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Born in Brooklyn, Aaliyah Haughton was moved to Detroit at an early age, where her parents provided her with a vocal instructor before she was even old enough to attend school. Her public singing career was initiated at the ripe old age of 9, the young singer making an unsuccessful bid on the televised pissing contest Star Search; the loss didn't break her stride in the least, and by 11 she was performing in Las Vegas as a part of Gladys Knight's act. The combination of good lungs, training and inside connections moved things along quickly, and after an uncle (fortuitously placed as CEO of the Blackground management company) introduced her to one of the artists in his stable - R&B singer R. Kelly -- the 15-year-old's recording career was underway. Kelly went on to write and produce most of the debut album Age Ain't Nothing But A Number, which, released in 1994 on Blackground Records (a new label created by her uncle specifically to provide a outlet for her debut) launched Aaliyah into the charts with 2 top ten singles.
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