Aaliyah has been on our minds lately for reasons other than her musical legacy. Today, the music world is remembering the singer's life to celebrate what would have been her 40th birthday. The following highlights some interesting facts about the "Rock The Boat" artist offered during some of her interviews.
“Tim has to feel comfortable with you to let his guard down. I’ve known him for five years now and he’ll tell a couple of jokes, be a little silly – when we work together we have fun. He doesn’t do that with everyone, he’s reserved and laid-back. He knows me better than anyone else.”
"Missy jokes around all the time,” said Aaliyah, with a grin. “She doesn’t tell joke jokes, ‘a lady walks into a bar’ – she just takes a situation and makes it funny. We just clicked when we met. I was never awkward with her.”
“I think rumors are hilarious. I don’t pay any attention. It goes in one ear and out the other. When you’re in the business, you hang out with people, and people are like, ‘I wonder, are they seeing each other?’ I never dated Jay," she vented. "I never dated Ginuwine. Damon and I are very good friends. I’ll keep it at that right now.” She was wearing a Roc-A-Fella records pendant at the time she referred to as “just a little symbol of a record.”
Career & Ambitions
“This is what I always wanted. I breathe to perform, to entertain, I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. I’m just a really happy girl right now. I honestly love every aspect of this business. I really do. I feel very fulfilled and complete.”
Temperament & Mysterious Persona
“I don’t read articles or interviews about myself. One rumour I heard was that I had a glass eye and that that is why I wore my hair over my eye. Ha! There’s sometimes silly stuff like that.”
“My mother always said that she feels like I always had sex appeal. Even when I was very young, when I would take pictures, there was something sexual about me. I do feel sexy for sure. I embrace it, and I’m comfortable with it. I enjoy it.”
“I like the simple things in life. When I have time, I stay home a lot, do things like this or play laser tag. I’ve always been a homebody.”
“I’m totally into the Egypt thing. I’ve got Egyptian pictures, furniture, a cat shaped like a pyramid… I have a night sky hanging on the ceiling in my bedroom. I love to be comfy," she explained. "I have a lot of pillows on my bed, I love to be surrounded by comfy, squishy things.”
“This is Wilson," she said in reference to a black silk pillow. "He goes everywhere with me, like here, or on the plane… I can’t sleep at night without him.”
“I’ve always been mysterious. My mother and father always used to ask me, ‘What are you thinking, what’s going on?’ There are times when I don’t understand myself, you know what I mean? [...]I have black-out shades in my apartment, I push a button, it’s totally dark. I think I’m a bit of a vampire in real life, and there are times when I just want to be myself. I wanna be alone.”
“People feel like they own you in this business, and, to a certain degree, they do. But there’s a part of me that will always be just for me.”