Aaliyah Biography

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Biography of Aaliyah Talented. Beautiful. Modest. These three words described R&B singer-turned-actress Aaliyah perfectly. Born in Brooklyn, New York but raised in Detroit, Aaliyah got her first major exposure appearing on the syndicated television series "Star Search" (1983) where she awed the audience with her amazing voice and talent. Withdrawing from the celebrity scene for a few years, Aaliyah lived the life of a normal teenage girl, attending Detroit's Performing Arts High School where she majored in dance. It was around this same time that Aaliyah met singer/composer R. Kelly. Kelly assisted Aaliyah with the production of her debut album "Age Ain't Nothing But A number" which scored several number hits, specifically "Back and…show more content…
With her determination and sex appeal, Aaliyah won Silver over and was cast in her first major film role. Romeo Must Die (2000) was a hit at the box office. This film led to her being cast as one of the stars of the film based on Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned (2002) and in the two sequels to the major box office hit, The Matrix (1999). During the busy schedule of her film career, Aaliyah took time to record her third album, the self-titled "Aaliyah". July 2001 was a busy time for Aaliyah. After the sucess of her song "Try Again" for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award and won several MTV Video Awards, Aaliyah finally released her "Aaliyah" album. Debuting at number two on the Billboard charts, "Aaliyah" was a sales success despite many lack-lustre reviews it received. In August 2001, Aaliyah took time off from her busy album promotional tour to fly to the Bahamas to film a video for the song "Rock the Boat". The video, filmed on Abaco Island, was directed by Hype Williams, a major music video director known for his style and wit. On August 25, 2001, after filming the video, Aaliyah and about 9-11 of her entourage took off from Marsh Harbour airport at 6:50pm EDT in a small Cessna 404 en…show more content…
Aaliyah was raised by her father, mother and brother Rashad Haughton in Detroit. At age 9 she appeared on "Star Search" (1983), the TV program and sang "My Funny Valentine", a song which her mother had sung years earlier. At age 11, she sang with Gladys Knight in a five-night stint in Las Vegas. In 1992, she began to work on her debut album with the help of singer R. Kelly. The album, "Age Ain't Nothing But A Number" was released in 1994 and received heavy praise. Aaliyah came under attack shortly after when reports suggested she was married to R. Kelly. At the time, she was 15, he was 27. The marriage was apparently annulled. In 1995, she began to work on her 2nd album, alongside Jermaine Dupri, Tim Mosley, Slick Rick and Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott'. The album, titled 'One In A Million' was released on August 27th 1996. In 1998 she released the single, 'Are you that somebody?' from the Doctor Dolittle (1998) soundtrack, it was produced by her friends Tim Mosley. Later that year she released the single 'Journey to the past', from the Anastasia (1997) soundtrack. In 2000, she made her film acting debut and starred as Trish O'Day in the smash hit, hip-hop, kung fu film, Romeo Must Die (2000) alongside Jet Li. The producer was so impressed by her performance she got parts in The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003). She made numerous records for the

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