Despite Not Even Winning, Whitney Houston's Nomination In The Category Alone Received Loud Boos From The Audience

Whitney Houston is known around the world as The Voice. Her gift of music was apparent in every song she sang. Houston's talent touched the lives of millions. Her career took off right from the start when her self-titled debut album was released in 1985.

However, not everyone was a fan of Houston. In fact, some of Houston's harshest critics came from within her own community. These particular criticisms stung quite harshly for Houston, who experienced them a lot early in her career.

Things came to ahead in 1989 at the Soul Train Music Awards, where Houston was booed by the audience as her name was read. The incident would scar the singer, but she would eventually achieve a level of success that shut down all of her critics.

Whitney Was Booed At The Soul Train Music Awards Because She Wasn't Considered 'Black Enough'

In 1988, Houston was nominated in two categories at the Soul Train Music Awards. She won the Best Female Album of the Year award for "Whitney." However, she didn't win the Best Music Video award for "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)." That award went to Janet Jackson for "Control." Jackson even beat out her brother Michael, who was nominated for "The Way You Make Me Feel."

As both Jacksons' names were read during the nominations, the audience erupted in screams and applause. However, when Houston's name was read, the applause was mixed with several boos from the crowd. A year later in 1989, Houston was nominated again. She was nominated for Best Female R&B/Urban Contemporary Single for her hit "Where Do Broken Hearts Go."

This time, as Houston's name was read, the boos were even louder. She spoke about the incident with Katie Couric on Dateline in 1996.

"It's not a good feeling," Houston said. "It is horrible and it's kind of funny, you go, 'Are they booing me?' And you have to sit there and be cordial and be smiling like everything is okay. And you're feeling like, 'Oh my God, they're not booing me, are they?'"

The reason for the boos was because of the perception some within the Black community had of Houston. Some believed she had "sold out" and was "too white."

"Sometimes it gets down to that," Houston said. "You're not Black enough for them. I don't know, you're not R&B enough. You're very pop. The white audience has taken you away from them."

In 1991, Houston appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show and spoke about the controversy.

"I got a lot of flak about 'I sing too white.' I think that maybe that’s where it comes from," she said. "I grew up on Soul Train just like every other Black kid, you know? I do sing the way God intended for me to sing and I’m using what He gave me and I’m using it to the best of my ability."

Whitney's Former Saxophonist Said He Doesn't Think She Ever Recovered From Being Booed

Despite putting up a good front for the public, Houston is said to have struggled with the incident behind-the-scenes.

The topic was discussed in the documentary Whitney: Can I Be Me, released after Houston's death. Her former saxophonist Kirk Whalum spoke about the effect the moment had on Houston. According to him, the impact was more serious than people realized.

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"I don’t think she ever recovered from it," Whalum said. "It was one of those boxes that was checked, that when she ultimately perished it was because of those boxes."

In Whitney: Can I Be Me, it was revealed that Houston's early sound and image was intentional. Arista Records' head of promotion was quoted as saying, "Anything that was too ‘Black-sounding’ was sent back to the studio. We didn’t want a female James Brown."

Arista promoter Doug Daniel once told Broomfield that while Houston's pop-friendly sound did wonders for her commercial appeal, "to the Black ear, these records did not have a natural feel."

"For the Black audience," he said, "the perspective in the community was that Whitney had sold out."

'The Bodyguard' Helped Whitney Overcome The Backlash As Her Career Soared To New Heights

Some believe the backlash subsided when Houston experienced enormous success following the release of The Bodyguard. The film would be Houston's first starring role in a film and she would contribute to the soundtrack.

However, as her co-star Kevin Costner said during his eulogy at Houston's funeral, her race almost got in the way of this moment as well.

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"I was reminded that this would be her first acting role," he said. "We could also think about another singer was a suggestion. Maybe somebody white. Nobody ever said it out loud, but it was a fair question. It was. There would be a lot riding on this. Maybe a more experienced actress was the way to go. It was clear I really had to think about this."

However, Costner said that he didn't believe Houston's race should stand in the way of her being in the film.

When The Bodyguard was released, Houston's star rose even higher. Her rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" became a huge hit. It went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for 14 weeks. At the time, this set a record for the longest-running number one on the chart. It also became Houston's signature song.

Houston's acting was praised by some reviewers and the film did very well at the box office. It became the second highest-grossing film of 1992 and the 10th highest-grossing film of all time. In 2000, the Soul Train Music Awards honored Houston as the Female Artist of the Decade.