Editing Whitney Houston (section)

==Career==
=== 1977–1984: Career beginnings ===
Houston's professional career began when she joined her mother's band as a background singer at fourteen while Cissy performed at [[Manhattan, New York|Manhattan]] cabaret clubs. Houston gave her first solo during Cissy's performance at Manhattan's [[The Town Hall (New York City)|Town Hall]] in February 1978, performing "[[Tomorrow (Annie)|Tomorrow]]" from the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical, ''[[Annie (musical)|Annie]]'', where she received her first standing ovation.<ref name="TownHall1978">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/divatotallyunaut0000bowm/page/58/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Diva: the totally unauthorized biography of Whitney Houston |last=Bowman|first=Jeffrey |date=1994 |page=58 |publisher=Harper |isbn=9780061008535 |access-date=April 30, 2023}}</ref><ref name="TownHall">{{cite web |url=https://www.thetownhall.org/event/the-voice-of-whitney |title=The Voice of Whitney |work=TheTownHall.org |accessdate=February 3, 2025}}</ref> Houston began a career as a [[session vocalist]] backing up artists like her mother, [[Michael Zager]], [[Chaka Khan]] and [[Lou Rawls]].<ref name="Bronson2003ad" /><ref name="Comp">{{cite magazine |magazine=Jet |title=Singer Whitney Houston A Model Of Success |date=July 16, 1990 |page=32 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ra8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32}}</ref> Houston was the featured vocalist in Zager's [[disco]] song "Life's a Party" (1978). 

Houston became a fashion model in 1980 after being spotted at [[Carnegie Hall]] and signed first with Click Models before moving onto the [[Wilhelmina Models]] agency, where she landed the cover of ''[[Seventeen (American magazine)|Seventeen]]''.<ref name=huffpost>{{cite web|last=Wilson|first=Julee|title= Whitney Houston Graces Cover Of Seventeen Magazine, November 1981 (PHOTO) |work=HuffPost|date=February 13, 2012|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/whitney-houston-seventeen-cover_n_1273472}}</ref> Houston's [[girl next door]] charm helped her to land in fashion spreads for ''[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]]'', ''[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]]'' and ''[[YM (magazine)|Young Miss]]''.<ref name="Comp" /> Houston continued her music career during this period, recording demos of gospel recordings.<ref name="WhitneyGospel">{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/whitney-houston-gospel-songs-i-go-to-the-rock-explained-1235358504/ |title=Whitney Houston Gospel Songs from 'I Go to the Rock' Explained - The Hollywood Reporter |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |last=Fekadu|first= Mesfin |date=March 22, 2023 |accessdate=April 26, 2023}}</ref> Houston's vocal talent made her sought after for recording deals, but were turned down by her mother, who insisted that Houston finish high school.<ref name="Bronson2003ad">{{cite book|last=Bronson|first= Fred|title=The Billboard book of number 1 hits|date=October 1, 2003|publisher=Random House Digital|isbn=978-0-8230-7677-2|page=629}}</ref><ref name="1990Company">{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |title=Forever Daddy's Girl |date=June 1990 |page=136 |issn=0012-9011 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8tMDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA136 |access-date=September 7, 2021 |first=Lynn |last=Norment}}</ref>

Signing with Tara Productions in September 1981, Houston hired Gene Harvey as her manager, with Daniel Gittleman and Seymour Flics also playing part in managing her.<ref name="WhitneysManager1">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.classicwhitney.com/interview/billboard1986artistoftheyear.htm |title=Whitney Houston: The Long Road to Overnight Stardom |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=December 1986 |accessdate=April 26, 2023 |last=Scoppa |first=Bud}}</ref><ref name="Whitney1986">{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-06-08-ca-9249-story.html |title=HOUSTON HITS: MASTER PLAN, BLIND LUCK |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=June 8, 1986 |last=Grein|first=Paul |accessdate=April 26, 2023}}</ref><ref name="WhitneysManager2">{{cite web |url=https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/journal-news-independent/2012/02/14/fall-river-music-businessman-was/39512011007/ |title=Fall River music businessman was instrumental in launching Whitney Houston's early career |work=Wicked Local |last=Holtzman|first=Michael |date=February 14, 2012 |accessdate=April 26, 2023}}</ref> During 1982, Houston auditioned for both [[Elektra Records]] and [[Sony Music|CBS Records]].<ref name="whbm">{{cite web |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/young-whitney-houston-never-seen-150000108.html |title=Young Whitney Houston: Never-Before Seen Photos of the 'One in a Million' Superstar Before Fame |author=Brianne Tracy |date=January 9, 2022 |work=[[Yahoo News]] |accessdate=March 27, 2025}}</ref> Houston's feature on the song "[[Memories (Hugh Hopper song)|Memories]]" from [[Material (band)|Material]]'s album ''[[One Down]]'', led to critical raves, with then-''[[The Village Voice|Village Voice]]'' critic [[Robert Christgau]] calling it "one of the most gorgeous ballads you've ever heard".<ref>{{cite web|author-link=Robert Christgau|last=Christgau|first= Robert|title=Material she was a great song writer|publisher=RobertChristgau.com|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Material|access-date=December 12, 2007}}</ref> Producer [[Paul Jabara]] later featured her on the ballad, "Eternal Love", issued off his album, ''[[Paul Jabara & Friends]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ripol|first=Vince|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/paul-jabara-friends-mw0000096657|title=Paul Jabara & Friends Album Review|work=AllMusic|access-date=July 27, 2019}}</ref> 

