Songs in A Minor is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriterAlicia Keys. It was released on June 26, 2001, byJ Records. Aclassically trained pianist, Keys wrote, arranged and produced the majority of the album herself, though she frequently worked with her then-partnerKerry "Krucial" Brothers. The efforts resulted in aneo soul record fusingcontemporary classical music withR&B,soul, andjazz, alongside influences ofhip-hop,blues, andgospel. Its lyrics focus on themes of love, perseverance, self-worth, survival, and introspection. Despite the album's title, only two of its tracks are composed in thekey ofA minor.
Keys began writing songs for her debut studio album in 1995, aged 14, before signing a record deal withColumbia Records in 1996. Dissatisfied with Columbia's attempts to control her artistry and diminish her own creative inputs, she began recordingSongs in A Minor independently in 1998. Upon being presented with finished recordings, Columbia rejected them. Around that time, Keys metClive Davis, founder and then-president ofArista Records, who was impressed with her and bought out her contract with Columbia to sign her at Arista. She later finished the album under J Records in 2001. Further collaborative efforts included those withJermaine Dupri,Kandi Burruss,Brian McKnight, andJimmy Cozier. Autobiographical allusions to past relationships and the album's tumultuous creation are also interspersed throughout its lyricism.
Upon release,Songs in A Minor received widespread critical acclaim, primarily for its musical style and Keys' artistic maturity, though its lyricism elicited criticism. A commercial success, it debuted at number one on the USBillboard 200, with first-week sales of 236,000 units. Though asleeper hit internationally, it went on to become one of the best-selling albums of 2001 worldwide. At the44th Annual Grammy Awards (2002), Keys tiedLauryn Hill's record for most awards won by a woman in a single night with five wins, including theGrammy Award for Best R&B Album.Songs in A Minor produced four singles, including the USBillboard Hot 100 number one and worldwide hit "Fallin'", and the US top-10 hit "A Woman's Worth". To further promote the album, Keys embarked on her headlining debutSongs in A Minor Tour (2002).
Songs in A Minor is widely regarded as an idiosyncratic, yet influential, album of the early 2000s; numerous publications have included it among the best albums of its era. Its immediate critical acclaim went on to be sustained with retrospective commentaries, which unanimously emphasized the record's timeless quality. Furthermore,Songs in A Minor is credited with solidifying Keys as a viable and ubiquitous recording artist. Based on its "cultural, historical or aesthetic importance", the album was inducted into the 2022 class of theNational Recording Registry in theLibrary of Congress. In 2020, the album was certifiedseptuple platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for combined sales andalbum-equivalent units of seven million in the US. As of 2011, it has sold over 12 million copies worldwide.
In 1995, then-14-year-old Keys, aclassically trained pianist, began writing songs that would eventually constituteSongs in A Minor, with "Butterflyz" and "The Life" being among the first compositions.[c] At the time, she was a member of the girl group EmBishion. She was noticed by vocal coach Conrad Robinson, who subsequently introduced her to his brother Jeff, who became her manager after the disbandment of EmBishion.[8][11] Jeff Robinson andartists and repertoire (A&R) executivePeter Edge helped Keys assembledemo recordings and arrange showcases for record label executives.[12][13] After a bidding war ensued between labels, Keys signed a record deal withColumbia Records andJermaine Dupri'sSo So Def Recordings in 1996.[13][14] Around that time, she began working withKerry Brothers Jr.[8] After graduating from theProfessional Performing Arts School in 1997, aged 16, Keys was accepted intoColumbia University; however, she dropped out after four weeks to pursue her music career.[8][13] Keys had already recorded theRodney Jerkins-produced "Little Drummer Girl" for Dupri's12 Soulful Nights of Christmas (1996), and co-wrote and recorded "Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)" forthe soundtrack to the 1997 filmMen in Black.[11] However, she grew frustrated with recording sessions for Columbia, whose executives aimed to diminish her creative inputs, instead bringing established producers in order to construct her image into that of "the nextteen pop idol".[8][11] Brothers consequently advised Keys to purchase her own equipment and to record without Columbia's interference.[8]
