Music Industry Reflects on Aaliyah's Enduring Influence
Aaliyah Haughton, 22, the renowned singer who came to an untimely demise, has become the focus for her industry peers who are reflecting, on the 10th anniversary of her death, about her impact on music today.
Damon Dash, a music industry mogul and Aaliyah’s former boyfriend, told Billboard magazine about the pain he experienced after hearing about the singer’s death years ago.
"My heart was broken,” Dash said. “Nothing prepares you for that."
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Although many have mourned the death of the singer and actress throughout the years, many singers today admit to being influenced by the young star.
Ciara, a singer, dancer and actress, spoke about Aaliyah’s ability to cross multiple musical platforms while staying true to who she is.
“She was true to who she was and she didn’t seem to care about it. The core of her art to me is heavily, heavily urban based,” Ciara told Billboard. “When an artist’s music is so urban based, sometimes people like to take risks with artists like that. It wasn’t like she was trying to be anything more than who she was. I really respect that and I appreciate that.”
Keyshia Cole, a recording artist known for her powerful vocals, said she was emotional after hearing the news of Aaliyah’s passing. Although she never met the singer, Cole said she was convinced Aaliyah had a good spirit.
"When I found out that she [had] passed that night, I just cried [while] on the tour bus. That's amazing for someone to have that affect on other people's lives.I think why it affected me so much without me knowing her is because she seemed to have a beautiful soul,” Cole said according to Billboard.
“[There was] something about her spirit. She connected before reality TV, before any of that happened in our era. It was something about her that made you connect to her. She seemed like she had a beautiful soul."
