Whitney Houston was born on August 9, 1963. She is known as “The Voice” and is one of the most successful musicians of all time, selling more than 200 million records worldwide. American singer and actress Whitney Elizabeth Houston passed away on February 11, 2012.
Houston, who is renowned for her soulful, strong vocals and vocal improvisation abilities, has impacted other singers in popular music. From “Saving All My Love for You” in 1985 to “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” in 1988, she is the only artist to achieve seven straight number-one songs on the Billboard Hot 100.
When Houston entered the movie business, her fame increased. Both immense success and controversy have been generated by her music and films.
In addition to 28 Guinness World Records, two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards, and induction into the Rock and Roll, Rhythm and Blues, and Grammy halls of fame.
She also won other awards throughout her career and posthumously.
Whitney Houston’s Early Life
Houston, who was born and raised in New Jersey, comes from a musically accomplished family that includes her grandmother Aretha Franklin, cousin Dionne Warwick, and her mother, gospel artist Cissy Houston.
At a young age, Houston started singing in a junior gospel choir and provided backup vocals for a number of singers, including her mother, the Michael Zager Band, and the Grammy-winning Chaka Khan.
Houston’s modeling career took off, and she started to feature in publications like Seventeen, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan.
How Did Whitney Houston Start Singing?
Houston started singing as a child in church and transitioned into background vocals in high school. After starting off as a young model in 1981, she was one of the first black women to appear on the cover of Seventeen.
Houston joined the label at the age of 19 under the advice of Clive Davis, the head of Arista Records. Whitney Houston (1985) and Whitney (1987), her first two studio albums, both reached the top spot on the Billboard 200 and are among the best-selling albums of all time.
I’m Your Baby Tonight, Houston’s third studio album, and “All the Man That I Need,” both reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
In Which Movies Was Whitney Houston Feature?
Houston made her acting debut in the romantic thriller The Bodyguard (1992), which despite garnering negative reviews for its writing and lead performances went on to become the tenth highest-grossing movie of all time.
She contributed six songs to the soundtrack of the movie, including “I Will Always Love You,” which went on to win the Grammy for Record of the Year and become the most successful female-authored physical single in music history.
The best-selling soundtrack CD ever is the one for The Bodyguard, which earned the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Houston went on to star in and record the soundtracks for The Preacher’s Wife (1996) and Waiting to Exhale (1995).
The soundtrack for the latter was created by Houston, and it went on to become the best-selling gospel album of all time.
She worked as a producer for diverse films like Cinderella (1997) and television shows like The Princess Diaries and The Cheetah Girls.
How Many Copies of Houston’s Albums Sold?
My Love Is Your Love (1998), Houston’s first studio album in eight years, sold millions of copies and produced a number of big songs, including “Heartbreak Hotel,” “It’s Not Right but It’s Okay,” and “My Love Is Your Love.”
As a result of her popularity, she signed a $100 million contract extension with Arista, one of the most lucrative recording deals ever.
But her personal issues started to dominate her professional life.
Just Whitney, her studio album from 2002, garnered unfavorable reviews. Media outlets covered her drug usage and her marriage to musician Bobby Brown extensively.
With her final studio album, I Look to You, Houston returned to the top of the Billboard 200 chart after a six-year hiatus from recording (2009).
Heart problems and cocaine use were factors in Houston’s accidental drowning on February 11, 2012, at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills. The 2012 Grammy Awards were taking place at the same time as the death was reported abroad.
Whitney Houston’s Net Worth
Whitney Houston was a singer, model, and actress who died in 2009 with a net worth of $20,000,000.
Even though Houston once signed a $100 million contract and sold over 200 million albums in her lifetime, she effectively died penniless due to years of excessive spending and general financial mismanagement.
When she passed suddenly in February 2012, she owed her record label Sony around $20 million. Whitney’s estate made tens of millions of dollars in the years after her death through increased album sales, streaming royalties, and other licensing agreements.
Whitney Houston’s Record Contracts
A musician who gets a record deal worth $100 million does not get the money all at once. Each step of an artist’s compensation is essentially a loan depending on the success of subsequent albums.
Despite signing a $100 million contract, Whitney only made $40 million, and sadly, her music did not do well on the charts. She ultimately owed the record company close to $20 million as a result.
Read More
Celine Dion Net Worth: How Celine Became Highest-Paid Performer In Las Vegas?
Eddy Curry Net Worth: Which Financial Constraints Had Eddy Faced (2022)?
Dolly Parton Net Worth: How Dolly Sold 100 Million Records Alone (2022)?
Conclusion
Whitney Houston first caught the attention of record industry executives when she began singing in church as a young child. Since then, she has had a storied career consisting of singles and legendary albums.
Houston was one of the biggest talents of the 1980s and 1990s and was unquestionably the most well-known and prosperous female vocalist of her period, despite the regrettable fact that her career was tragically cut short by her premature death in 2012.
Houston has attained legendary status with songs like “I Will Always Love You” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” and has impacted many of today’s most well-known singers, including BeyoncĂ© and Rihanna. Houston has been nominated for and won over 400 awards.
Comments are closed.