Keys began producing and recordingSongs in A Minor herself in 1998,[15] after moving out of her mother's apartment into an apartment inHarlem, where she recorded in her bedroom. Afterwards, Keys and Brothers moved into a house inQueens, transforming its basement into the KrucialKeys Studios.[8] In the studio, Keys completed the record by the end of 1998. However, upon being presented with thedemo, Columbia rejected it for lacking radio-friendly material.[16][8] As she felt her creativity was being disrespected, Keys desired to terminate her contract with Columbia.[13] Upset by the situation, she wrote "Troubles", retrospectively stating: "Everything that I said in the verses was exactly how I felt, and what was said in the chorus was what I felt like God would be saying to me. I almost wanted to call it 'Conversations with God'."[8] According to Keys, as she wrote "Troubles",Songs in A Minor "started comin' [sic] together. Finally, I knew how to structure my feelings into something that made sense, something that can translate to people."[17] Soon thereafter, Edge introduced Keys toClive Davis, founder and then-president ofArista Records.[12] Davis, who sensed a "special, unique" artist in Keys upon first hearing her,[7] bought out her contract with Columbia,[14] and Keys left the label to sign with Arista in early 1999.[11] Keys was also able to keep her recordings created under Columbia.[13]
As Davis encouraged Keys to take creative control over her career,[7] she continued writing and recording songs forSongs in A Minor, also learning how to produce recordings by consulting with producers and audio engineers.[16][18] While recording, Keys sought permission fromPrince to cover his 1982 song "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?". Prince, notoriously reluctant to allow his songs to be covered and sampled by other artists, invited Keys to his estatePaisley Park. After Keys performed the song in front of Prince's close associates, he allowed her to cover the song, and the two established a rapport.[19][20] AsSongs in A Minor neared completion in 2000, Davis was ousted from Arista and founded a new record label,J Records. Keys consequently left Arista and signed a record deal with J,[13] under which she completed the album by early 2001.[21] A total of 32 tracks were recorded forSongs in A Minor, 16 of which made its final track listing.[22] Apart from the KrucialKeys Studios, the album was also recorded at theBattery Studios,The Hit Factory and theUnique Recording Studios in New York, theDoppler Studios and Dupri's Southside Studios in Atlanta, and the Backroom Studios inGlendale, while a substantial number of tracks were mixed at theElectric Lady Studios and theSony Music Studios in New York.[23] The album was largely self-written, self-arranged and self-produced: Keys wrote 14 of the tracks and produced 15, some in collaboration with contributors such as Brothers, Dupri,Kandi Burruss, andBrian McKnight.[23] Prior to its inclusion on the album, "Rock wit U" was featured onthe soundtrack forShaft (2000),[24] while the eventual Japanese edition bonus track "Rear View Mirror" was included on the soundtrack forDr. Dolittle 2 (2001).[25]
Songs in A Minor is aneo soul album with classical piano references andarpeggios,[31] fusingcontemporary classical music withR&B,soul andjazz.[14][16][32] Influenced by classical music, traditional soul andEast Coast hip hop,[14] Keys described the record as a "fusion of my classical training, meshed with what I grew up listening to [...] things I've been exposed to and drawn from and my life experiences".[33] She citedFrédéric Chopin as the primary classical influence, andMarvin Gaye,Earth, Wind & Fire,Curtis Mayfield, andStevie Wonder as soul-R&B influences.[34] Jane Stevenson ofJam! described the musical style as "old-school urban sounds and attitude set against a backdrop of classical piano".[35]USA Today's Steve Jones wrote that Keys "taps into theblues, soul, jazz and even classical music to propel haunting melodies and hard-driving funk".[36] John Mulvey ofDotmusic called the album "a gorgeous and ambitious melding of classic soul structures and values to hyper-modern production technique".[37] Despite its title, only two tracks onSongs in A Minor are composed in the key ofA minor—"Jane Doe" and "Mr. Man".[38]
