Career Timeline of Aaliyah: Major Achievements and Milestones
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Aaliyah made an impact.
Aaliyah Dana Haughton (1979-2001) was a highly influential American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the "Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop," she significantly impacted contemporary R&B, pop, and hip hop music. Her career, though tragically short, left a lasting legacy on music and popular culture.
1976: Sparkle Remake Mention
In 1976, the original film Sparkle was released, a film which Aaliyah was slated to star in a remake produced by Whitney Houston, before her death.
1989: Appearance on Star Search
In 1989, at the age of ten, Aaliyah appeared on Star Search, where she performed "My Funny Valentine", showcasing her early talent.
May 24, 1994: Release of Debut Album "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number"
On May 24, 1994, Aaliyah's debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, was released under the mononym "Aaliyah" by Jive and Blackground Records. It sold 38,000 copies in its first week.
1994: Release of "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number"
In 1994, Aaliyah's debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, was released. It was produced by R. Kelly and sold three million copies in the United States.
1994: Release of "Back & Forth" and other singles
In 1994, Aaliyah's debut single, "Back & Forth", peaked at number 5 on the Hot 100 and topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Other singles released included "At Your Best (You Are Love)" and "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number". She also released "The Thing I Like" for the film A Low Down Dirty Shame.
1995: Career Beginnings in the Netherlands
In 1995, Aaliyah's career began to take off when she appeared in the Netherlands. This period was captured in previously unseen footage that later became part of the Aaliyah Live in Amsterdam documentary.
1995: Aaliyah's father becomes her manager
In 1995, Aaliyah's father, Michael Haughton, became her personal manager, with her mother assisting him, highlighting the significant role her family played in her career.
1996: Signing with Atlantic Records and Production of "One in a Million"
In 1996, Aaliyah left Jive Records and signed with Atlantic Records. She began working with Timbaland and Missy Elliott on her second album, One in a Million.
1996: Release of "One in a Million" Album
In 1996, Aaliyah released her second album, One in a Million, working with producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott. The album sold three million copies in the United States.
1996: Vocal Styling on "Never Givin' Up"
In 1996, Aaliyah's vocal styling on "Never Givin' Up" showcased her ability to explore new vocal territories, as described by producer Craig King.
June 16, 1997: "One in a Million" certified double platinum
On June 16, 1997, Aaliyah's album "One in a Million" was certified double platinum by the RIAA, signifying shipments of two million copies.
1997: Aaliyah co-writes "Death of a Playa"
In 1997, Aaliyah co-wrote the song "Death of a Playa" from the "Hot Like Fire" single with her brother Rashad Haughton, marking the only time she contributed to writing her own lyrics. The song is said to reflect Aaliyah's dark perspective on romance.
1997: Vocal Performance on "The One I Gave My Heart To"
In 1997, Aaliyah's vocal performance on "The One I Gave My Heart To" showcased her ability to hit higher notes and her vocal range, surprising many with her opera vocal warm-ups.
1998: Academy Awards Performance and "Are You That Somebody?" Release
In 1998, Aaliyah performed "Journey to the Past" at the Academy Awards and released the song "Are You That Somebody?" for the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack, earning her first Grammy nomination.
1998: "Are You That Somebody?" cited as radical pop single
In 1998, music critic Simon Reynolds cited Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody?" as "the most radical pop single".
1999: Landing Role in "Romeo Must Die"
In 1999, Aaliyah landed her first big-screen acting role in Romeo Must Die, starring opposite Jet Li.
March 24, 2000: "Romeo Must Die" Movie Release
On March 24, 2000, the movie Romeo Must Die, starring Aaliyah, was released and grossed US$18.6 million in its first weekend, ranking number two at the box office.
2000: Acting Debut in "Romeo Must Die"
In 2000, Aaliyah made her acting debut in the film Romeo Must Die, alongside Jet Li, and contributed to the film's soundtrack, including the hit single "Try Again".
2000: "Try Again" Tops Billboard Hot 100
In 2000, Aaliyah served as an executive producer of the Romeo Must Die soundtrack, contributing four songs. "Try Again" topped the Billboard Hot 100 based solely on airplay, leading to a physical release. The music video won multiple awards.
March 2001: Album Recording Completed
In March 2001, Aaliyah finished recording her self-titled album, after a year of recording tracks that began in March of the previous year.
July 2001: Release of "Aaliyah" Album
In July 2001, Aaliyah released her self-titled third album, which topped the Billboard 200 chart and included the singles "We Need a Resolution", "Rock the Boat", and "More Than a Woman".
July 17, 2001: Release of Aaliyah's Third Album
On July 17, 2001, Aaliyah's third album, Aaliyah, was released five years after One in a Million. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 187,000 copies in its first week.
October 9, 2001: "Rock the Boat" Music Video Premiere
On October 9, 2001, the music video for Aaliyah's song "Rock the Boat" premiered on BET's Access Granted. This release occurred shortly after Aaliyah's death and there was uncertainty if the video would ever air.
2001: Aaliyah describes her sound as "street but sweet"
In 2001, Aaliyah described her sound as "street but sweet," combining feminine vocals with urban rhythms. She also expressed her love for fusing different music genres, including R&B, pop, hip hop, funk, soul, and dance-pop, into her work.
