Aaliyah discography

Aaliyah discography
Studio albums3
Compilation albums2
Video albums3
Music videos32
Singles31
Soundtrack albums9

American singer Aaliyah has released three studio albums, two compilation albums, and 31 singles. Aaliyah was born in Brooklyn, New York City and was raised in Detroit, Michigan.[1][2][3] At age 10, she appeared on Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight.[1][4] At age 12, Aaliyah signed a deal with Jive Records and Blackground Records.[5][6] During that time, she met R. Kelly through her uncle Barry Hankerson; eventually, he became her mentor, sole lead songwriter, and producer for her debut album.[7][8] Released in 1994, Aaliyah's debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold three million copies in the United States.[9][10] Months after the release of her album, Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive and signed with Atlantic Records due to allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly.[11]

In 1996, Aaliyah worked with unknown record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her second album, One in a Million.[3] The album was a commercial success selling three million copies in the United States and over eight million worldwide.[10][12] While working in between albums, she contributed to several movie soundtracks before starring in her debut feature film, Romeo Must Die, in 2000.[13][14] Aaliyah executive produced the film's soundtrack and contributed four songs, including "Try Again".[13] "Try Again" topped the Billboard Hot 100 solely on radio airplay, making Aaliyah the first artist in Billboard history to achieve this feat.[15] Aaliyah earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocalist for the song.[16]

After completing Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah shot her second film Queen of the Damned and released her third and final album, Aaliyah, in 2001.[13] A little over a month after her album's release, Aaliyah died in a plane crash in the Bahamas after filming the music video for her single "Rock the Boat".[17][18] In the wake of her death, Aaliyah has achieved commercial success with several posthumous releases.

As of December 2008, Aaliyah has sold 8.1 million albums in the United States and an estimated 24 to 32 million albums worldwide.[19][20][21][22] On the Billboard Hot 100, Aaliyah has spent 289 weeks on the chart,[23] while her three studio albums and two compilation albums have spent 202 weeks on the Billboard 200 Chart, as of May 2023.[24]

  1. ^ a b Huey, Steve. "Aaliyah > Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  2. ^ Kenyatta 2002, p. 3
  3. ^ a b Bogdanov, Woodstra & Erlewine 2002, p. 1
  4. ^ Sutherland 2005, p. 15
  5. ^ Farley 2002, p. 35
  6. ^ "Aaliyah". The Daily Telegraph. November 22, 2001. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  7. ^ "Aaliyah: Latest Victim of Crashes That Cut Short Fame – Obituary". Ebony. FindArticles. November 2001. Archived from the original on 15 April 2008. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  8. ^ Dansby, Andrew (August 27, 2001). "Aaliyah Dies in Plane Crash". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on 23 June 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  9. ^ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  10. ^ a b "Aaliyah Returns To Music". Billboard. July 20, 2001. Archived from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved May 10, 2022 – via Wayback Machine.
  11. ^ Perrone, Pierre (August 27, 2001). "Aaliyah – Obituaries, News". The Independent. Independent News & Media. Archived from the original on June 6, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  12. ^ Simmonds 2008, p. 454
  13. ^ a b c Pareles, Jon (August 27, 2001). "Aaliyah, 22, Singer Who First Hit the Charts at 14". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
  14. ^ Wolk, Josh (March 26, 2000). "'Romeo' and Julia". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
  15. ^ "Chart Beat Bonus". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. August 31, 2001. Archived from the original on 2 August 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  16. ^ "R&B's Aaliyah dies in plane crash". BBC News. August 26, 2001. Archived from the original on 23 June 2009. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
  17. ^ Schumacher-Rasmussen, Eric (August 26, 2001). "Aaliyah Killed In Plane Crash". MTV News. Archived from the original on 18 April 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
  18. ^ "U.S. investigators to probe Aaliyah crash". CNN. August 27, 2001. Archived from the original on 13 April 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
  19. ^ Caulfield, Keith (December 12, 2008). "Ask Billboard: 'Titanic,' Mid-'90s Singers, Tori Amos". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  20. ^ Trust, Gary (October 10, 2009). "Ask Billboard: How Popular Is Country Music?". Billboard. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  21. ^ BET.com News Staff (December 19, 2008). "Canadian R&B Singer Selected to Play Aaliyah in Biopic". BET. Archived from the original on August 29, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  22. ^ Mcrady, Rachel (January 16, 2014). "Aaliyah's Would-Be 35th Birthday, Drake, Missy Elliott Remember Late Singer". Us Weekly. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  23. ^ "Aaliyah Chart History Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  24. ^ "Aaliyah Chart History Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 28 May 2023.