Aaliyah would have been 41 years old today had she not passed away in a plane crash in 2001 at the age of 22. The singer, actress, and model was born in Brooklyn but was raised in Detroit. Her first appearance on TV was when she was 10, in the show Star Search. Prior to this, she had been performing in her church choir as well as the occasional charity events and weddings. Aaliyah also liked singing to her grandmother.
When she was in first grade, she landed a role in a school play and this was when she knew she wanted to become an entertainer. Aaliyah had solid connections into the music industry. Her uncle Barry was an entertainment lawyer and his wife was a legendary music artist. She started touring with her aunt and at 12 years, her uncle gave her a record deal.
Before she passed away, Aaliyah had released three studio albums, Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number, One In a Million, and Aaliyah. She also appeared in several films and had planned to accomplish so many other things. Here is a list of what she had achieved and what her future plans were.
15 Aaliyah Loved School
Even though Aaliyah started her music career early, her studies always came first. She valued her education because she would have something to fall back on if she failed to make it in the entertainment world. At Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts, she managed to maintain a perfect 4.0-grade point average.
14 She Was A Tomboy
No doubt, Aaliyah was a tomboy. She was rarely in skirts. The R&B singer once made a bet with Missy Elliott to see who would be the first to step out in a dress. Aaliyah also had Caribbean roots and her stylist tried to incorporate a little of Jamaican heritage into her wardrobe.
13 Aaliyah Was Born Into Fame
Aaliyah had famous relatives in the music industry. One of her uncles was Barry Hankerson who owned Blackground Records. Uncle Barry was also married to the legendary musician Gladys Knight. When she was just 11 years old, Aaliyah had the opportunity to perform an opening act for Knight in Las Vegas.
12 Aaliyah Signed Her First Record Deal At Age 12
Blackground Records had a distribution deal with Jive Records and together they were the ones who produced Aaliyah’s first album, Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number. Barry was also the one who introduced Aaliyah to the famous R&B singer R. Kelly who was the lead producer and songwriter of her first songs.
11 She Released Her First Album At 14
Although Aaliyah signed her first record deal at 12, she released her first album, Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number, two years later when she was 14. The album went ahead to sell 74,000 copies within its first week of release and eventually sold over three million copies in the United States. Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number was also certified double platinum by the RIAA.
10 The Singer Had A Number Of Awards
Aaliyah had only won two awards before her death, a Best Female Video award and a Best Video From a Film award. However, she had started gaining immense recognition for her work in the music and film industry. In total, she was nominated for 84 awards. She was honored with 12 other awards in a span of four years after her death.
9 Aaliyah Was The Youngest Person To Perform At The Oscars
In 1998, Aaliyah performed her version of Journey to the Past at the Oscars. She made history by becoming the youngest person to perform during the live ceremony at the age of 19. The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song but it did not win. However, the opportunity and recognition was a big deal for Aaliyah.
8 She Had Only One No. 1 Song
Aaliyah’s song Try Again in her first album was a soundtrack for the film Romeo Must Die. It was the only song from the singer that ever reached no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also made history by being the first song to reach the top position just from airplay.
7 She Had A Signature Hairstyle
Aaliyah was a shy girl but she hid it very well. She liked wearing shades so that people would not pick up on her shyness. She also wore her hair in such a way that it covered her left eye. At first, people thought she had an eye problem, but later they discovered that the hairstyle and shades were all just part of her style.
6 She Was A Tommy Hilfiger Ambassador
Singer Aaliyah also modeled Tommy Hilfiger merchandise. During the campaign, the designer sold over 2,400 pairs of the red, white, and blue baggy jeans. On seeing how successful the campaign was, the corporation decided to produce another 5,000 pairs of the same jeans. When not campaigning for Hilfiger, Aaliyah mostly wore Roberto Cavalli clothing.
