Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001), better known simply when her stage name Aaliyah, was an American R&B singer, dancer, fashion model and actress. Introduced to audiences by R&B singer R. Kelly, Aaliyah became famous in her own right during the mid-1990s with several hit records from the songwriting/production team of Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and Timbaland, and their associate Steve "Static" Garrett.

Guiding light for recording many hit records, including 5 first R&B hits, one number one pop hit, and seven top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, Aaliyah sold over 24 million records worldwide during her career. A singer as well modelled for Tommy Hilfiger and starred in 2 motion pictures before her death inside the plane crash in 2001 at the age of Xxii.

Life and career

Childhood and early career
Aaliyah was innate within Brooklyn, New York to Michael and Diane Haughton. She grew higher inside Detroit, Michigan. Aaliyah signed by having her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground label in 1993 and released her debut album, highborn ''Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, in 1994. A album reached platinum status within months, and featured a Gold-selling singles "Back and Forth" (first U.S. R&B, 3 weeks), and "At Your Best (You Are Love)" (number two U.S. R&B), a cover of the 1976 Isley Brothers single. A album went in to email double pt status sustaining sales of terminated both million copies in the U.S. & 5 million worldwide.

It was revealed that within 1994, when she was Xv, she was married to R&B singer/songwriter R. Kelly, a producer of Age Ain't Nothing however the Total. VIBE'' magazine in 1995 published a copy of their marriage certificate and claimed Aaliyah had falsified her age as 18 so she and Kelly could be married. Neither agreed or even denied a accusations. Two parties experienced a marriage quickly annulled while a click observed out astir a union. R. Kelly did nin operate on any of Aaliyah's first recordings.

One in a Million (1996)
One in a Million, Aaliyah's sophmore album, was chiefly written & by so unknowns Missy Elliott & Tim "Timbaland" Mosley & freed in August 27 1996. the album was a landmark within Aaliyah's career, introducing Aaliyah's other matured side. It embarked a newfound chemistry of Aaliyah & Timbaland. the album was qualified double-platinum in a year, making Aaliyah a major R&B star and igniting the successful careers of Missy Elliott and Timbaland. 1 around the Million featured a international megahit "If Your Girl Only Knew" (first U.S. R&B, 2 weeks), "One in a Million," (number one U.S. R&B airplay, six weeks) and the top 10 U.S. R&B single "The One I Gave My Heart To," a ballad written by Diane Warren. A album as well involved "4 Page Letter" which too received important airplay in U.S. pop & R&B radio.

Tommy Hilfiger took notice of Aaliyah's "street but sweet" image & gave Aaliyah her 1st endorsement treat. He immediately signed Aaliyah onto print campaigns, runway shows, & the commercial message. When you took this cycle, Aaliyah would as well produce guest appearances in albums by creative person like Missy Elliott, Timbaland & Magoo, Ginuwine and Playa. Timbal& and Playa's frontman Steve "Static" Garrett would remain Aaliyah's principal collaborators for the duration of her career. Up to now, 1 inside the Million has sold Deuce.6 million copies in the U.S. & eight million worldwide.

Movie roles and soundtracks
Around 1997, Aaliyah appeared on the soundtrack album for the Fox Animation Studios animated feature Anastasia, singing the popular version of "Journey to the Past". A song was nominated for an Academy Award, and Aaliyah performed a song at a 1997 Academy Awards ceremony, making history. Aaliyah became a immature recording creative person to perform at a ceremony.

Aaliyah experienced the brobdingnagian hit inside 1998 with "Are You that Somebody" (first U.S. R&B airplay, eight weeks), the main single from the Doctor Doolittle soundtrack. Its streaming was a third virtually all-played in MTV that year, & a song's profits helped produce Aaliyah the domestic title. the individual was a Top 10 hit on the Hoarding Hot 100 Airplay chart.

Inside 2000, she co-starred with Jet Li in the martial-arts film Romeo Must Die, which debuted at number 2 at a pack professional. Aaliyah & Timbaland executive produced a film's soundtrack album & Aaliyah contributed quaternary songs: "Are you Feelin' Me?," "I Don't Wanna," "Back in One Piece," a duet by owning DMX, and a international first hit "Try Again." Aaliyah mass produced history once more by having her hit lone "Try Again." It became a number 1 song inside history to ever email first on the Billboard Hot 100 depending only on the nature and severity of its radio airplay, while forgoing any only sales factored. Fallowing a brobdingnagian profits of "Try Again" at radio, the 12" maxi single was released for consumer purchase. The radio-only single, "We Don't Wanna", peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number five on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks chart.

