75 Facts About Aaliyah

Aaliyah Dana Haughton was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model.

At the age of 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive Records and her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground Records.

Aaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her second album, One in a Million, which sold three million copies in the United States and more than eight million copies worldwide.

In 2000, Aaliyah made her acting debut in the action film Romeo Must Die, alongside Jet Li.

Aaliyah contributed to the film's soundtrack, which was supported by her single "Try Again".

Aaliyah's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the aircraft's operator, which was settled out of court.

Aaliyah's accolades include three American Music Awards and two MTV VMAs, along with five Grammy Award nominations.

Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16,1979, in Brooklyn, New York City, the younger child of Diane and Michael "Miguel" Haughton, a warehouse worker.

Aaliyah's mother stayed home and raised her and her brother.

Aaliyah's mother enrolled her in voice lessons at an early age.

Aaliyah attended a Catholic school, Gesu Elementary, where in first grade she was cast in the stage play Annie which inspired her to become an entertainer.

Aaliyah's mother was a vocalist, and her uncle Hankerson was an entertainment lawyer who had been married to Gladys Knight.

Aaliyah auditioned for several record labels and at age 11 appeared in concerts alongside Knight.

Aaliyah attended Detroit schools and believed she was well-liked, but she was teased for her short stature.

Aaliyah's mother told her to be happy she was small and complimented her.

Aaliyah had "learned to accept and love" herself and added: "the most important thing is to think highly of yourself because if you don't, no one else will".

Aaliyah held a 4.0 grade-point average when graduating from high school.

Aaliyah's sound was compared to that of female quartet En Vogue.

Aaliyah wrote that the songs on the album were "frequently better" than that of Kelly's second studio album, 12 Play.

In 1996, Aaliyah left Jive Records and signed with Atlantic Records.

Aaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott, who contributed to her second studio album, One in a Million.

In 1997 Aaliyah graduated with a 4.0 GPA from the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts, where she majored in drama.

Aaliyah contributed to the soundtrack album for the animated film Anastasia, performing a cover version of "Journey to the Past" that earned songwriters Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Aaliyah performed the song at the 1998 Academy Awards ceremony, becoming the youngest singer to perform at the event.

In 1999, Aaliyah landed her first big-screen acting role in Romeo Must Die.

Aaliyah starred opposite martial artist Jet Li, playing a couple who fall in love amid their warring families.

Aaliyah had not intended for her albums to have such a gap between them.

Aaliyah was released five years after One in a Million on July 17,2001, and it debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 187,000 copies in its first week.

Promotional posters for Aaliyah that had been put up in major cities such as New York and Los Angeles became makeshift memorials for grieving fans.

Houston recalled Aaliyah being "so enthusiastic" about the film; the project was shelved after she died.

Aaliyah herself said her vocal styling consisted of her singing softly while utilizing her falsetto.

Daryl Simmons the producer of "The One I Gave My Heart To", recalled Aaliyah doing opera vocal warm-up exercises in preparation for the songs recording.

Aaliyah "easily straddled the hip-hop and pop worlds, never projecting the frilliness of her ingenue peers".

In 2001, Aaliyah called her sound "street but sweet", pairing feminine vocals with a gritty urban rhythm track.

Aaliyah released "musically risky singles into a notoriously fickle pop market", without being "concerned about conforming to the stereotypes of the marketplace".

Aaliyah co-wrote that song with her brother Rashad Haughton, and "it reflects Aaliyah's dark perspective on romance".

Aaliyah portrayed "unfamiliar sounds, styles and emotions", but managed to please critics with the contemporary sound it contained.

Ernest Hardy of Rolling Stone felt that Aaliyah was displaying stronger technique, giving her best vocal performances on the album.

Aaliyah stated, "You can watch programming all day and see a certain type of video by female artists, "Then when one of hers comes on it's something special, something different to look at.

Aaliyah focused on her public image while protecting her private life.

Aaliyah often wore baggy clothes and sunglasses, stating that she wanted to be herself.

Aaliyah wore black clothing, starting a trend for similar fashion among women in United States and Japan.

For example, When she changed her hairstyle, Aaliyah took her mother's advice and covered her left eye, much like Veronica Lake.

Aaliyah was often praised for her "clean-cut image" and "moral values".

Aaliyah had the leading role in Romeo Must Die, which was a box office success.

Aaliyah was beautiful, but she didn't use her beauty to sell her music.

Aaliyah's family played a major role in the course of her career.

Aaliyah was known to have usually been accompanied by members of her family.

Aaliyah reportedly developed an intimate relationship with Kelly during the recording of her debut album.

Aaliyah, who was 15 at the time, was listed as 18 on the certificate; R Kelly was 27.

Kelly told me that he and Aaliyah got together, and it was just magic.

Aaliyah admitted in court documents that she had lied about her age.

Aaliyah was known to avoid answering questions about Kelly after the professional split.

Farley said Aaliyah responded with a "firm, frosty 'no" to both questions.

Vibe magazine said Aaliyah changed the subject anytime "you bring up the marriage with her".

In 2019, Damon Dash revealed to Hip Hop Motivation that Aaliyah did not even speak of her relationship with Kelly in private; he tried multiple times to discuss it with her, but she would only say that Kelly was a "bad man".

Dash said he was unable to watch Surviving R Kelly because its interviews with visibly traumatized girls struggling to discuss their encounters with Kelly reminded him of how Aaliyah behaved when trying to recount her relationship with Kelly.

Aaliyah has refused to discuss his relationship with her, citing her death.

Aaliyah was dating the co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records, Damon Dash, at the time of her death.

Aaliyah's body was set in a silver-plated copper-deposit casket, which was carried in a horse-drawn, glass hearse.

In May 2015, Aaliyah was featured on the Tink track "Million", which contained samples from her song "One in a Million".

MAC and i-D Magazine partnered up to release a short film titled "A-Z of Aaliyah" which coincided with the launch.

Four days later, Aaliyah's family announced that they were in talks with record companies to discuss the future of her discography.

Aaliyah's estate issued a statement in response to the announcement, denouncing the "unscrupulous endeavor to release Aaliyah's music without any transparency or full accounting to the estate".

In celebration of the reissue, Blackground released an animated commercial titled "It's Been A Long Time", directed by Takahiro Tanaka, showing Aaliyah resurrecting her music from out of a large underground vault.

Compilation albums I Care 4 U and Ultimate Aaliyah were reissued October 8,2021.

Peter Piatkowski from PopMatters, stated, "Much like Janet Jackson's Control set a template of sorts for dance-pop divas in the 1980s, Aaliyah's patented brand of Black pop, which was a melange of hip-hop, electropop, and soul, set a standard against which other young urban-pop singers were judged".

The publication mentioned that the forward-thinking music Aaliyah made with Timbaland and the experimental music being made by many underground alternative artists are "somewhat cut from the same cloth".

Aaliyah voiced her strong respect for Aaliyah before dropping out of the project.

Aaliyah explained her choice to withdraw from the film in videos on Instagram.

Aaliyah's family has been vocal in their disapproving of the film.

On June 14,2023, Aaliyah was the subject of the documentary Superstar: Aaliyah, which was broadcast on ABC.

At the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, Aaliyah was honored by Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Ginuwine and her brother, Rashad, who all paid tribute to her.

Also during 2001, the United States Social Security Administration ranked the name Aaliyah as one of the 100 most popular names for newborn girls.

In 2003, Aaliyah was ranked as one of "The Top 40 Women of the Video Era" in VH1's The Greatest series.