Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Aaliyah’s music is finally coming to streaming services – to the upset of her estate

Move coincides with the 20th anniversary of her death

Sam Moore
Friday 06 August 2021 00:58 BST
Comments
R Kelly's lawyer confirms singer was married to Aaliyah when she was 15

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Aaliyah’s music is finally heading to streaming services later this year, the record label Blackground Records 2.0 has confirmed.

Large parts of the late R&B singer’s discography has never been made available on streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music.

That changes this August when her second album, One in a Million is released, with release dates also confirmed for the rest of her back catalogue.

On 3 September, the Romeo Must Die Soundtrack will drop, followed by her self-titled final album seven days later.

October will also see the release of a posthumous compilation album, I Care 4 U and the greatest hits LP, Ultimate Aaliyah, the label says.

However, the decision to release the music has not been without controversy. Aaliyah’s estate, which is run by her mother, Diane Houghton, released a statement this week confirming they have not approved the releases.

“Protecting Aaliyah’s legacy is, and will always be, our focus. For 20 years we have battled behind the scenes, enduring shadowy tactics of deception with unauthorised projects targeted to tarnish,” the statement said.

Blackground Records 2.0, owned by Aaliyah’s uncle, Barry Hankerson, also announced that previously unavailable projects from Timbaland, Toni Braxton and Tank would also be released for streaming.

Aaliyah was first signed as a recording artist when she was 12-years-old, releasing her debut album two years later, which is available to stream on Spotify.

She died in a plane crash in August 2001 at the age of 22.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in