"Hold up, let me try something real quick," Alicia Keys declares in the middle of the piano intro for the hidden track "Loving You" on her much-acclaimed debut CD Songs in A Minor, before launching into the soulful, Aretha-style powerhouse ballad. The first thing a listener notices is her voice (a deep melodic sound that can only be described as pure velvet), which dominates the songs as it accentuates each word of the wise-beyond-her-years phrases. Keep listening. What else do you hear? The piano chords in the background: never missing a beat, never slowing down. With a commanding presence at the piano, Keys accompanies herself, seamlessly blending her background of classical influences with modern soul/hip-hop hooks. The rough New York neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen is the foundation from at which Alicia began to hone her skills as a singer/songwriter/producer. It was here, in a small one-bedroom performing artists' complex where Alicia and her single mother, Terri Augello, planted their roots. The stunningly beautiful bi-racial beauty was born to a white mother and a black father, but being "mixed" proved to pose no obstacle for Alicia, "I was never confused or had issues. I grew up in New York. There's a little bit of everybody there. It really doesn't matter because I accepted and loved both sides. I claim both sides." Not only was there every type of person walking the streets of New York City, but there was also every type of music being played in her house. Alicia grew up listening to the likes of Beethoven, Donny Hathaway, Roberta Flack, U2, Mary J. Blige, Lauryn Hill, Jay Z, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald and Bobby Caldwell. All of these musical influences along with Alicia Keys' own musical style would later merge to form a sound like no other. Alicia first became aware of her gift of music at the tender age of four. She auditioned for the part of Dorothy in her kindergarten's version of "The Wizard of Oz" and her teacher realized that she had a voice that needed to be heard. Not only could she sing, but there was also an automatic attraction for Alicia to the black and white keys of the piano. The blossoming love of the keys was there, but it wasn't until she was seven that she took that fascination to the next levelŠthe professional level. Money and resources may have been tight, but Alicia's mother, working as an actress/paralegal, made sure her daughter was able to study the very disciplined Suzuki method of classical piano. By the age of 11 Alicia had bitten off more than she could chew, "I was doing too much.