Aaliyah Dana Haughton was an American singer and actress.
75 Facts About Aaliyah
2.
At the age of 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive Records and her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground Records.
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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.
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In 2000, Aaliyah appeared in her first film, Romeo Must Die.
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Aaliyah contributed to the film's soundtrack, which spawned the single "Try Again".
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Aaliyah's accolades include three American Music Awards and two MTV VMAs, along with five Grammy Award nominations.
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Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16,1979, in Brooklyn, New York, the younger child of Diane and Michael "Miguel" Haughton, a warehouse worker.
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Aaliyah's mother enrolled her in voice lessons at an early age.
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Aaliyah started performing at weddings, church choir, and charity events.
10.
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.
11.
Aaliyah's mother stayed home and raised Aaliyah and her brother.
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Aaliyah's mother was a vocalist, and her uncle Hankerson was an entertainment lawyer who had been married to Gladys Knight.
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Aaliyah auditioned for several record labels and at age 11 appeared in concerts alongside Knight.
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Aaliyah had several pet animals during her childhood, including ducks, snakes and iguanas.
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When she was growing up, Aaliyah attended Detroit schools and believed she was well-liked, but got teased for her short stature.
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Aaliyah recalled coming into her own before age 15 and came to love her height.
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Aaliyah's mother told her to be happy she was small and complimented her.
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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".
19.
Aaliyah, who maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average when graduating from high school, felt education was important.
20.
Aaliyah saw fit to keep her grades up despite the pressures and time constraints brought on her during the early parts of her career.
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Aaliyah called herself a perfectionist and recalled always being a good student.
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Aaliyah believed that she could teach music history or open her own school to teach that or drama if she did not make a living as a recording artist because, as she reasoned, "when you pick a career it has to be something you love".
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Aaliyah's sound was compared to that of female quartet En Vogue.
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Aaliyah wrote that the songs on the album were "frequently better" than that of Kelly's second studio album, 12 Play.
25.
In 1996, Aaliyah left Jive Records and signed with Atlantic Records.
26.
Aaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott, who contributed to her second studio album, One in a Million.
27.
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.
28.
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.
29.
Aaliyah performed the song at the 1998 Academy Awards ceremony, becoming the youngest singer to perform at the event.
30.
In 1999, Aaliyah landed her first big-screen acting role in Romeo Must Die.
31.
Aaliyah starred opposite martial artist Jet Li, playing a couple who fall in love amid their warring families.
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Aaliyah had not intended for her albums to have such a gap between them.
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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.
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Houston recalled Aaliyah being "so enthusiastic" about the film; the project was shelved after she died.
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In 2001, Aaliyah called her sound "street but sweet", pairing feminine vocals with a gritty urban rhythm track.
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Aaliyah co-wrote that song with her brother Rashad Haughton, and "it reflects Aaliyah's dark perspective on romance".
37.
Aaliyah portrayed "unfamiliar sounds, styles and emotions", but managed to please critics with the contemporary sound it contained.
38.
Ernest Hardy of Rolling Stone felt that Aaliyah was displaying stronger technique, giving her best vocal performances.
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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.
40.
Aaliyah focused on her public image while protecting her private life.
41.
Aaliyah often wore baggy clothes and sunglasses, stating that she wanted to be herself.
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Aaliyah wore black clothing, starting a trend for similar fashion among women in United States and Japan.
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When she changed her hairstyle, Aaliyah took her mother's advice and covered her left eye, much like Veronica Lake.
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Aaliyah was praised for her "clean-cut image" and "moral values".
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Aaliyah's family played a major role in the course of her career.
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Aaliyah was known to have usually been accompanied by members of her family.
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Aaliyah, who was 15 at the time, was listed as 18 on the certificate; R Kelly was 27.
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Aaliyah reportedly developed an intimate relationship with Kelly during the recording of her debut album.
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Kelly told me that he and Aaliyah got together, and it was just magic.
50.
Aaliyah admitted in court documents that she had lied about her age.
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Aaliyah was known to avoid answering questions about Kelly after the professional split.
52.
Farley said Aaliyah responded with a "firm, frosty 'no'" to both questions.
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Vibe magazine said Aaliyah changed the subject anytime "you bring up the marriage with her".
54.
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".
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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.
56.
Aaliyah has refused to discuss his relationship with her, citing her death.
57.
Aaliyah was dating the co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records, Damon Dash, at the time of her death.
58.
Aaliyah's body was set in a silver-plated copper-deposit casket, which was carried in a horse-drawn, glass hearse.
59.
In June 2013, Aaliyah was featured on a new track by Chris Brown, titled "Don't Think They Know"; with Aaliyah singing the song's hook.
60.
Aaliyah exclaimed, "Aaliyah music only work with its soulmate, which is me".
61.
Aaliyah was featured on the Tink track "Million", which was released in May 2015 and contained samples from her song "One in a Million".
62.
The 'Kings Stay Kings' mixtape was released on Christmas 2015 and it included an unreleased Aaliyah song titled "Shakin" featuring rapper Strado.
63.
The lifesize figure was modelled on Aaliyah's iconic "Try Again" outfit and makeup.
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Four days later, Aaliyah's family announced that they were in talks with record companies to discuss the future of her discography, with a view of making it available for download and streaming.
65.
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.
66.
Compilation albums I Care 4 U and Ultimate Aaliyah were reissued October 8,2021.
67.
On December 14,2021, it was announced that a new single would be released by Aaliyah, featuring The Weeknd.
68.
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".
69.
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".
70.
Aaliyah voiced her strong respect for Aaliyah before dropping out of the project.
71.
Aaliyah explained her choice to withdraw from the film in videos on Instagram.
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Aaliyah's family has been vocal in their disapproving of the film.
73.
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.
74.
Also during 2001, the United States Social Security Administration ranked the name Aaliyah as one of the 100 most popular names for newborn girls.
75.
In 2003 Aaliyah was ranked as one of "The Top 40 Women of the Video Era" in VH1's The Greatest series.