After seeing Houston perform at the [[Seventh Avenue South (jazz club)|Seventh Avenue South]] nightclub in Manhattan, Gerry Griffith--then the [[Artists & Repertoire|A&R]] representative for [[Arista Records]]--convinced label head [[Clive Davis]] to see her perform at the Sweetwaters nightclub the following evening. Upon viewing the performance, an impressed Davis offered Houston a recording contract. Houston signed the contract on April 10, 1983.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/bp/rock-backpages-flashback-making-stellar-ascent-whitney-houston-110037870.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAAYDJNST27sq9X-E3tt9EiWs-955Fb9v49y8rPIT24CE7y5U7GQMtpSYIjTsLedoHJDPFD6uVeztHSZ1y-31gDUX8zYNl816DwCu25WAqkfQMg4wrxS-Cl9omyVzYiCOjE4GEB-SJRnFAbat0fJW0NvOXLxUbA10LPxSU7S-xtqs|title=The Rock's Backpages Flashback: The Making - and Stellar Ascent - of Whitney Houston |date=February 12, 2012 |first=Barney |last=Hoskyns |access-date=January 2, 2025}}</ref><ref name="WhitneyClive">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/30/style/whitney-houston-clive-davis-sexuality.html |title=Production of a Lifetime: Whitney Houston and Clive Davis |work=[[New York Times]] |first=Jacob |last=Bernstein |date=September 30, 2017 |accessdate=May 21, 2024}}</ref> 

Houston was introduced to a national audience in June 1983, performing the song "[[Home (The Wiz song)|Home]]" from the Broadway musical ''[[The Wiz]]'' on ''[[The Merv Griffin Show]]''.<ref name="Company1985">{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |date=December 1985 |page=155 |issn=0012-9011 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JtkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA155 |access-date=September 7, 2021 |title=Whitney Houston: For Talented Young Star, Singing Is A Family Tradition}}</ref><ref name="WhitneyClive"/><ref name="Merv Griffin">{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6532886/ |title="The Merv Griffin Show" Episode dated 23 June 1983 (TV Episode 1983) |website=[[IMDb]] |accessdate=May 17, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2012/02/whitney-houston-dead-her-earliest-tv-appearances-video.html|title=Whitney Houston: Watch her earliest TV appearances|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=February 12, 2012|access-date=July 27, 2019}}</ref> During this period, Houston almost landed a role on ''[[The Cosby Show]]'' before pulling out on the show due to her emerging career.<ref name="Cosby">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.vibe.com/news/entertainment/whitney-houston-denise-huxtable-a-different-world-reunion-1234721126/ |title=Whitney Houston Was Almost Cast As Denise Huxtable On 'The Cosby Show' |magazine=[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]] |date=December 21, 2022 |author=Mya Abraham |accessdate=March 27, 2025}}</ref> Houston landed a cameo role on ''[[Gimme a Break!]]'', was featured in a [[Canada Dry]] commercial and also sang [[commercial jingle]]s, including one for the restaurant brand, [[Steak & Ale]].<ref name="WhitneyJingles">{{cite web |url=https://bennigans.com/whitney-houston-steak-ale-advert/ |title=Listen to a young Whitney Houston's stunning vocal in unearthed TV 'Steak & Ale' Advert |work=Bennigans |last=Lovejoy|first=Hannah |date=October 25, 2021 |accessdate=April 26, 2023}}</ref>

Houston did not begin work on an album immediately.<ref name="Finkelman2009">{{cite book|last=Finkelman|first=Paul|title=Encyclopedia of African American history, 1896 to the present: from the age of segregation to the twenty-first century|year=2009|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-516779-5|pages=459–460}}</ref> The label wanted to make sure no other company signed her away and Davis wanted to ensure he had the right material and producers for her debut album. Some producers passed on the project because of prior commitments.<ref name="WhitneysManager2"/> After seeing her perform in New York, [[Michael Masser]] paired Houston with [[Teddy Pendergrass]], on the duet, "[[Hold Me (Teddy Pendergrass & Whitney Houston song)|Hold Me]]", which appeared on his album, ''[[Love Language (Teddy Pendergrass album)|Love Language]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wynn |first=Ron |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/love-language-mw0000650618#review |title=''Love Language'' Album Review |work=AllMusic}}</ref> Released in May 1984, the song gave Houston her first taste of success, becoming a top-ten hit on the US [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|R&B]] and [[Hot Adult Contemporary Chart|adult contemporary]] charts.<ref name="Inc.2002kui">{{cite magazine|title=Arista Aims New Houston Album at 'Core Urban' Fans|magazine=Billboard|date=December 14, 2002|page=64|issn=0006-2510}}</ref> Houston also received notice in 1984 after being paired up with [[Jermaine Jackson]], with whom the duet, "Take Good Care of My Heart", was featured on Jackson's ''[[Dynamite (Jermaine Jackson album)|Dynamite]]'' album, while also appearing with Jackson performing the song and another duet, "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do", on an episode of ''[[As the World Turns]]''. All three songs eventually appeared on her debut album.

=== 1985–1986: ''Whitney Houston'' and rise to international prominence ===
''[[Whitney Houston (album)|Whitney Houston]]'' was released on [[Valentine's Day]], February 14, 1985.<ref name="theguardian.com">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/feb/12/whitney-houston-obituary |last=Sullivan |first=Caroline |title=Whitney Houston obituary |work=[[The Guardian]]|date=February 11, 2012|access-date=July 27, 2019}}</ref> The album received mixed to positive reviews in its initial run, with most of the positive remarks aimed at Houston's vocal ability. ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' called Houston "one of the most exciting new voices in years" while ''[[The New York Times]]'' called the album "an impressive, musically conservative showcase for an exceptional vocal talent".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Shewey|first=Don|title=Music Review: ''Whitney Houston''|date=June 6, 1985|magazine=Rolling Stone|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/whitney-houston-19850606|access-date=March 17, 2011|archive-date=June 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628231222/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/whitney-houston-19850606|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author-link=Stephen Holden|last=Holden|first=Stephen|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/12/arts/critics-choices-pop-music.html|title=Critic's Choice; Pop Music|newspaper=The New York Times|page=A2|date=May 12, 1985}}</ref> Debuting at number 166 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] on March 30, 1985, the album reached the top ten 23 weeks later.<ref name="BB081985">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1985-08-31/ |title=Billboard 200 (week of August 31, 1985) |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=August 31, 1985 |accessdate=July 28, 2024}}</ref> It reached number one in March 1986, starting a 14-week run, which is the longest run for a female debut album in history.<ref name="Inc.1986">{{cite magazine|title=Charts '86|magazine=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tiQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52|date=December 27, 1986|page=52|issn=0006-2510}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://billboard.com/artist/whitney-houston/chart-history/tlp |title=Whitney Houston - Chart History: Billboard 200 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |accessdate=June 19, 2023}}</ref>