Songs in A Minor explores lyrical themes such as love, perseverance, self-worth, survival, and introspection.[11] Some songs, such as "Troubles" and "The Life", are autobiographical and contain allusions to Keys' tumultuous, yet stagnant, period at Columbia Records.[34] "The Life" further discusses universal adversities: "'Cause when it rains, it pours, isn't life worth more? / I don't even know what I’m hustlin' for / You got to do what you gotta do just to make it through all the hard times that are gonna face you".[14] On the spoken-word "Piano & I",[44] Keys explicitly addresses difficulties of the creative process precedingSongs in A Minor.[27] For "How Come You Don't Call Me", Keys was inspired by a previous long-term relationship.[34] "Girlfriend" is a female protagonist's admission of jealousy of her partner's friendship with another woman,[45] while the lyrics of "Jane Doe" condemn a woman attempting to seduce the protagonist's partner.[11] Songs such as "Fallin'" lyrically describe vicissitudes of romantic relationships.[33] "Troubles" follows a woman concerned over her partner's potentially illicit activities.[14] Keys later revealed she wrote the song as a conversation with God, with the chorus representing what she perceived as God's answer to her apprehension.[17]
Feminist-themed "A Woman's Worth" urges male listeners to show adequate affection and respect to their female partners.[11][41] Keys felt inspired to write it after seeing a televisedL'Oréal commercial using the slogan "Because I'm worth it".[46] "Butterflyz" describes "the sweet ascent into love with childlike brevity", while its successor "Why Do I Feel So Sad" is contrarily a "clear-eyed meditation on familiarity of heartbreak".[11]Songs in A Minor closes with "Caged Bird", which pays homage toMaya Angelou's autobiographyI Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), reinterpreting the book's theme to describe quelling isolation and denigration with music.[43] "Caged Bird" is followed by thehidden track "Lovin' U", which sees Keys simultaneously feel enraptured and anxious over a committed relationship.[11] Christian Ward ofNME andClover Hope ofPitchfork emphasized Keys' expressive vocal performance and ability to convey different emotional themes,[42][11] despite singing in a restrained style.[43][11] Keys demonstrates distinct "shades of fatigue" throughout "Fallin'", ranging from a "swelling"falsetto to a hoarsealto.[11] On "How Come You Don't Call Me", she usescrescendoed ad-libs to convey despair, while singing in a "hauntingly" low register on "Rock wit U" to express feeling captivated by her love interest.[11]
Regarding the "grass-roots" marketing campaign forSongs in A Minor, J Records' then-executive vice president of A&R Jeff Edge remarked that it was based on exposing Keys "in terms of performing in front of people in every way possible, because it wasn't just about listening to her record—to see her was to believe in her".[10] Originally titledSoul Stories in A Minor, the album was retitled to expand its marketability, and not to cater exclusively to R&B and hip-hop radio stations and retailers.[16] In advance of the album'slead single, "Girlfriend" was serviced tourban contemporary radio as apromotional single in early 2001 to "introduce" Keys to the general public.[14] Keys first performed "Fallin'" live at Davis' pre-43rd Annual Grammy Awards gala on February 20, 2001.[47] "Fallin'" was released as the lead single fromSongs in A Minor on March 28,[21] going on to peak atop the USBillboard Hot 100,[48] and becoming a worldwide top-10 hit and the second-best-performing single of 2001 in the US.[49][50] Keys further promoted the album through print media, having been interviewed for the spring 2001 issue ofThe Fader,[51] and photographed for the cover of the June 2001 issue ofDazed.[52] Davis subsequently booked Keys forThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and wrote a letter toOprah Winfrey, persuading her to allow Keys to perform onThe Oprah Winfrey Show.[22] Winfrey agreed, and Keys performed on the show, alongsideYolanda Adams,India Arie,Mary Mary, andJill Scott, on June 21.[53] The performance led to the album'spre-orders to double.[16]
