCartney (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Dave Grohl
- Paul McCartneyShared titles: 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief (2012), A Musicares Tribute to Paul McCartney (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Paul McCartney
Composers
- Lorne BalfeShared titles: Girl Rising (2013), Five (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Lorne Balfe
- Mark IshamShared titles: The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013), The Secret Life of Bees (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Mark Isham
Producers
- Susan LewisShared titles: Hustle (2019), The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013), Firelight (2012)See all 3 shared titles with Susan Lewis
- John SykesShared titles: Fox Presents the iHeart Living Room Concert for America (2020), 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief (2012)See all 2 shared titles with John Sykes
- Doug DavisShared titles: Aretha! A Grammy Celebration for the Queen of Soul (2019), Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Doug Davis
- Harvey WeinsteinShared titles: 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief (2012), The Nanny Diaries (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Harvey Weinstein
Mixed roles
- Clive DavisShared titles: Aretha! A Grammy Celebration for the Queen of Soul (2019), Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Clive Davis