In 2001, Aaliyah went to Austrailia to co-star with Stuart Townsend in the film Queen of the Damned, an adaptation of the Anne Rice novel of the same name. While filming Queen of the Damned, Aaliyah also recorded most of her third studio album, Aaliyah.

Aaliyah (2001)
"I Require a Guide," the first single from Aaliyah's highly-anticipated third studio album, was released in April of 2001. The self-titled Aaliyah was released four months later on July 17 2001. The album was a critical success, introducing Aaliyah's dark and edgier side, and showcased her growth as an artist. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, selling over 187,000 copies in its first week. The album was certified Gold on August 14 2001 (just four weeks after its release), with sales of 526,000 copies. The album was certified Platinum on August 30 2001, just sixteen days after its gold certification, and only five days after her death. In September, the week following her death, Aaliyah hit number one on the Billboard 200, with sales of over 300,000 copies. The album would later reach double platinum status with sales of 2.5 million in the U.S. and six million worldwide.

In the summer of 2001, Aaliyah filmed the video for ''Aaliyah's'' intended second single, "To the higher degree a Woman". After the video was completed, however, it was decided "Rock a Boat" should be the second single instead, and the "To the higher degree a Woman" video was temporarily shelved.

"Rock The Boat" video shoot
Aaliyah traveled to the Bahamas in August 2001 to film the "Rock a Boat" video with director Hype Williams. After filming was completed, Aaliyah and her entourage boarded a small airplane, which was to take them to Miami, Florida. The plane took off but quickly descended and crashed in the forest. All nine people aboard, including Aaliyah, the pilot and the other seven passengers, were killed in the crash. Some, including Aaliyah, died immediately; some later, in the hospital. Investigators determined the plane was overloaded by several hundred pounds, and an autopsy revealed cocaine and alcohol in the pilot's blood. Reports have also suggested the pilot of the plane falsely obtained his licence from Black Hawk Airways by showing hundreds of hours never flown, suggesting he was not qualified to pilot the plane to begin with.

Legacy
Aaliyah's death affected her family, friends, fans and the entertainment industry as a whole. At the time of her death, Aaliyah had been dating Roc-a-Fella Records CEO Damon Dash, who grieved publicly over her passing. Friends such as Missy Elliott and Timbaland praised Aaliyah as an inspirational and talented individual. "Rock a Boat" went on to become a posthumous hit on radio (reaching number two on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles charts and number 14 on the Hot 100) and video channels, and the news of Aaliyah's death gave her album a notable sales boost, pushing it to number one on the Billboard 200. The album's two subsequent singles, "To The higher degree A Woman" reached number seven on Billboard's Hot R&B singles chart and number 25 on Hot 100. "We Care Quatern U" reached number three on Billboard's Hot R&B singles chart and number 16 on the Hot 100, the latter attaining success even without the promotional push of a music video.

Queen of the Damned was released in early 2002. Before its release, Aaliyah's brother Rashad was called upon to re-dub several of his sister's lines during the post-production ADR process. Upon its release, the film debuted at number one.

In 2002, a posthumous greatest hits collection, I Care 4 You, was released in Aaliyah's name. In addition to well-known hits, it also included six previously unreleased songs from the Blackground vaults Aaliyah had recorded over the course of her career, including "Miss Your family," which became the album's lead single. Its video features Missy Elliott, Lil Kim, Toni Braxton and DMX, among others, paying tribute to Aaliyah.

Aaliyah was to have had a supporting role as the wife of Harold Perrineau Jr.'s character in the two sequels to The Matrix; her role was ultimately filled by Nona Gaye. Other films in which Aaliyah was signed to star in were Honey (which instead was filmed with Jessica Alba as the star), and a Whitney Houston-produced remake of the 1976 film Sparkle. In addition, Aaliyah and one of her agents had pitched and inked a deal with Fox Searchlight Pictures for her to star in a film based upon a true story about interracial love.

Aaliyah is interred in the Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum in Hartsdale, New York.

Trivia

Aaliyah and former Beatle George Harrison made UK Chart History in January 2002 when they scored the first, and to this date only, back-to-back posthumous number one hits. Aaliyah's "To the higher degree a Woman", released on January 7 and topped the chart on January 13, was followed by Harrison's "My Sweet Lord", re-released on January 14 and topped the chart on January 20. In early/mid 2005 four previously unreleased Aaliyah tracks were leaked to the Internet: a remake of her aunt-by-marriage Gladys Knight's "Giving Higher", "In which May He Exist as" featuring Missy Elliot and Tweet (which was sent to radio stations), "Steady Ground" featuring Static from Playa, and a duet with Digital Black of Playa entitled "Dont Believe It Understand". Grammy-winning singer Gladys Knight was Aaliyah's aunt, by marriage.

Discography
Albums
Studio albums

Compilations

Chart Singles

Notes