''Whitney Houston'' launched four top ten singles on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], with the first, "[[You Give Good Love]]" reaching number three on July 27, 1985.<ref name="houstonhits">{{cite news|last=Grein|first=Paul|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-06-08-ca-9249-story.html|title=Houston Hits: Master Plan, Blind Luck|work=Los Angeles Times|date=June 8, 1986}}</ref>  The song attracted some notoriety after advice columnist [[Eppie Lederer|Ann Landers]] included it in her list of rock songs deemed "trashy music" on her ''[[Ask Ann Landers]]'' column; Houston quickly addressed Landers's comments in an interview with ''[[The Chicago Tribune]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title= Hope your children outgrow trashy music |first= Ann|last=Landers |author-link= Ann Landers |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YiFRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6796,627717&dq | newspaper = [[Telegraph Herald|The Telegraph-Herald]] |publisher = Woodward Communications, Inc | date= July 7, 1985 | access-date=July 28, 2024}}</ref><ref name="850929chicagotribune">{{cite news | author = Lynn Van Matre | url = https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/09/29/with-dionne-cissy-and-aretha-in-the-family-how-can-whitney-houston-fail/ | title = With Dionne, Cissy And Aretha In The Family, How Can Whitney Houston Fail? |work=Chicago Tribune | date = September 29, 1985 | access-date =April 1, 2018 }}</ref> The song was followed by Houston's [[cover version|rendition]] of "[[Saving All My Love for You]]", which became her first number one single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on October 26, two days before Houston opened at [[Carnegie Hall]].<ref name="whitneyosborne">{{cite web |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1985/08/04/singer-whitney-houston-hits-a-high-note-early-in-her-career/ |title=SINGER WHITNEY HOUSTON HITS A HIGH NOTE EARLY IN HER CAREER |work=[[Orlando Sentinel]] |date=August 4, 1985 |accessdate=June 20, 2023}}</ref><ref name="CarnegieHall">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/29/arts/pop-whitney-houston-in-carnegie-hall-debut.html |title=POP: WHITNEY HOUSTON IN CARNEGIE HALL DEBUT |work=[[New York Times]] |date=October 29, 1985 |last=Holden|first=Stephen |accessdate=May 17, 2023}}</ref> The album's follow-up singles, "[[How Will I Know]]" and "[[The Greatest Love of All#Whitney Houston version|Greatest Love of All]]", also topped the charts, with the former peaking on February 15, 1986 for two weeks and the latter peaking on May 17, 1986 for three weeks. In accomplishing this, Houston became the first female artist to land three number one singles off the same album on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also becoming the first female solo artist to produce three consecutive number one singles. In addition, the ballad "[[All at Once (Whitney Houston song)|All at Once]]" became an international hit in Europe and Japan.<ref name="Inc.1985">{{cite magazine|title=Whitney Houston's Success Is Global|magazine=Billboard|date=June 8, 1985|page=54|issn=0006-2510}}</ref> 

''Whitney Houston'' did not just perform well on the domestic charts; it became a global success as well. The album reached the top ten in 19 other countries, including the [[UK Albums Chart|UK]], and topping in six other countries, including [[Canadian Albums Chart|Canada]] and [[ARIA Albums Chart|Australia]]. The album has since been certified [[RIAA certification#List of certifications|Diamond]] in the United States for sales of 14 million copies,<ref name="whitneycert">{{cite certification|region=United States|artist=Whitney Houston|type=album|accessdate=June 19, 2023}}</ref> with over 25 million units sold worldwide, becoming the best-selling solo debut album in music history and the [[List of best-selling albums by women|best-selling debut album by a female artist]].<ref>{{cite news |date=February 11, 2012 |title=Music Industry Pays Tribute to Whitney Houston |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/singer-whitney-houston-memorialized-at-pre-grammy-awards-gala-139178279/151922.html |access-date=June 15, 2024 |work=[[Voice of America]]}}</ref> The album is also listed in the ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' as the best-selling R&B studio album by a female artist in history.<ref name="ww">{{cite news|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3088195/ns/dateline_nbc/t/inside-whitneys-world/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130212083629/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3088195/ns/dateline_nbc/t/inside-whitneys-world|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2013|title=Inside Whitney's world|publisher=[[NBC News]]|date=September 28, 2013|access-date=June 18, 2017}}</ref><ref name="ww2">{{cite web|url=http://www.phillytrib.com/news/philly-reflects-on-houston-s-legacy/article_22dfde85-a3d9-5e50-a559-101ab627e6d3.html|title=Philly reflects on Houston's legacy|work=[[The Philadelphia Tribune]]|first1=Bobbi|last1=Booker|date=February 14, 2012|access-date=June 18, 2017}}</ref><ref name="guinness5">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec2000engl/page/126/mode/1up?view=theater&q=whitney+houston |title=Guinness world records 2000 |last=Kynaston|first=Nic |page=126 |date=2000 |publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |isbn=978-1-892051-00-4 |access-date=June 1, 2023}}</ref><ref name="popqueen"/>