2001: Simultaneous Filming and Recording
In 2001, Aaliyah filmed Queen of the Damned while simultaneously recording her third album. The filming of Romeo Must Die and Queen of the Damned had delayed the album's release.
2001: Original 'Aaliyah' album commercial release
In 2001, there was an original release of the album Aaliyah. In celebration of the reissue, Blackground released an animated commercial titled "It's Been A Long Time" (in a similar style to the album's original 2001 commercial), directed by Takahiro Tanaka, showing Aaliyah resurrecting her music from out of a large underground vault.
2001: Impact on R&B and Pop Music
In a 2001 review of her third album, Ernest Hardy from Rolling Stone professed that Aaliyah's impact on R&B and pop music has been enormous.
February 2002: Release of 'Queen of the Damned'
In February 2002, Aaliyah's second and final film, Queen of the Damned, was released. Before its release, Aaliyah's brother, Rashad, re-dubbed some of her lines during post-production after her passing. The movie ranked number one at the box office during its first weekend.
December 2002: Posthumous Album 'I Care 4 U' Released
In December 2002, Aaliyah's first posthumous album, I Care 4 U, was released. It featured previously unreleased material and proceeds were donated to the Aaliyah Memorial Fund, which benefits the Revlon UCLA Women's Cancer Research Program and Harlem's Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200.
2003: VH1's The Greatest Series Ranking
In 2003, Aaliyah was ranked as one of "The Top 40 Women of the Video Era" in VH1's The Greatest series. Also, in 2003 in memory of Aaliyah, the Entertainment Industry Foundation created the Aaliyah Memorial Fund to donate money raised to charities she supported.
April 2005: Release of 'Ultimate Aaliyah' in the UK
In April 2005, Aaliyah's second posthumous album, a double CD+DVD box set titled Ultimate Aaliyah, was released in the United Kingdom by Blackground Records.
2011: Release of Aaliyah Live in Amsterdam documentary
In 2011, shortly before the tenth anniversary of Aaliyah's death, Aaliyah Live in Amsterdam, a documentary movie by Pogus Caesar, was released. The documentary contained previously unseen footage shot of Aaliyah's career beginnings in 1995 when she was appearing in the Netherlands.
March 2012: Announcement of Posthumous Album Inclusion
In March 2012, music producer Jeffrey "J-Dub" Walker announced that the song "Steady Ground", which he produced for Aaliyah's third album, would be included in a posthumous Aaliyah album, though Aaliyah's brother Rashad denied Walker's claim.
August 5, 2012: Release of "Enough Said"
On August 5, 2012, Blackground Records released the track "Enough Said," produced by Noah "40" Shebib and featuring Canadian rapper Drake.
June 2013: Aaliyah Featured on Chris Brown's Track
In June 2013, Aaliyah was featured on the track "Don't Think They Know" by Chris Brown, which appears on Brown's sixth studio album, X.
2014: "Age Ain't Nothing But A Number" estimated global sales
In 2014, Vibe magazine estimated that Aaliyah's debut album "Age Ain't Nothing But A Number" had sold six million copies globally.
May 2015: Aaliyah Featured on Tink Track
In May 2015, Aaliyah was featured on the Tink track "Million", which contained samples from her song "One in a Million".
December 25, 2015: Timbaland Releases Mixtape with Unreleased Aaliyah Song
On December 25, 2015, Timbaland released the mixtape Kings Stay Kings which includes the unreleased Aaliyah song "Shakin" featuring rapper Strado.
August 2021: Announcement of Aaliyah's Music Re-release and Estate's Denouncement
In August 2021, Blackground Records announced that Aaliyah's recorded works would be re-released on physical, digital, and streaming services. Aaliyah's estate issued a statement denouncing the "unscrupulous endeavor to release Aaliyah's music without any transparency or full accounting to the estate".
August 25, 2021: Announcement of Posthumous Album 'Unstoppable'
On August 25, 2021, Barry Hankerson revealed that a posthumous album titled Unstoppable would be released in "a matter of weeks". The album was set to feature Drake, Snoop Dogg, Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, and Future and use previously unreleased vocals from before Aaliyah's passing.
September 10, 2021: Reissue of Aaliyah Album
Aaliyah was reissued on September 10, 2021. After the album's re-release, Aaliyah re-entered the UK Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart Top 40 at number seven and re-entered the US Billboard 200 chart at number 13.
October 8, 2021: Reissue of 'I Care 4 U' and 'Ultimate Aaliyah' Compilation Albums
Compilation albums I Care 4 U and Ultimate Aaliyah were reissued October 8, 2021. Ultimate Aaliyah peaked at number 8 on the UK R&B Albums Chart Top 40 and charted for the first time in the US at number 41 on the Billboard 200.
December 17, 2021: Release of "Poison" Featuring The Weeknd
On December 17, 2021, Blackground Records released the posthumous Aaliyah single "Poison" featuring The Weeknd.
January 4, 2022: Claim of 'Unstoppable' Release Later That Month
On January 4, 2022, Hankerson claimed that Unstoppable would be released later that month, however, it did not see a release and there was no related announcement from the label.
January 2024: Hint of 'Unstoppable' Release
In January 2024, Blackground Records hinted in an Instagram post that the release of Unstoppable was "coming".
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