Aaliyah grew up in Detroit, Michigan, where her family moved when she was 5 years old. At the age of 9, she did her first ever live performance on national television for the show star search. She sang My Funny Valentine to her Mother. Two years later, her talent gave her a chance to sing with Gladys Night in Las Vegas. Her uncle, Barry Hankerson, helped her out. Hankerson was a longtime music industry fixture and the CEO of the artists Management Corporation Blackground Enterprises. Aaliyah was then introduced to R. Kelly in 1992. Working with him, her 1994 debut album Age Ain't Nothing But A Number was released. Soon after she majored in dance from the Detroit H.S. for Performing Arts. After much success with the debut album, she went back to the studio working with Jermaine Dupri, Timberland and Slick Rick for the second album. That second album, One In A Million, with a new edge and more style, was released in August of 1996. Aaliyah then went on to make two soundtracks. One for "Dr. Dolittle" and one for "Anastasia". In 1998, Aaliyah was the youngest artist (at 18) to sing an Oscar-nominated song at the Academy Awards. Her third album, self-titled, was scheduled to come out in the April of 1998, but with her tight schedule she wasn't able to finish it. In 2000, she made her movie debut in Romeo Must Die alongside Jet Li and DMX. Aaliyah's third album, self-titled, was released in 2001, with more edge and soul than ever before. Tragically, in August of that year Aaliyah's plane crashed in the Bahamas, where she had just finished shooting her second single "Rock The Boat". Aaliyah died along with members of her record company. Aaliyah was a great R&B singer and she will forever be missed by the music community.
R.I.P. Babygirl. |