In a May 25, 1986 article on ''The New York Times'', journalist [[Stephen Holden]] declared Houston "the new [[Honorific nicknames in popular music|queen of pop]]".<ref name="popqueen">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/25/arts/whitney-houston-pop-s-new-queen.html |title=WHITNEY HOUSTON - POP'S NEW QUEEN |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 25, 1986 |author=[[Stephen Holden]] |accessdate=April 7, 2025}}</ref> The album's success was attributed to performances on [[late-night talk show]]s, a format not often accessible to emerging black talent at the time and exposure on music video stations, including [[MTV]], which at the time was receiving harsh criticism for not playing enough videos from artists of color while favoring predominantly white acts.<ref name="Inc.1986"/><ref name="Whitney Houston">{{cite episode|title=Whitney Houston |series=Headliners And Legends |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036702/|date=August 11, 2000|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091021140553/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036702 |archive-date=October 21, 2009 }}</ref> Houston stated the channel rejected the clip to "You Give Good Love" for "being a very R&B kind of song", only for them to play the clip for "Saving All My Love for You" due to the song "hit(ting) so hard and explod(ing) so heavy" that they "had no choice but to play it".<ref name="whitneyMTV">{{cite video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzZgor4981M |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/IzZgor4981M| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Whitney Houston Reminisces About '80s Music on MTV (2001 interview) |year=2001 |publisher=[[MTV]] |access-date=January 13, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In December, the video to "How Will I Know" was submitted and accepted by MTV brass and sent the video to heavy rotation almost immediately after it debuted that month and later led to Houston's music regularly being played on the channel, the first occurrence for a [[Black women in the American music industry|black female artist]].<ref name="MTVBarriers">{{cite web |url=https://www.yahoo.com/now/whitney-houston-1985-mtv-debut-114702351.html |title=Whitney Houston's 1985 MTV Debut Broke Barriers for Black Artists |date=February 12, 2023 |accessdate=May 17, 2023}}</ref><ref name=salon>{{cite web|last=Traister|first=Rebecca|title=Didn't She Almost Have It All|work=Salon|date=April 13, 2006|url=https://www.salon.com/2012/02/12/didnt_she_almost_have_it_all/|access-date=July 27, 2019}}</ref> The success of the "How Will I Know" video resulted in Houston winning the [[MTV Video Music Awards|MTV Video Music Award]] for [[MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video|Best Female Video]] in September. In July 1986, her first major world tour, ''[[The Greatest Love World Tour]]'', was launched and Houston performed at four continents for 53 shows until that December. 

Houston was ranked the top new pop artist of 1985 by ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''; the following year, her debut was the [[List of best-selling albums by year in the United States|best-selling album of the year]].<ref name="Inc.1986"/> Houston was denied a nomination for the [[Grammy Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist Grammy]] due to her recordings in the [[1984 in music|previous year]], prompting an angry letter from Clive Davis.<ref>{{cite news| first= Richard | last= Harrington | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1986/01/10/dire-straits-tops-list-for-grammys/c4a94511-d200-4624-81eb-fcdce2e977f7/| title= Dire Straits Tops List for Grammy's; We are the World Wins 6 Nominations|date=January 10, 1986|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> The album was nominated for five [[Grammy Awards|Grammys]], including [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]].<ref name="Company1986b">{{cite magazine |title=Tina, Whitney Top Picks For Annual Grammy Awards |magazine=Jet |date=January 27, 1986 |page=57 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NrMDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA57}}</ref><ref name="Company1986c">{{cite magazine|title='We Are The World' Big Winner At 28th Grammys |magazine=Jet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CrQDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA14 |date=March 17, 1986 |page=14 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref> She won her first Grammy for "Saving All My Love for You" in the [[Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance|Best Female Pop Vocal Performance]] category. Later, a performance of the song at the ceremony won Houston an [[Primetime Emmy Award|Emmy]] for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program|Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program]].<ref name="Company1986d">{{cite magazine|title='Cosby Show' Snubbed At Emmy Awards Ceremony; Receives Only One Honor |magazine=Jet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5LADAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA16 |date=October 13, 1986 |page=16 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref> She won her first seven [[American Music Awards]] from the album, out of 13 nominations.<ref name="Company1986e">{{cite magazine |title=Whitney, Aretha, Stevie Snare Honors At Recent American Music Awards |magazine=Jet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lLQDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56 |date=February 17, 1986 |page=56 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Company1987a">{{cite magazine| first1= Aldore | last1 = Collier | title = Whitney Houston: Why Success Won't Go to Her Head | magazine=Jet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wLMDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA58|date=February 16, 1987|page=58|issn=0021-5996}}</ref> Houston's debut album is listed as one of ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]] and on the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]'s Definitive 200 list.<ref name="Rolling Stone Magazine">{{cite magazine| url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/whitney-houston-whitney-houston-19691231 | title= 500 Greatest Albums of All Time |magazine=Rolling Stone| date=November 18, 2003 | access-date =March 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220143033/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/whitney-houston-whitney-houston-19691231 |archive-date=December 20, 2010}}</ref><ref name="The Definitive 200">{{cite web|url=http://www.definitive200.com/200_list.php |title=The Definitive 200|access-date=January 15, 2008 |publisher=The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame|year=2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080113130726/http://definitive200.com/200_list.php |archive-date = January 13, 2008}}</ref> Houston's grand entrance into the music industry was considered one of the 25 musical milestones of the last 25 years, according to ''[[USA Today]]'' in 2007.<ref name="Gundersen">{{cite news| last=Gundersen | first=Edna | title=25 years of memorable musical moments |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/top25-musicmoments.htm?csp=34| access-date =January 1, 2008 | date=June 18, 2007}}</ref>

=== 1987–1989: ''Whitney'' ===
[[File:Whitney Houston - The Star-Ledger (1987).jpg|thumb|upright|Houston performing during the 1987-88 [[Moment of Truth World Tour]]]]
In June 1987, Houston's second album, ''[[Whitney (album)|Whitney]]'', was released. Mostly produced by [[Narada Michael Walden]], critics complained that the material was too similar to her previous album. ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' said, "the narrow channel through which this talent has been directed is frustrating".<ref>{{cite magazine | first = Vince | last = Aletti | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/whitney-19870813 | title = Review: ''Whitney'' | magazine = [[Rolling Stone]] | date = August 13, 1987 | access-date = March 16, 2011 | archive-date = June 28, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110628230956/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/whitney-19870813 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Regardless of mixed reviews, the album  enjoyed commercial success. On June 27, Houston became the first woman in music history to debut at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 with the album.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/102427-first-album-by-a-solo-female-to-debut-at-no-1-us |title=First solo female to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart |work=[[Guinness World Records]] |date=June 27, 1987 |accessdate=June 10, 2023}}</ref> Houston was also the first artist ever to enter number one in the US and UK simultaneously, while also reaching number one in every country it charted.<ref name="Company1988a"/><ref name="Inc.2000"/> The album stayed at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 for its first eleven weeks and is one of five albums to spend their first ten weeks or more at number one on the chart.<ref name="TaylorWhitney">{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2024/06/29/taylor-swift-matches-one-of-whitney-houstons-most-impressive-feats/ |title=Taylor Swift Matches One of Whitney Houston's Impressive Feats |work=[[Forbes]] |first=Hugh |last=McIntyre |date=June 29, 2024 |accessdate=August 2, 2024}}</ref> 

