Wow. the big 3-0. U go girl! i know u already have everything u could have ever asked for, so for this birthday i wish all the time in the world to enjoy every last bit of. Be blessed, be happy and be GREAT. Happy Birthday Alicia! Growing up with u has been a pleasure and i look forward to the many milestones u have to come. Love ya!- Ashley, Pittsburgh PA

Dear Alicia,

I think I have rewritten the beginning of this letter 15 times already. I don’t know where to start, or how to start. I can talk for hours to other people about what you and your music mean to me, but somehow I am getting writer’s block trying to explain it to you. I guess I can quickly take you down memory lane to help explain it to you. I remember one of the first times that I ever heard Fallin’ on the radio. I was only ten years old, but I connected to the music. It wasn’t just the lyrics, and how unique the song was that made it beautiful; it was also the compelling voice singing it. When the album “Songs In A Minor” came out, I was going through a tough time in my childhood. I was only ten and eleven years old, but what seems so small and upsetting now, seemed so big and hurtful then. I listened to your album all day and night; it seemed as though you were speaking to me. I was just so amazed at that album and at your voice; it was, and still is, one of the best voices I had ever heard. Then The Diary of Alicia Keys came out, and this is when I tell people I really fell in love with you and your music. 

Adolescence is the time in your life when you start trying to figure out who you are, and what is really going on in the world around you. From about 12 to 15 years old, I was vulnerable and needed someone to help guide me. That person was you. Who you are, not just your music, has influenced my life greatly. I would read and watch your interviews, and see how genuine, poised, caring (I can go on) you were, and I decided that that was how I wanted to be. You once said how important it was to you to be called “smart rather than sexy”, and how much writing in a diary had helped you connect to and explain your emotions. I took all the advice I could get from you, indirectly, and used it. You have inspired me to explore my many layers and find my true self underneath them. I tell people that you helped me to find the real values in life, to see beyond the superficial world and discover the beautiful, deep and meaningful aspects living within it. Fast forward to As I Am and The Element of Freedom; these albums have just added to how much I love you and your music. The lyrics, the meanings they spew, the soul and emotion they carry have helped me to grow and evolve.

Needless to say, you are a beautiful woman both inside and out. You’re mesmerizing voice streams up from your soul and unleashes itself with intensity, beauty, and love. You have the ability to quickly switch my emotions with the start of a new song. I could sit here and tell you how incredible you are, but I’m sure you have heard it time and time again. Though you are only human, you have the heart and soul of an angel. As you turn 30 years old, and I soon turn 20, I cannot believe that I have been blessed to have someone like you influence and impact my life for 10 years. In my eyes, there is no one like you who could have the ability to deeply touch and change a person whom you have never met. However, I would love to actually meet you one day and tell you this in person. I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all that you have done and for just being YOU.

LOTS of love,

Chantel P.

Happy Birthday Alicia! I love you so much! I’m 14 & when I first heard your music (I was about 6) I immediately wanted to be like you. I started piano lessons when I was seven & since I was 6 I’ve been singing. I’m always excited when you come out with a new album & of course I have to get it! But thanks for being a HUGE inspiration in my life. <3
-Jessica

Happy birthday beautiful queen may u enjoy many more from 1 aquarian 2 another so I know u cooler than a fan blessings rain down upon u love - Jaccle

i would like to say happy birhday, you are such an inspiration to me and to other people. All the things you do is allways to help people and you are a perfect role model for people of my age. I came to see you in Glasgow it was the best day of my life you were BRILLIANT. I seen on your website that you were going to Africa to help children with HIV and aids and when i seen this i really made me want to do it, and i have recently came back from Gunjur in the Gambia and me and another group of my peers went the to teach and tell them what it is like in England to live. While we were there it made a big diffrence in the childrens lives and im my life. All the People over there is happy with what they have got and most of us in more privaliged countrys take things for granted and it changed my life. i would like to thank you for making me see that helping people is alway rewarding. You are a brilliant person and i hope you have a brilliant birthday!
Love Vikki Pedersen :)