Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born in Brooklyn on January 16, 1979. She was determined to become a singer at a young age and began taking voice lessons after she learned to talk. At the age of 12, she signed a contract with Jive Records and began her rise to fame in 1994. Raised in Detroit, Michigan, Aaliyah competed on the TV program Star Search at 11 years old. Later that year she performed with Gladys Knight, the former wife of her Uncle and manager Barry Hankerson.