Aaliyah: Star Interrupted
April 13, 2009 by soul_editor
Filed under Featured Artists
Aaliyah
In the span of her short career Aaliyah established herself as a talented R&B trendsetter.
Playing a key role in establishing the stuttering production style that characterized hip hop and urban soul in the nineties, Aaliyah was destined for fame.
Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16, 1979 in Brooklyn New York. Raised in Detroit, she first caught the attention of the nation in 1983 while appearing on the television show Star Search at the age of 9.
Aaliyah did not join the music industry just then. Instead she returned home and subsequently enrolled in the Performing Arts High School in Detroit to major in dance. Her musical career took off after she met singer/songwriter R. Kelly. Kelly helped her record her debut album Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number in 1994. The title of the album was apparently a reference to her short marriage with Kelly which got annulled because she was only 15 at the time. The album included the R&B No.1 hit, Back & Forth and the No.2 At Your Best (You Are Love).
In 1996 Aaliyah released her second album One in A Million for which she worked with several producers. Notable among them was Timbaland and songwriter Missy Elliot. The album was a huge success, going double platinum and catapulting the young singer into the big league.
In 1998 two of Aaliyah’s film soundtrack numbers were released as singles. Journey to the Past from Anastasia was nominated for an Oscar while Are You That Somebody? from Doctor Doolittle became a major hit.
Aaliyah soon caught the attention of film producer Joel Silver (of The Matrix) and was cast in Romeo Must Die (2000) alongside Jet Li. Aaliyah launched her film career with this box office hit. Roles in Queen of the Damned (2002) and the two sequels to The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003) soon followed.
Try Again from the soundtrack of Romeo Must Die was Aliyah’s first number one on the pop charts. It also won her several MTV Video awards and a Grammy nomination.
In 2001 Aaliyah also found time to release her third album, Aaliyah. The album marked her transition to a more mature sound and her collaboration with Timbaland was rated as very progressive. The album shot to the second spot on the Billboard charts on its release and was favourably reviewed.
Tragically Aaliyah’s unfolding career was nipped in the bud a month later. On August 25, 2001 while returning from the Bahamas, her plane crashed killing most of its passengers, including Aaliyah. The singer had been filming the video for Rock The Boat and was returning to Florida. Aaliyah was only 22 yeas old.
The sympathy wave that followed pushed Aaliyah’s last album to the top if the charts. More Than A Woman and Rock the Boat went onto become Top Ten Hits. More than A Woman also topped the UK charts, making Aaliyah the first female artist to do so posthumously.
The film Queen of the Damned, released after Aaliyah’s death, became a box office success. In 2002 a compilation of some of Aaliyah’s best tracks together with some previously unreleased material was released as I Care 4 You. The title track broke into the Top 20 pop charts while Miss You went on to top the R&B charts in 2003.
Aaliyah once said on MTV Diary : “I want people to remember me as a full-on entertainer and a good person.” After her death Aaliyah’s wish came true.
TJ Grooves - Soul Music TV & Rare Soul Grooves.com
Aaliyah was so pretty and talented. When I think of what she could have accomplished had she lived I feel so bad.
In just a few short years Aaliyah left her mark undeniably on the music industry. Miss you girl!
There have been suggestions in the press (or rather, the tabloids) that Aaliyah’s popularity soared because of her untimely death. I personally think that she was an extraordinary artist in her own right. Would be interested to hear what others have to say.