Having toured as a supporting act onMaxwell'sNow Tour from August to October 2001,[78] Keys embarked on her debut concert tour, theSongs in A Minor Tour, on January 22, 2002, initially touring North America until March 10.[79] On March 11, "How Come You Don't Call Me" was released as the third single fromSongs in A Minor,[80] failing to replicate the success of its predecessors by peaking at number 59 on theBillboard Hot 100.[48] Afterwards, Keys commencedGood Morning America's annual Summer Concert Series on May 31.[81] The Songs in A Minor Tour resumed with the second North American leg on July 2.[82] The August 10 concert atKeyArena in Seattle was partially recorded, and several live performances were included on theRemixed & Unplugged edition ofSongs in A Minor, released in select countries in October.[h] The tour was then expanded with a leg in Europe, from September to November 2002,[84][85] and ended with an Oceanian leg in December.[86] "Girlfriend" was released as the fourth and final single fromSongs in A Minor outside North America on November 25, 2002,[87] peaking at number 24 on theUK Singles Chart.[88]
In April 2011, Keys announced plans to commemorate the 10th anniversary ofSongs in A Minor, with reissues in multiple formats andPiano & I: A One Night Only Event with Alicia Keys, originally intended as a singular concert at theBeacon Theatre in New York City on June 30.[89] In a statement, Keys said: "This album is possibly the most precious to me as your first album only happens once, and soSongs in A Minor will always hold a special place in my life that's filled with amazing memories. I'm so proud the songs are still being enjoyed, and I'm crazy excited to share songs never heard before."[90][89] The concert was subsequently expanded into a promotional tour, with additional dates in Paris, London and Los Angeles during June.[91][92][93] During the shows, Keys performed the album in its entirety and told stories of its recording.[90]
Double-disc deluxe andbox set collector's editions ofSongs in A Minor were released on June 28, 2011. Both included previously unreleased material, while the collector's edition bonus DVD featured a documentary chronicling the making of the record. The original album was simultaneously made available on vinyl for the first time.[89] Furthermore, Keys performed a medley of "Typewriter", "Fallin'", "A Woman's Worth" withBruno Mars, and "Maybach Music" withRick Ross at theBET Awards 2011 on June 26,[94] as well as performing "Fallin'", "Butterflyz", and "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down" onGood Morning America on June 28, the same day a wax figure of her was unveiled atMadame Tussauds New York.[95]BET airedThe Story So Far, a special highlighting Keys' ten-year career through her BET performances and interviews, on June 29.[96]
Songs in A Minor was reissued again on June 4, 2021, in commemoration of its 20th anniversary, including the previously unreleased "Foolish Heart" and "Crazy (Mi Corazon)".[97] To promote the release, Keys performed a medley of "Piano & I", "A Woman's Worth", "How Come You Don't Call Me", and "Fallin'" at the2021Billboard Music Awards on May 23; the performance was introduced with a speech fromMichelle Obama.[98] Keys also appeared on the cover of the May 26, 2021 issue ofBustle, which featured a story on the creation ofSongs in A Minor and its subsequent impact.[99]Sony Music also launched an interactive website dedicated to fan letters regarding the album.[100]
On release,Songs in A Minor received widespread critical acclaim, with critics predominantly hailing it as an auspicious and accomplished debut.[i] AtMetacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, it received anaverage score of 78, based on 10 reviews.[108] Reviewing the album forNME, Sam Faulkner described the balance between classical music and R&B as "an act of pure genius".[102]Q praised Keys as "a prime candidate to head up the nu-soul revolution ... with a voice that challengesMary J. Blige's",[103] while Steve Jones ofUSA Today said that "Keys already has a musical, artistic and thematic maturity that many more experienced artists never achieve".[36]The Washington Post's Richard Harrington shared those sentiments, further directing praise towards Keys' musical influences.[107] In his review published viaPopMatters,Mark Anthony Neal called the album "a distinct and oft-times brilliant debut from an artist who clearly has a fine sense of her creative talents".[14]Robert Christgau, writing inThe Village Voice, commended it for its first half and closing tracks, despite some "bores that threaten to sink the project midway through".[106]
