whitney houston
whitney houston
Whitney Houston has certainly been around the block and back. Where is she today? Performing again and trying to get her career on track. In December of 2009 she released "I Look to You", which has already been certified platinum by RIAA for sales that exceed one million copies in the united states. Houston also released again, her 25th anniversary edition of her debut album titled Whitney Houston - The Deluxe Anniversary Edition.
To welcome Houston back, in January of 2010, she received the BET Honors Award for Entertainer citing her lifetime achievements and comeback success. She was also nominated for two NAACP Image Awards for Best Female Artist and Best Music Videos.
Whitney Houston was born in 1963 into the music industry. Her mother, Cissy Houston and cousins Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick, as well as godmother Aretha Franklin, helped coach her along through her childhood as a singer. Houston began singing at her New Jersey church and then with her mother at nightclubs in the New York City area.
She went out on her own and released her first album Whitney Houston in 1985. It became the best selling debut album by a female artist at the time of release. People were intrigued by her voice and wanted more. In 1987 she recorded her second album Whitney, and it became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
In 1992 she married singer Bobby Brown and simultaneously took up acting. Her first role was in The Bodyguard. The film's soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Its lead single was the remake of Dolly Parton's song "I Will Always Love You".
Houston continued acting, playing roles in Waiting To Exhale and The Preachers Wife. The soundtracks for each movie contributed to furthering her success and the size of her pocketbook. Add to this the renewed contract with Arista Records in 2001 for $100 million, Houston became one of the highest earning females in the industry. And with good reason. Still, today, Houston is ranked as the fourth best-selling female artist in the United States with 55 million certified albums. Rolling Stone magazine named her as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.
By the new millennium, Houston's marriage of eight years began taking a toll on her. People close to her saw the changes in the late 90s as she began showing up late or missing appearances altogether. On January 11, 2000, when airport security discovered drugs in she and her husbands luggage while at a Hawaiian airport, rumors of serious drug use began to surface around the couple.
To top off her self-sabotaging ways, Houston didn't renew a $100 million contract with Arista Records in 2001. Her publicist said she was under great stress due to family matters. Houston also canceled more and more performances.
In 2002 Houston granted an interview with Diane Sawyer, where she spoke about the rumored drug use and her marriage. She denied using 'crack' but did admit to using various substances at times, leaving the public questioning how she could let herself get so far down.
Trying to pull her career back together, she released her fifth studio album Just Whitney in December of 2002. The album received mixed reviews but her reputation carried it to #9 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart.
It wasn't until the reality show in 2004 titled Being Bobby Brown, aired, that people saw how far she really sunk. Many wondered why she took part in the series as it portrayed her and her family in their lowest moments. The show was considered a train wreck.
Whether it was the show and seeing herself as she looked from the outside or time itself, by 2009, Houston realized she was a mess and in September 2006 she filed for a divorce with Brown. In 2009 during an interview with Oprah Winfrey, she admitted to doing drugs with Brown and how her mother wanted her in rehab.
Houston released her album I Look to You in August of 2009. The album entered the Billboard 200 at #1, marking Houston's first number one album since The Bodyguard.
Houston has made full circle and continues to be an influence on the industry with her unique range of vocals. How long will she stay on top this time? Only time will tell.
whitney houston
whitney houston
whitney houston
whitney houston
whitney houston
whitney houston
whitney houston
whitney houston
whitney houston
whitney houston
whitney houston
whitney houston
whitney houston
whitney houston
