American singer Aaliyah has released three studio albums, two compilation albums, and 26 singles; She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At age 10, she appeared on Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At age 12, Aaliyah signed a deal with Jive Records and Blackground Records. During that time, she met R. Kelly through her uncle Barry Hankerson; eventually, he became her mentor, sole lead songwriter, and producer for her debut album. Released in May 1994, her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number , was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold three million copies in the United States. Months after the release of her album, Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive and signed with Atlantic Records due to allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly.

She worked with then-unknown record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her second album, One in a Million. The album was a commercial success selling three million copies in the United States and over eight million worldwide. While in between albums, she contributed to several movie soundtracks before starring in her first film, Romeo Must Die (2000). Aaliyah executive produced the film's soundtrack and contributed four songs, including "Try Again". In June 2000, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 solely on radio airplay, making Aaliyah the first artist in Billboard history to achieve this feat. She earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocalist for the song.

After completing Romeo Must Die , Aaliyah shot her second film Queen of the Damned and released her third and final album , Aaliyah , in July 2001. A little over a month after the album's release on August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and eight others were all killed in a plane crash in The Bahamas after filming the music video for the single "Rock the Boat". Investigations discovered that the pilot, Luis Morales III, was unlicensed at the time of the accident and had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system. Aaliyah's family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Blackhawk International Airways, which they settled out of court. In the wake of her death, Aaliyah has achieved commercial success with several posthumous releases. As of December 2008, she has sold 8.1 million albums in the United States and an estimated 24 to 32 million albums worldwide.

On the Billboard Hot 100, Aaliyah has spent 289 weeks on the chart; while her three studio albums and two compilation albums have spent 202 weeks on the Billboard 200 Chart.