My earliest memory of Aaliyah’s music is listening to her debut album as a kid, on the car rides home from school where the R&B singer joined the likes of Mary J. Blige and Jodeci. My childhood friend Bini and I would pump up the volume of the stereo system, back in the days when cassettes were still played and bomber jackets were in vogue. We would religiously lower the windows, come rain or shine and allow pedestrians to share in our automobile bloc party. Swaying in the Benz, bass turned up high, “Age Ain't Nothing but a Number” and “Back & Forth” would be played on repeat - a feat that needed a certain degree of dedication as one would have to manually rewind the cassette! Revelling in those smooth as honey vocals, Aaliyah would permeate the air, traffic light after traffic light...

The New York born, Detroit raised singer, had her first taste of the limelight on the television programme 'Star Search' when she was eleven years old. By the time Aaliyah reached the tender age of twelve, under the guidance of her uncle Barry Hankerson; the young singer had accompanied veteran Gladys Knight on stage and had signed with Jive Records. Soon after, she received mentoring from R Kelly.

At nineteen, the songstress had signed with Atlantic Records and was working with the likes of Timbaland and Missy Elliot. Her sultry vocals captivated the R&B community with the release of her debut single “Back & Forth” and a star was born. Her meteoric rise to stardom saw the artist maintain consistency throughout her decade long career with many of her releases becoming world-wide hits.

In 2000, the singer appeared in her first major film role in the Joel Silver produced martial arts film ‘Romeo Must Die’, starring opposite Jet Li. In addition to acting in the Hollywood box office hit, Aaliyah contributed four songs to the soundtrack and served as an executive producer of the soundtrack. Out of these tracks, “Try Again” written and produced by Static Major and Timbaland, topped the Billboard Hot 100 - becoming the first song to reach number one on the Billboards based solely on the strength of its radio airplay. “Try Again” earned Aaliyah a Grammy nomination for ‘Best Female R&B Vocalist’ and the infectious track went on to become somewhat of an anthem; cementing Aaliyah’s reputation as the undisputed Princess of R&B. The slick video received two MTV Video Music Awards and is widely regarded as one of the artist’s finest.

With the world at her feet, tragedy was to strike the star. After the completion of the video shoot for “Rock the Boat”, the twenty-two year old was killed in a plane crash as she left the Bahamas. Aaliyah’s untimely passing sent shock waves through the industry. All concurred - her flame had been extinguished much before its time. To her fans, an angel had been lost.

From “Journey to the Past” - the Academy Award nominated theme song to ‘Anastasia’, to the 2002 MOBO Award winning “More Than A Woman”; the well-loved Princess of R&B shall forever be remembered for the legacy she left behind. Talented, beautiful and hard working, Aaliyah injected a unique type of vibrancy into the R&B industry and created edgy music that had a timeless quality to it. Aaliyah’s music resonates with listeners irrespective of the progression of time - just like classics should.

On 16th January, Aaliyah would have celebrated her thirty-third birthday. In her honour, please play this one loud….

Aaliyah Dana Haughton (1979- 2001)