5 June

Pick a Day

5 JUNE

In Music History

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Alicia Keys Debuts With Songs In A Minor

2001

Twenty-year-old Alicia Keys releases her debut album, Songs In A Minor, featuring her breakthrough hit, "Fallin'."

Thanks to her fallin'-in-and-out-of-love song, the piano prodigy from Harlem is an overnight sensation - one long night. In reality, the album took five years to make, and Keys wasn't sure if it'd ever hit the shelves. Keys already had some songs under her belt when she landed a contract with Columbia Records at 16, including "Butterflyz," and she found an advocate in Michael Mauldin, the head of the label's Black Music Division. But the rest of her team at Columbia were baffled by her combo of classical music with hip-hop beats and soul-style vocals. While she fought for creative control of her vision, she retreated to the makeshift studio in the Harlem apartment she shared with her boyfriend/songwriting partner, Kerry "Krucial" Brothers, and kept working on songs her own way. One of them was "Fallin'," which was inspired by the ups-and-downs in her romance with Brothers. After ditching Columbia for Clive Davis' new label, J Records, the album finally started coming together, but everyone agreed it was missing that standout track that would grab people by the ears. When she dusted off the draft for "Fallin'," it was the obvious choice but she needed the right ears to make it take off. Davis started building anticipation for Keys' debut with a multi-city promo tour and performances for top radio promoters and VIPs at industry events. The veteran producer thought the key to understanding Keys' music was to hear her perform live, and he was right. While radio DJs were slow to play "Fallin'," uncertain of its retro feel, Keys' high-profile gigs on The Tonight Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show brought it to the forefront. His strategy makes the album, and its lead single, a huge hit. Songs In A Minor debuts at #1 in the US, where it sells 4 million copies by the end of the year. It's also named Best R&B Album at the 2001 Grammy Awards, where Keys wins Best New Artist and "Fallin'" takes the prizes for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, and Song of the Year.

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