Keys was born Alicia Augello Cook on January 25, 1981 in a Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan, in New York City, New York.[4][5] She is the daughter and only child of Teresa "Terri" Augello, a paralegal and part-time actress, and Craig Cook, a flight attendant.[6][7][8] Keys' mother is of Irish-Italian descent, and her father is Jamaican.[9] Her parents separated when she was two and was subsequently raised by her mother during her formative years in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan.[10] Keys began playing the piano when she was seven, learning classical music by composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, and her favorite, Chopin