The album's first single, "[[I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)]]", was a massive hit worldwide, peaking at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and topping the charts in 17 countries, including Australia, West Germany and the UK.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1987/08/06/perfect-planning-makes-whitney-no-1-again/ |title=PERFECT PLANNING MAKES WHITNEY NO. 1 AGAIN |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=August 6, 1987 |accessdate=February 11, 2024}}</ref> Three more singles from the album — "[[Didn't We Almost Have It All]]", "[[So Emotional]]" and "[[Where Do Broken Hearts Go]]" — reached number one on the Hot 100 within a six-month stretch. Following the latter's peak on April 23, 1988, Houston became the first artist to produce seven consecutive number one hits on the Hot 100, breaking a record of six, held by [[The Beatles]] and the [[Bee Gees]].<ref name="Company1988a">{{cite magazine|title=Whitney Breaks Record For Consecutive No. 1 Tunes |magazine=Jet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WLADAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA54 |date=May 2, 1988 |page=54 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref> Houston remains the only artist to ever accomplish this feat as of 2025.<ref name="Inc.2000">{{cite book|title=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JQ8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA104|date=May 13, 2000|page=104|issn=0006-2510}}</ref> Houston also broke an all-time record for most number ones recorded by a solo female artist at the time and broke her own record by producing four number one singles off the same album. When the fifth single, "[[Love Will Save the Day]]", peaked at number nine on the chart, Houston joined a small list of artists to have more than five top ten singles off an album.<ref name="MostTopTens">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/photos/albums-five-top-10-hot-100-hits-6738611/10-whitney-houston-whitney-1987-billboard-1240/ |title=Kendrick Lamar's 'GNX' & More: Albums With the Most Top 10 Hits |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=December 19, 2024 |first=Trevor|last=Anderson |accessdate=December 29, 2024}}</ref> ''Whitney'' has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide,<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 3, 2016 |title=Whitney Houston's Second Studio Album Turned 29 Yesterday |url=https://www.whitneyhouston.com/it/news/whitney-houstons-second-studio-album-turned-29-yesterday/#:~:text=Yesterday%20was%20the%2029th%20anniversary,selling%20debut%20album%2C%20Whitney%20Houston. |access-date=March 31, 2025 |newspaper=WhitneyHouston.com}}</ref> with ten million sold in the United States alone, where it has been certified Diamond.<ref name="whitneycert"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bet.com/article/a687d9/this-day-in-black-history-june-27-1987|title=This Day in Black History: June 27, 1987|website=BET.com|access-date=December 7, 2019|archive-date=December 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207063817/https://www.bet.com/news/national/2013/06/27/this-day-in-black-history-june-27-1987.html?cid=facebook|url-status=live}}</ref>

''Whitney'' earned Houston a second Grammy nomination for Album of the Year, while "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" won her a second Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.<ref name="Company1988c">{{cite magazine |title=Battle and Jackson Top Grammy Award Nominees |magazine=Jet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bbsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56 |date=February 1, 1988 |page=56 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Company1988d">{{cite magazine |title=Blacks Turn Grammys Into A Show Biz Extravaganza |magazine=Jet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jrsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52 |date=March 21, 1988 |page=52 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref> Houston went on to win four American Music Awards, six ''Billboard'' awards and her first [[Soul Train Music Award]] for the album.<ref name="Company1988e">{{cite magazine |title=Anita Baker, Whitney Houston Top Black Winners At Recent American Music Awards Show |magazine=Jet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fbsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA60 |date=February 15, 1988 |page=60 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Company1989a">{{cite magazine |title=Houston, D. J. Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince, Jackson Top American Music Awards |magazine=Jet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ib0DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA55 |date=February 20, 1989 |page=55 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref><ref name="soultrain1">{{cite news | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WHwlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Z_UFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4413,1111334&dq=1988+soul+train+music+awards&hl=en | title = Showtime: Jackson is top winner at Soul Train Awards | work = [[The Washington Afro American]]| publisher = African-American News & Information Consortium | date = April 5, 1988 | access-date =June 28, 2010 | page = 6C}}</ref>

Houston launched her second world tour, the ''[[Moment of Truth World Tour]]'', in July 1987. The North American leg of the tour grossed more than $20 million, becoming of the top ten tours in the continent, as well as the top female tour.<ref>MacDonald, Patrick. "U2, Bon Jovi were top concert acts of 1987". [[The Seattle Times]]. January 15, 1988. Page 5. Retrieved May 16, 2008.</ref><ref name="1987Tours">{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-01-23-ca-9654-story.html |title=U2's $35-Million Gross Is Highest for '87 Tour |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=January 23, 1988 |author-link=Robert Hilburn|first=Robert|last=Hilburn |access-date=December 6, 2022}}</ref> An expansive tour, the singer toured 155 dates in four continents, including nine sold-out dates at London's [[Wembley Arena]]. During that period, Houston recorded one of the main [[Olympic theme song|theme songs]] for the [[1988 Summer Olympics]] in [[Seoul]], "[[One Moment in Time]]", which later became a top five US hit and hit number one in the UK, Germany and Europe and won Houston a [[Sports Emmy Award]].<ref name="Company1988h">{{cite magazine |title=Whitney, Aretha On Summer Olympics Album |magazine=Jet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LL0DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA59 |date=September 12, 1988 |page=59 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.number-ones.co.uk/1988-number-ones.html|title=1988 UK Number Ones|publisher=number-ones.co.uk|access-date=January 12, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.de/charts.asp?cat=s&country=de&year=1988&date=19881024&x=38&y=11|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140707100451/http://www.officialcharts.de/charts.asp?cat=s&country=de&year=1988&date=19881024&x=38&y=11|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 7, 2014|title=October 24, 1988 Single Top 100|publisher=charts.de|date=October 24, 1988|access-date=January 12, 2010}}</ref><ref name="omit1">{{cite web |url=https://www.newsweek.com/anatomy-olympics-anthem-487188 |title=Whitney Houston's 'One Moment in Time': The Anatomy of an Olympic Anthem |date=August 5, 2016 |last=Tufayel|first=Ahmed |work=[[Newsweek]] |accessdate=June 19, 2023}}</ref> 

