Now Playing
Trae Patton/NBC
Alicia Keys was honored Monday night during the Harlem School of the Arts 50th Anniversary Gala Kickoff in the Grand Ballroom at The Plaza in New York City.
After being the recipient of the Visionary Award, the singer took to Instagram to thank her mother, Terria Joseph, who fostered Alicia’s interest in music. “Congratulations on the visionary award we shared tonight mama!!!! Without you, there is no me… Actually and Art-fully,” Keys wrote in the caption to the photo of her and her mother standing together at the event.
Alicia made sure to point out all the ways in which her mom molded who she is today. “Thank you for all the Sundays you played Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Washington on vinyl. Thank you for all the nights you worked overtime to make the ends and beginnings meet. Thank you for teaching me about womanhood and everything in between,” Alicia wrote. “All I can say is thank you and it will never, ever be enough! Cheers to you mama!!”
The event also included appearances from Nick Cannon and actress Cicely Tyson, the latter of whom received the Betty Allen Lifetime Achievement Award.
Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
