Aaliyah Dana Haughton was an American R&B singer, dancer, fashion model, and actress born on January 16, 1979, in Brooklyn, New York. She rose to fame during the mid-1990s whilst working alongside Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott, Timothy Timbaland, and their associate, Steve 'Static' Garrett. The name Aaliyah means 'the highest most exalted one, the best', in Arabic.

Her mother, Diane Haughton, was a gifted vocalist and fundamental in fostering Aaliyah's interest in music. Her uncle, Barry Hankerson, is a prominent personality in the music industry; her aunt, Galdys Knight, is a renowned soul singer. Aaliyah signed her first music contract with her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground Records at the age of 14, in 1993. She released her debut album, 'Age Ain't Nothing but a Number' in 1994, at age 15, under the guidance of R. Kelly who wrote most of her songs and produced the album. The album went platinum within months of being released. Her second album, 'One in a Million', was primarily written and produced by Missy Elliot and Timothy Timbaland. Released on August 27, 1996, it went double platinum within the next year. Aaliyah's 'street but sweet' image landed her, her first endorsement deal with Tommy Hilfiger. Her first Hollywood appearance was in the action movie 'Romeo Must Die', opposite Jet Li, which was released in 2000 and debuted at #2 at the box office. She went to Australia in 2001 to co-star in the movie 'Queen of the Damned' alongside Stuart Townsend, and also released her third album titled 'Aaliyah' in July that same year.

Aaliyah recorded seven No. One R&B hits, and seven Top Ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. She sold over 25 million records worldwide before passing away in a plane crash at the age of 22, in 2001.