The Rise and Fall of a Star
After her death was announced last Saturday, Whitney Houston’s fame, memory, and music were rekindled to an all-time high. Although the cause of her death isn’t clear; one thing is clear: Houston was of the greatest, most memorable singers of her time.
From the beginning, it was obvious that Houston would lead a musical life. Her mother, Cissy Houston, was a legendary gospel singer; and her godmother, Aretha Franklin, was one of the greatest soul singers of all time.
Houston followed her mother’s steps and started singing in the church choir. Over time, she was given more opportunities to attend performances or sing with other music artists and groups. At the age of 22, Houston released her debut album, “Whitney Houston”. This album included “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”, which is still one of her more famous songs. At the age of 23, Houston attended the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards. While there, she won Best Female Video for her song “How Will I Know”.
Although her debut album launched her career and became one of the biggest-selling albums by a debut musician, it was Houston’s performance of “I Will Always Love You” in the movie The Bodyguard that helped her to become one of the best-selling artists ever. The song topped billboard charts and sold 44 million copies. It also earned her a Movie Award for Best Song during the 1996 MTV Music Awards.
Houston’s career began to wane in 1993 when she started to become involved in drug-use. By 1996, she was rumored to be using drugs on a daily basis. For the next nine years, Houston struggled with her addiction. She was in and out of rehab. Her performances began to suffer and her voice began to lose its strength. In 2009, she tried to make a comeback with her album “I Look to You”. The album was received well, but it was not enough to restore the star to her former glory.
Since Houston’s death was announced news and sales have skyrocketed.
Stories about the artist’s life, death, famous moments and drug addiction have surpassed other popular topics like the Grammy’s, Justin Bieber and iphone jailbreak news.
Right now, twenty-eight of her songs are the top 100 list for iTunes sells. “I Will Always Love You” and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” are numbers 1 and 9 on list, in front of artists like Adele and Katy Perry. This surge in sales is similar to what happens after the death of other famous artists like Amy Winehouse and Michael Jackson.
This year the movie “Sparkle” will be released which features Houston’s final performance.
During her early years, Houston was a star of brilliant magnitude. As drugs began to take their toll her sparkle began to fade. In spite of that, Whitney Houston has left behind a legacy of soul and stirring songs. The star may have faded but she will continue to shine.
Edited: February 14th, 2012
We thought we knew what we were in for, when Madonna was announced as the 2012 Super Bowl halftime performer. To some extent, our expectations were spot on, but there were several unexpected surprises along the way.
Madonna’s Roman/Grecian themed performance was cutting-edge, but not over the top. The costumes were actually pretty conservative compared to what we’ve seen from other music artists (*cough*Lady*Gaga*cough). We also think Madonna pulled off her sexy black ensemble better than anyone else in the show. We find it hard to believe that the singer is 53 years old after seeing her bounce, cartwheel, drop it, and prance all over the stage. 
We weren’t at all surprised to see names like VV Brown, Rufus Wainwright, Skylar Grey, and Ingrid Michaelson, These artists having been tearing it up in the past and we expect to see them only get bigger and better.
Ever since she teamed up with artists like Eminem, Rihanna, and Christina Aguilera; Skylar Grey has been making waves in the music industry and in her career. She released an album this month called “Invinsible”, which could be the next big thing to launch her career and bring home the platinum.
Even after fifteen years, Damien Jurado still has a lot to offer the music world. The acclaimed artist will be releasing his 10th album, “Maraqopa” sometime in February. The album promises to have more variety than just the Indie Folk that Jurado is typically known for performing. With the help of producer and instrumentalist, Richard Swift, Jurado promises to show off styles of dub and psych-rock. 
Yes, we’re finally talking about the woman who’s been rumored to surpass The King Elvis Presley in both popularity and controversy. However, how do topless music videos, sacrilege, and blue wigs add up to Elvis’ seemingly mild hip action? Time will tell us. Rather than stirring the pot a bit and then stepping out of the kitchen like so many modern vocalists, Lady Gaga has stayed in the spotlight and on the radio waves solidly since 2008. Even timeless music legends like Madonna are admitting that this racey 20-something is here to stay.