Aaliyah Haughton would have turned 37 today, but her soulful yet short reign will always be remembered. Not only is she credited for helping shape the sound of contemporary R&B in the mid to late 90’s but also allowing the wider acceptance of other young R&B and soul artists.
In regards to her influences, Haughton looked up to a wide range of artists including popular girl group En Vogue, the beautiful and flamboyant Prince, as well as the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. These performers and their influence are highly evident in her past music videos, most notably ‘Rock The Boat’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5AAcgtMjUI
Her soft soprano voice made her voice instantly recognizable by critics and music radio lovers. She constantly received universal acclaim for her tone and way of singing from Rolling Stone to Entertainment Weekly, to The Wire.
Overall, while Aaliyah wasn’t considered a vocal powerhouse, her way of conveying raw emotion through her unmasked voice made her songs (like ‘Are You That Somebody’) more profoundly relatable.
Only releasing three studio albums in her career, Aaliyah still managed to make a proud impact around the world. Her estimated album sales are 30 million worldwide and she still managed 13 top 40 U.S. singles as well as 18 top 40 U.K. singles.
Aaliyah, her third and final studio album, is widely seen as one of the most successful, diverse and best R&B albums of all times. It’s fusion of electronica, alternative rock, neo-soul, dance-pop, and funk makes the record more fun and easily grabs the listener.
We also can’t forget her surprising dive into film with Queen Of The Damned. In the end, Aaliyah did everything from music to film and we are very proud of all her accomplishments.
Time and time again, we remain to continue and honor the Princess of R&B for contributing and leaving a mark on the hearts of many around the world. Tag us on Twitter @CelebMix and let us know your favorite Aaliyah record!