Houston participated in the [[Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute]] at London's [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] in support of the then-imprisoned [[civil rights]] activist and the anti-apartheid movement. Houston had refused work in South Africa due to the country's then strict [[South Africa under apartheid|apartheid]] laws.<ref name="Company1988t">{{cite magazine |title=Whitney Houston Uses Fame To Help Good Causes |magazine=Jet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mq4DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA59 |date=June 20, 1988 |page=59 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Jim |last=Gilchrist|url=http://news.scotsman.com/comment/Diva--will-always-love.5579673.jp|title=Diva Will Always Love Limelight|work=The Scotsman |date=August 23, 2009|access-date=January 12, 2010|location=Edinburgh, UK}}</ref> The concert aired on June 11 of the year, was watched by half a billion viewers and raised $1 million in charities, raising awareness to apartheid.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/13/arts/pop-music-s-homage-to-mandela.html|title=Pop Music's Homage to Mandela |last=Watrous|first=Peter|date=June 13, 1988|work=The New York Times}}</ref> That August, Houston held a benefit concert at [[Madison Square Garden]] to raise money to fund [[historically black colleges and universities|HBCUs]], raising a quarter of a million dollars.<ref name="Company1988g">{{cite magazine |title=Whitney Houston's Concert Raises $250,000 For UNCF |magazine=Jet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lr0DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA54 |date=September 19, 1988 |page=54 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref> Houston's [[philanthropy]] continued in 1989 when she founded the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children, a nonprofit organization that has raised funds for the needs of children around the world. The organization cares for homelessness, children with cancer or AIDS and other issues of self-empowerment.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whitneyhoustonfoundation.org/about/#:~:text=In%201989%2C%20Whitney%20formed%20her,playgrounds%20and%20provided%20college%20scholarships. |title=Abou |accessdate=May 18, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whfoundation.com/ |title=Whitney Houston Foundation for Children |access-date=April 22, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007082548/http://www.whfoundation.com/ |archive-date=October 7, 2014 }}</ref> 

Houston's unprecedented success during this era caused ''[[Forbes]]'' magazine to take notice. In 1987, she ranked 8th place among the highest-paid entertainers in show business, earning $43 million, only trailing [[Bill Cosby]] and [[Eddie Murphy]].<ref name="Company1987g">{{cite magazine |title=Cosby's $84 Million Makes Him Richest Entertainer |magazine=Jet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1q8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52 |date=September 28, 1987 |pages=52–53 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref> She ranked 17th place in 1988.<ref>"Forbes Names Jackson as the Best-Paid Star 5 Women, 3 Boxers on List of 40 Celebrities". ''Los Angeles Times''. September 19, 1988. Page 2.</ref><ref name="Company1988i">{{cite magazine |title=Michael Jackson Earns $97 Million To Become Highest Paid Entertainer |magazine=Jet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=za8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA12 |date=October 3, 1988 |page=12 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref>

=== 1990–1991: ''I'm Your Baby Tonight'' and "The Star-Spangled Banner" ===
[[File:Whitney Houston 90s.jpg|thumb|left|Houston in 1990]]
With the success of her first two albums, Houston became an international crossover superstar, appealing to all demographics. However, some black critics believed she was "[[selling out]]".<ref name=Soul>{{cite episode |series = A History of Soul Music |network =[[VH1]]|airdate=October 18, 2007}}</ref> They felt her singing on record lacked the soul that was present during her live concerts.<ref name="Cain-1990">{{cite magazine|last=Duckett Cain|first=Joy|date=December 2003|title=The Soul of Whitney|magazine=Essence}}</ref> At the [[1989 Soul Train Music Awards]], when Houston's name was called out for a nomination, a few in the audience jeered.<ref name="Company1991a">{{cite magazine|title=Ebony|magazine = Ebony|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UdQDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA112|date=May 1991 |page=112|issn=0012-9011}}</ref><ref name="Norment-1991"/> Houston defended herself against the criticism, stating, "If you're gonna have a long career, there's a certain way to do it and I did it that way. I'm not ashamed of it."<ref name="Cain-1990" /> 

Houston took a more urban direction with her third studio album, ''[[I'm Your Baby Tonight]]'', released in November 1990. The first album in which she served as [[executive producer]] and exerted creative control for the first time in her career, Houston recruited the production team of [[Antonio "L.A." Reid]] and [[Babyface (musician)|Babyface]], as well as [[Luther Vandross]] and [[Stevie Wonder]] for the album, while retaining previous producer Walden. Reviews were mixed to positive. ''Rolling Stone'' felt it was her "best and most integrated album",<ref>{{cite magazine | first = James | last = Hunter | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/im-your-baby-tonight-19910110 | title = Review: ''I'm Your Baby Tonight'' | magazine = [[Rolling Stone]] | date = January 10, 1991 | access-date = March 16, 2011 | archive-date = February 16, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120216213000/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/im-your-baby-tonight-19910110 | url-status = dead }}</ref> while ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', at the time thought Houston's shift towards an urban direction was "superficial".<ref>{{cite web | author = Browne, David | url = https://ew.com/article/1990/11/23/im-your-baby-tonight/ | title = Music Review: ''I'm Your Baby Tonight'' | magazine = Entertainment Weekly | date = November 23, 1990 | access-date = March 16, 2011 | archive-date = February 16, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120216232023/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,318684,00.html | url-status = live }}</ref> 