Keys' vocal performance was also lauded;[j] Sal Cinquemani fromSlant Magazine declared that Keys' displayed a "powerful range, proving she can belt along with the best of them".[43]Uncut called the album "frequently stunning" and compared Keys' vocal performance to a youngAretha Franklin.[110] However, some critics found Keys' lyricism to be subpar to her singing and musical abilities.[109][104]The New Zealand Herald's Russell Baillie stated that Keys "might indicate abundant talent aligned to neatly reverential vintage soul style", but expressed that the songs "don't add up to anything particularly memorable".[29] Beth Johnson ofEntertainment Weekly called the second half of the album slacked with "sad sack teen themes", but called it a promising album.[40]Rolling Stone's Barry Walters perceived her singing as more mature than her songwriting, but commended Keys for her "commanding presence" on the album.[104]Los Angeles Times writerRobert Hilburn said that the album "makes a convincing case that's she's going far—in both a commercial and creative sense".[101]
Critical plaudits forSongs in A Minor persevered in retrospective reviews, with numerous critics concurring that the record had aged well by its 10th anniversary.[k] Accordingly, George Lang ofThe Oklahoman felt the 10th anniversary reissue was "oddly premature",[44] while Barry Walters ofRolling Stone opined that "excepting a drum-machine beat or two, [the album] feels timeless".[30] In a review forAllMusic,Stephen Thomas Erlewine further perceived the sonic quality as "rich enough to compensate for some thinness in the writing" and called the album "a startling assured, successful debut that deserved its immediate acclaim".[109] InThe Encyclopedia of Popular Music (2007),Colin Larkin called it an "exotic" fusion of urban R&B, hip hop, and blues on "a minor classic of modern soul".[112]Lloyd Bradley, viaBBC, hailed the record as "a masterpiece of contemporary soul songwriting and arrangement".[115]Stephen Deusner wrote forAmerican Songwriter that the original album's "resourceful musicality extends to the bonus tracks" on the collector's edition.[111]
In 2016, Preezy ofThe Boombox praisedSongs in A Minor for being a "phenomenal debut" and "quite sophisticated for a 20-year-old piano prodigy". Dissecting its structure, he concluded: "One positive of the deeper cuts onSongs in A Minor is that they reveal a bit of the woman sitting behind the piano, as opposed to showcasing her immense talent, a mission the opening tracks on the accomplished."[10] Ahead of the 20th anniversary ofSongs in A Minor, Clover Hope ofPitchfork also exalted it as an outstanding debut, and—despite dismissing tracks such as "Girlfriend" and "Jane Doe", which she perceived as thematically dated—she praised Keys' self-sufficient musicianship and "incredibly persuasive" vocal performance.[11] Like Preezy,[10] Justin Chadwick of the website Albumism noted a loss of consistency throughout the record's second half, but nonetheless declared the album a "masterfully executed hybrid of classic and contemporary soul with an acute streetwise sensibility to balance its creator's musical intelligence and passion".[24]
In the United States,Songs in A Minor sold more than 50,000 copies on its first day of release.[151] It sold 236,000 copies in its first week, debuting atop theBillboard 200 andTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts dated July 14, 2001; it thus became the first number-one for J Records on both charts.[53][152] The number-one debut for then-new artist Keys in a highly competitive week was largely attributed to the critical acclaim the album received, the burgeoning performance of its lead single "Fallin'", and Keys' appearance onThe Oprah Winfrey Show upon the album's release.[53] Selling 174,000 units in its second week, the album descended to number two toDevil's Night byD12; the albums were separated by just 306 copies, a margin of 0.17 percent.[153][154] Keys' performance onGood Morning America promptedSongs in A Minor to return to the summit in its third week,[155] where it remained the following week for a final week atop the chart.[156][17] On the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, it spent six consecutive weeks at number one.[157] The album registered its best-selling week during the holiday season of 2001, with sales of 241,000 units.[158] It became the sixth best-selling album of 2001 in the US, selling 4,100,000 copies by the end of the year,[159] having placed at number 13 on theBillboard 200 year-end chart.[160] Following its 10th anniversary reissue in June 2011, the album re-entered theBillboard 200 at number 69;[161] it has spent a total of 70 weeks on the chart.[162] For combined sales andalbum-equivalent units amounting to seven million in the country, the album was certifiedseptuple platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in August 2020.[58]
