Aaliyah
Biography
Aaliyah Haughton was
born on January 16, 1979 in Brooklyn, New York. At the age of five,
her family moved to Detroit where she started what seemed to be
a promising career. Only time would tell if this upcoming star would
live up to that aspiration and her name; which means "highest, most
exalted one" in Swahili. This bright and rising star started her
career with a voice that could be compared to those of Toni Braxton
and Janet Jackson.
Aaliyah's talent was
recognized at a young age when her mom secured the services of a
voice teacher before the young girl even enrolled in school. Young
Haughton spent her pre-teen years between singing in school plays
and auditioning for various TV projects.
At the age of 9, she
appeared on the television show Star Search where she sang My
Funny Valentine as an homage to her mom. Just two years later,
she went on a five-night stint singing with Gladys Knight's troupe
in Las Vegas.
At this early stage in
her career, Aaliyah already had relative success and some good connections
to continue her rise to the top of Hollywood's fame. Her uncle Barry
Hankerson was the CEO of the artist management company Blackground
Enterprises.
In 1992, she met with
R & B artist R. Kelly, who quickly took Aaliyah under his wing
as they started working on various songs and recording projects.
Aaliyah's debut album was launched in June of 1994. Titled Age
Ain't Nothing But a Number, it topped the charts with the single
Back and Forth, as well as with the remake of the Isley Brothers'
hit At Your Best (You Are In Love) that reached the top five.
Rumors were saying that
the young singer had something going on with Kelly, an allegation
that both parties eventually denied. She toured the world pulling
big crowds in Japan, Europe, South Africa and in the US. She decided
to return home and pursue her studies in Performing Arts, while
majoring in Dance.
Her time was devoted
to performing as she made collaborative projects with Junior M.A.F.I.A.,
Kriss Kross, and she appeared on the Notorious B.I.G.'s video for
One More Chance. She also recorded the sultry Are You
Ready? for the Sunset Park soundtrack.
Aaliyah eventually decided
to return to the studio to record her second album. She decided
to surround herself with high-profiled artists, most notably Jermaine
Dupri, Timbaland, and Slick Rick; which would obviously have for
effect to spruce up her image.
Released in the summer
of 1996, One in a Million brought Aaliyah to the next level
in the industry standards, and she was not considered a side act
anymore. She reached number one on the R & B singles chart with
her single If Your Girl Only Knew. The album was certified
double platinum after only ten months on the market, putting Aaliyah
among the superstars of the music industry.
She was soon featured
in Elle, Seventeen, and Cosmopolitan and turned her talent towards
Hollywood when she recorded singles for the soundtracks for Dr.
Doolittle and in Anastasia with the song Journey to
the Past. She performed this last song at the Academy Awards
being one of the youngest ever performers of an Oscar nominated
song.
Aaliyah's song "Try Again"
earned her a Grammy nomination for best female R&B vocalist.
The song was featured in her debut film, Romeo Must Die.
In July 2001, her unexpected,
but final self-titled album was released. With Aaliyah's growing
popularity, the album was a hit the day it was released, and again
proved her talent as an artist. Although everyone saw a bright future
and many more years of music, dance, movies, and fame for this young
woman, she suddenly died (August 25, 2001) in a small plane crash,
along with 7 others after takeoff from the Bahamas.
The death of this multi-talented
artist was tragic, and she will be deeply missed by many. But, she
will live on through her music, the memories of her fans and those
who were close to her.
Aaliyah Filmography
Queen of the Damned (2002)
... Akasha
Romeo Must Die (2000) ... Trish O'Day |