Commercially, the album was a success, peaking at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200, staying inside the top ten for 22 weeks, becoming the tenth best-selling album of 1991, while topping the [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|Top R&B Albums]] chart, staying there for eight consecutive weeks. As a result, Houston earned four [[Billboard Music Awards]], including the top-selling R&B album of 1991.<ref name="whitneybillboard">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/whitney-houston/chart-history/ |title=Whitney Houston: Chart History |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=June 16, 2022}}</ref> Houston returned to the top of the Hot 100 with [[I'm Your Baby Tonight (song)|the title track]] and "[[All the Man That I Need]]", helping Houston to set another chart record by being the first female soloist to have multiple number one pop songs on three albums at least.<ref name="multipleones">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/the-weeknd-die-for-you-michael-jackson-hot-100-history-ask-billboard-1235283505/ |title=The Weeknd Matches Michael Jackson for Hot 100 history |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |last=Trust|first=Gary |date=March 10, 2023 |accessdate=June 20, 2023}}</ref>{{efn|Along with Houston, the other acts who have done this include [[the Supremes]], [[the Beatles]], [[Michael Jackson]], [[Mariah Carey]], [[Janet Jackson]] and [[The Weeknd]].<ref name="multipleones"/>}}  The title track, in particular, gave Babyface and Reid their first number one pop single, while "All the Man That I Need" became Houston's third single to top the pop, R&B and AC charts. The ballad "[[Miracle (Whitney Houston song)|Miracle]]" and the more [[hip-hop]] driven "[[My Name Is Not Susan]]" followed those singles inside the top 20, with "Miracle" reaching the top ten. The remix of "My Name Is Not Susan" included rapper [[Monie Love]].<ref name="monielove">{{cite web |url=https://www.bet.com/article/meoorp/monie-love-interview-queen-latifah-whitney-houston-new-project |title=Monie Love Talks About Her First New Solo Project in 30 Years |work=[[BET]] |date=April 6, 2023 |accessdate=June 19, 2023}}</ref> 

''I'm Your Baby Tonight'' would go on to sell ten million units worldwide, including going platinum four times in the US.<ref name="whitneycert"/><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/musics-30-fiercest-feuds-beefs-taylor-kanye-slash-axl-w498640/mariah-carey-vs-whitney-houston-w498794|title=Music's 30 Fiercest Feuds and Beefs|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|first1=Jordan|last1=Runtagh|date=September 15, 2017|access-date=October 10, 2017|archive-date=October 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019161624/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/musics-30-fiercest-feuds-beefs-taylor-kanye-slash-axl-w498640/mariah-carey-vs-whitney-houston-w498794|url-status=dead}}</ref> In addition to winning the four Billboard Music Awards, Houston was nominated for several Grammys and American Music Awards for the album. A bonus track from the album's Japanese edition, "[[Higher Love#Kygo and Whitney Houston version|Higher Love]]", was remixed by Norwegian DJ and record producer [[Kygo]] and released posthumously in 2019 to commercial success. It topped the US [[Dance Club Songs]] chart and reached number two in the UK, becoming Houston's highest-charting single in the country since 1999.<ref name="copsey">{{cite web |last=Copsey |first=Rob |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/higher-love-is-now-whitney-houstons-longest-running-single-ever-on-the-top-100-official-uk-singles-chart__28910/ |title=Higher Love is now Whitney Houston's longest-running single ever on the Top 100 Official UK Singles Chart |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]] |date=February 28, 2020 |access-date=May 20, 2021}}</ref>
[[File:Whitney Houston Welcome Heroes 6 (cropped).JPEG|alt=|left|thumb|Houston performing "My Name is Not Susan" on the ''Welcome Home Heroes'' concert in 1991]]
During the [[Persian Gulf War]], on January 27, 1991, Houston performed "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]", the US [[national anthem]], at [[Super Bowl XXV]] at [[Tampa Stadium]].<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/24/arts/pop-view-caution-now-entering-the-war-zone.html|title=Pop View; Caution: Now Entering The War Zone |last=Pareles|first=Jon|date=February 24, 1991|access-date=October 5, 2008 | work=The New York Times}}</ref> Houston's vocals were pre-recorded, prompting criticism.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-LoDAAAAMBAJ&q=whitney&pg=PA60 |magazine=Jet |date=March 18, 1991 |via=Google Books |page=60 |title=Whitney Houston Did Not Lip-Sync National Anthem}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QllYAAAAIBAJ&pg=6886,181496&dq=whitney+houston+lip+sync+national+anthem+super+bowl&hl=en|title=Spokane Chronicle - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UXYhAAAAIBAJ&pg=2914,1099122&dq=whitney+houston+star+spangled+banner+memorex&hl=en|title=The Daily Gazette - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}}</ref><ref name="ABC Hudson">{{cite news|first1=Luchina|last1=Fisher|first2=Sheila|last2=Marikar|title =Hudson's Super Bowl Lip-Sync No Surprise to Insiders| publisher =ABC News| date = February 3, 2009| access-date = January 22, 2013| url =https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/WinterConcert/story?id=6788924&page=1}}</ref> Dan Klores, a spokesman for Houston, said: "This is not a [[Milli Vanilli]] thing. She sang live, but the microphone was turned off. It was a technical decision, partially based on the noise factor. This is standard procedure at these events."<ref>{{cite news | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UXYhAAAAIBAJ&pg=2914,1099122&dq=whitney+houston+star+spangled+banner+memorex&hl=en | title = Was Whitney live, or was she Memorex? | publisher = The Daily Gazette Co. | agency = Associated Press | date= March 5, 1991 | access-date = March 31, 2011 | page = A6}}</ref> Nevertheless, a [[The Star Spangled Banner (Whitney Houston recording)|commercial single and video of the performance]] reached the Top 20 on the US Hot 100, giving Houston the biggest chart hit for a performance of the national anthem.{{efn|[[José Feliciano]]'s version reached number 50 in November 1968.}}<ref name="Company1991r">{{cite magazine|title=Whitney Houston's Star Spangled Banner To Be Released On Cassette |magazine=Jet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E7sDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA31 |date=February 18, 1991 |page=31 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Otfinoski2010">{{cite book|first=Steven|last=Otfinoski|author-link=Steven Otfinoski|title=African Americans in the performing arts|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gnXQSqTx2h0C&pg=PT116|access-date=February 12, 2012|date=April 1, 2010|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-0-8160-7838-7|pages=116–}}</ref>

