Born into a musical family in New Jersey, 1963, Whitney Houston was one of the best-selling music artists of the ’80s and ’90s.
Houston started singing at a young age, as a child she used to sing in church, then she sang for Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls and worked briefly as a model. When she was 19, Houston signed with Arista Records, who distributed her debut album, Whitney Houston, in 1985.
The album sold over 25 million copies worldwide and earned three Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits for her songs Saving All My Love for You,How Will I Know, and Greatest Love of All.
For that album Houston got her first Grammy, best female pop vocal performance for her song Saving All My Love For You.
In 1992 Houston married Bobby Brown and made her film debut in The Bodyguard, which featured the famous I Will Always Love You.
“With I Will Always Love You, I had no idea. I knew the song was incredible. But I had no idea that that record would sell so much, so fast.” Houston once said.
When Houston released My Love Is Your Love in 1998, it didn’t sell as well as previous ones, but it still earned her another Grammy. In 2001, she signed a new contract with Arista for $100 million, but her relationship problems soon affected her recording career. The couple divorced in 2007, and Houston fell into the trap of addiction and had some real financial issues.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Houston talked about her struggles to get back on her feet. She said, “My mother walks in with the sheriff, and she says: ‘I have a court injunction here. You do it my way, or we’re not going to do this at all. You’re going to go on TV, and you’re going to retire. And say you’re going to give this up because it’s not worth it.'” So Houston took a break from her career, and won sole custody of Bobbi Kristina.
In 2009 Houston released a new album, I Look To You, on which she commented, “The songs themselves will speak to you, and you’ll understand where I am and some of the changes I’ve gone through for the better.”
She sadly passed away in 2012 in Los Angeles, she was only 48, where a Grammy party was being held. The coroner’s report released later stated that the cause of her death was an accidental drowning. Heart disease and drugs found in her system were huge factors as well.
Ask us! What questions do you have about content, strategy, pop culture, lifestyle, wellness, history or more? We may use your question in an upcoming article!
Like MediaFeed’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was syndicated by MediaFeed.co
