Keys released another album, 2007's As I Am, before appearing in "The Nanny Diaries" (2007) and "The Secret Life of Bees" (2008).
She released The Diary of Alicia Keys in 2003 before trying her hand at acting, appearing in the ensemble action film "Smokin' Aces" (2006). There, she eventually released her landmark debut, immediately impressing critics and R&B fans alike with her deft musicality and complex lyrics. After purchasing her own recording equipment-which she used to record her songs herself in her Harlem apartment-Keys eventually negotiated out of her contract with Columbia, taking her recordings to Arista Records. At 15, Keys signed a recording contract with Columbia Records, which paired her with producers to work on shaping her material as well as her image, but Keys butted heads with most of the musical directives she was given. It was around this same time, while Keys was regularly performing with other teens at local musical events, that she was discovered by manager Jeff Robinson, who allowed the young musician to shadow him throughout his business dealings with artists, lawyers, and executives to give her insight into the workings of the music industry. Though Keys sometimes struggled with the conditions of what was often a difficult neighborhood, she would find a tremendous source of expression in music, writing her first song to help cope with the death of her grandfather at age 13. Born and raised in the New York neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen, Keys began studying classical piano at age seven using the Suzuki method, which could sometimes find her practicing up to six hours a day. One of the most respected R&B musicians of her generation, Alicia Keys first grabbed the attention of audiences with the release of her acclaimed 2001 debut album Songs in A Minor.