Whitney Houston was born on August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey, to John Houston and gospel singer Cissy Houston. She's also a cousin of Dionne Warwick, and her honorary aunt was Aretha Franklin. She started singing at age 11 in her church choir, one of her favorite gospel songs was "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah". She started out as a model in the 80s, becoming the first African-American on the cover of Seventeen. She was discovered at a nightclub by an A&R representative from Arista Records, Gerry Griffith. He convinced the head, Clive Davis, to see her peform. After one performance, she signed right on the spot. She didn't start work immediately, but her debut album 2 years later would prove that no one could match the power she had in the industry.
Whitney's self-titled album was released in February 1985. It wasn't as popular at first, but it charted the Billboard 200 for 14 weeks in 1986, and had three number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first debut album and first female solo ablbum to have three number-one singles. She was praised and consider "one of the most exciting new voices in years" and "an impressive, musically conservative showcase for an exceptional vocal talent". The album sold over 22 million copies worldwide, making it the best selling albums of all-time. She won one Grammy out of four nominations for "Saving All My Love" in the Best Pop Female Vocal category at the 28th Grammy Awards in 1986. The album was certified diamond in March 1999, then certified 13x platinum by the RIAA in July that same year.