Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys would have ended up a Columbia University scholar after finishing high school at the Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan. She turned the opportunity down and decided instead on establishing herself as a multi-faceted singer. The gambit proved to be successful as her first professional song, "Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)", was included in the soundtrack of the blockbuster movie, "Men In Black" released in 1997. Three years later, her song "Rock wit U" was featured in the soundtrack of the film, "Shaft", followed by "Rear View Mirror", a song that made it to the "Dr. Dolittle 2" music collection. What quickly followed were two critically-acclaimed albums for Alicia, namely, "Songs in a Minor" which was released in 2001, and "The Diary of Alicia Keys", which had a 2003 outing. Both albums received majority of the main titles in the Grammy Awards, firmly establishing Alicia as an internationally-famous artist. Alicia has recently branched out to film acting, with her debut movie "Smokin’ Aces" released last January. It starred Alicia opposite popular actors Ben Affleck, Ryan Reynolds, Andy Garcia, and Ray Liotta.