Internationally,Songs in A Minor was asleeper hit. For over two months, it progressively ascended towards its peak of number two on theCanadian Albums Chart,[163] and went on to be certified quintuple platinum by then-Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) in July 2002, for shipments of 500,000 units in Canada.[164] Across Europe, the album generally debuted at low positions but gradually reached the top 10 in 13 countries,[165][166] peaking at number one in the Netherlands, within the top three in Germany and Switzerland,[165] and at number five on theEuropean Top 100 Albums.[167] By selling three million copies in Europe, it earned a triple-platinum certification from theInternational Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in 2004.[168] Debuting at number 75 on theUK Albums Chart, the album peaked at number six in its 28th week on the chart,[166] having spent two non-consecutive weeks atop theUK R&B Albums Chart.[169] In November 2002, it was certified triple platinum by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI), for sales of 900,000 units in the UK.[62]Songs in A Minor debuted at number 57 on theAustralian Albums Chart,[170] reaching its number-three peak six months later in March 2002.[171] It was certified triple platinum by theAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in 2019, for combined sales and album-equivalent units of 210,000 in Australia.[172] Similarly, the album fluctuated within theNew Zealand Albums Chart for six months before peaking at number four,[173] being certified platinum by then-Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) in August 2002, for shipments of 15,000 units in the country.[174]Songs in A Minor was the seventh best-selling album in the world of 2001, having sold 6,700,000 units by the end of the year.[175] As of 2011, it has sold over 12 million copies worldwide.[m]
"I'm so honored and grateful that 'Songs in A Minor,' the entire album, gets to be recognized as such a powerful body of work that is just going to be timeless. What is it about [the album] that I think resonates with everybody for so long? I just think it was so pure. People hadn't quite seen a woman inTimberlands andcornrows and really straight 100% off of the streets of New York performing classical music and mixing it with soul music and R&B. And people could find themselves in it. And I love that."
Released during the early-2000s period of heightened creativity in contemporary R&B and the upsurge of neo soul,Songs in A Minor is widely regarded as an idiosyncratic, yet influential, album of its era.[n] According to J'na Jefferson inUSA Today, it largely influenced subsequent contemporary R&B trends and "set the new millennium's artistic bar sky high".[45] Numerous critics accentuated the record's distinction from 2001'spop music landscape, predominantly due to its earnest and sensible lyricism, and fusion of classical and modern musical styles.[o] The self-producedSongs in A Minor was further placed in juxtaposition with more elaborately produced concurrent recordings of other R&B artists, largely produced byTimbaland,Rodney Jerkins, andBryan-Michael Cox, such asAaliyah'seponymous third and final studio album andUsher's8701.[45] IncludingSongs in A Minor on their listing of best debut albums of all time,Rolling Stone concluded: "In an increasingly digitized pop age, this album was a reminder that history still lived and talent still mattered."[150] TheLibrary of Congress selected the album for induction in the 2022 class of theNational Recording Registry, based on its "cultural, historical or aesthetic importance".[182]
In August 2001, Margena A. Christian ofJet classified Keys as one of the fastest-rising recording artists,[183] whileTouré regarded her as "the next queen of soul" in the November 8, 2001 issue ofRolling Stone's cover story.[17] Upon the release of her second studio albumThe Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), Kris Ex ofBlender declared Keys "the first new pop artist of the millennium who was capable of changing music", which he attributed toSongs in A Minor.[184] A laterBillboard article reflected onSongs in A Minor introducing Keys as "a different kind of pop singer. Not only was she mean on the ivories, but she showed true musicianship, writing and performing her material."[181] Hope observed how its background and structure separated Keys from her contemporaries, namelyDestiny's Child,Britney Spears,NSYNC, and Usher, and ultimately led to Keys being positioned at the forefront of popular music, alongside India Arie, as "new ambassadors of neo-soul".[11] Gail Mitchell ofBillboard shared those sentiments, adding that the album exhibited Keys' multifaceted talents.[180] Stephen Thomas Erlewine further credited it for eliciting a rise of not only fellow neo soul musicians, but also "ambitious yet classicist" singers-songwriters of other genres—such asNelly Furtado andNorah Jones—to ubiquitous prominence.[179]
With five wins at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, Keys tiedLauryn Hill's record of most Grammy Awards won by a woman at a single ceremony;[186] the record would eventually be broken byBeyoncé, who won six awards at the52nd Annual Grammy Awards (2010).[187] Keys was also among the most nominated and awarded artists at numerous award ceremonies between 2001–2002, including the American Music Awards,[118] theBillboard Music Awards,[117] and the Soul Train Music Awards.[123] In an essay published by the Library of Congress, author Jene Roswell emphasized the significance of Keys' record-breaking Grammy Award wins and performance on the 2001Billboard Year-End charts with her debut effort, as those achievements helped her solidify her status among leading recording artists of the time.[38]Songs in A Minor was thus credited with setting high expectations forThe Diary of Alicia Keys, regarding bothartistic merit and commercial performance.[179][188] However, the latter exceeded first-week sales of the former, becoming Keys' second consecutiveBillboard 200 number-one entry with 618,000 units sold,[158] and won Keys her second Best R&B Album award at the47th Annual Grammy Awards (2005).[74]
Credits are adapted from the liner notes ofSongs in A Minor.[23]
A&C Productions – strings (track 16)
Alli – art direction, creative direction
Arden Altino – additional keyboards (track 11), production (track 11)
Miri Ben-Ari – additional strings (track 16), keyboards (track 11), production (track 11), violin (tracks 4 and 11)
Brandon Barnes – songwriting (track 12)
Kerry "Krucial" Brothers – additional production (tracks 5 and 10), digital programming (tracks 4–6, 8, 10, 14, and 16), drum programming (tracks 1 and 3), engineering (tracks 3–6, 10, and 13–16), production (1, 3, 6, and 14), songwriting (tracks 5, 6, and 10)
Gerry Brown – engineering (track 1), mixing (tracks 1, 5, 6, 13, and 14)
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^UK special edition cover features a photograph of Keys wearing a white top and black hat, against a white background;[1]Remixed & Unplugged cover uses a similar photograph.[2] 20th anniversary edition cover features awide shot of the original cover's photograph.[3]
^On the physical deluxe edition cover, two photographs of Keys shift depending on the viewing angle.[4] Digital deluxe edition cover solely displays the photograph from the original cover, with the purple tinting.[5] Collector's edition cover features a silhouette of Keys' head, with Manhattan skyscrapers and piano keys painted over it.[6]
^abcIn select countries,Songs in A Minor was reissued to include a bonus disc of live performances and remixes, subtitledRemixed & Unplugged.[83] In Japan, the bonus disc was released on its own under the titleRemixed & Unplugged in A Minor.[2] Both releases use the same cover.
^The 2011 chart entries in France and the Netherlands are credited to the deluxe and collector's editions. In the US, the original album re-entered theBillboard charts, based on combined units of standard, deluxe, and collector's editions.
^abc"2002.03월 – POP 음반 판매량" [March 2002 – Pop Album Sales] (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Archived fromthe original on June 23, 2004. RetrievedJune 14, 2025.
^Palić, Igor (December 7, 2005)."Zlatna ploča" [Gold Record].Status Online (in Croatian). Archived fromthe original on October 24, 2013. RetrievedApril 24, 2025.
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