Houston donated her share of the proceeds to the [[American Red Cross]] Gulf Crisis Fund and was named to the Red Cross Board of Governors.<ref name="nytimes" /><ref name="Company199u1">{{cite magazine |title=Houston Raises $500,000 For Red Cross; Named To Its Board Of Governors |magazine=Jet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RrADAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA37 |date=June 17, 1991 |page=37 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref><ref>Blair, Tom. "The village verbiage collector". ''The San Diego Union''. May 23, 1991. Page B1.</ref> Her rendition was critically acclaimed and is considered the benchmark for singers;<ref name="ABC Hudson" /><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/02/jennifer-hudson-delivers-super-bowl-stage/?page=1 | title = Jennifer Hudson delivers on Super Bowl stage |work=The Washington Times | publisher = [[News World Media Development]] | date = February 2, 2009 | access-date =March 27, 2011}}</ref> VH1 listed the performance as one of the greatest moments that rocked TV.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/63773/episode_wildcard.jhtml?wildcard=/shows/dynamic/includes/wildcards/the_greatest/rocked_tvmoments/complete_list_20.jhtml&event_id=63773|title=100 Greatest Moments That Rocked TV (20–1)|publisher=[[VH1]]|access-date=December 27, 2021|archive-date=May 29, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529034954/http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/63773/episode_wildcard.jhtml?wildcard=%2Fshows%2Fdynamic%2Fincludes%2Fwildcards%2Fthe_greatest%2Frocked_tvmoments%2Fcomplete_list_20.jhtml&event_id=63773|url-status=dead}}</ref> Following the [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks]], the single was rereleased, with all profits going towards the firefighters and victims of the attacks. It reached number 6 in the Hot 100 and was certified platinum.<ref name="thestarspangledbannnerriaa">{{cite web | url = https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=star%20spangled%20banner&artist=whitney%20houston&format=SINGLE&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2011&sort=Artist&perPage=25 | title = Gold & Platinum&nbsp;– Search Results for "The Star Spangled Banner" single and its video single | publisher = [[Recording Industry Association of America]] | date = October 3, 2001 | access-date = March 17, 2011 | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130725045044/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=star%20spangled%20banner&artist=whitney%20houston&format=SINGLE&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2011&sort=Artist&perPage=25 | archive-date = July 25, 2013 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> The song's re-charting made Houston the first woman to chart the same song inside the top 20 of the Hot 100.<ref name="top20repeat">{{cite web |url=https://top40weekly.com/top-20-songs-charted-twice-by-same-artist/ |title=Top 20 Songs Charted Twice by Same Artist |work=Top40Weekly.com |date=July 24, 2024}}</ref> Later in 1991, Houston put together her ''[[Welcome Home Heroes with Whitney Houston|Welcome Home Heroes]]'' concert with [[HBO]] for the soldiers fighting in the Persian Gulf War and their families. The free concert took place at [[Naval Station Norfolk]] in [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], Virginia in front of 3,500 servicemen and women. HBO descrambled the concert so that it was free for everyone to watch.<ref>Smith, Patricia. [https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/59168720.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+1%2C+1991&author=Patricia+Smith%2C+Globe+Staff&pub=Boston+Globe+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=NOPGCIT&desc=Mom%2C+apple+pie+and+Whitney+Houston+in+concert+for+troops "Mom, apple pie and Whitney Houston in concert for troops"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725032104/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/59168720.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+1%2C+1991&author=Patricia+Smith%2C+Globe+Staff&pub=Boston+Globe+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=NOPGCIT&desc=Mom%2C+apple+pie+and+Whitney+Houston+in+concert+for+troops |date=July 25, 2013 }}. ''The Boston Globe'' April 1, 1991.</ref> The show gave HBO its highest ratings ever at the time.<ref>Hodges, Anne. "Hope opens his home to U.S. troops". ''Houston Chronicle'' April 6, 1991.</ref> 

Houston then embarked on her third world tour, the ''[[I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour]]'', in which Houston performed 97 shows, including a ten-date sold-out residency at Wembley Arena in London. The concert tour produced mixed to positive reviews. While ''The Sun Sentinel'' argued that Houston should've opted for smaller venues and theaters that were "far more suitable to her sophistication and talent",<ref>Wilker, Deborah. "Whitney Houston: Bigger – but better?" ''Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.'' June 13, 1991. Page 3E.</ref> ''[[USA Today]]'' praised Houston for "shak[ing] the confinements of her recordings' calculated productions and gets downright gutsy and soulful".<ref>Jones, James T. "Whitney is so emotional, soulful in concert". ''USA Today''. April 19, 1991. Page 01D.</ref>

=== 1992–1994: ''The Bodyguard'' ===
With the success of her music, Houston received offers of film work, including work with [[Robert De Niro]], [[Quincy Jones]] and [[Spike Lee]], but she did not feel the time was right.<ref name="Norment-1991">{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |date=May 1991 |first1=Lynn |last1=Norment |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UdQDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA110 |title=Whitney Houston Talks About The Men In Her Life – And The Rumors, Lies And Insults That Are The High Price Of Fame | volume = 46 | issue = 7 | issn = 0012-9011 | pages = 111–118}}</ref> Her first film role was in ''[[The Bodyguard (1992 film)|The Bodyguard]]'', released in 1992. Houston played a star who is being stalked by a crazed fan and hires a bodyguard (played by [[Kevin Costner]]) to protect her. Houston's mainstream appeal allowed audiences to look past the interracial nature of her character's relationship with Costner's character.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|url=https://ew.com/article/1993/02/05/close-whitney-houston/|title=Up close with Whitney Houston|first1=Meredith|last1=Berkman|date=February 5, 1993|access-date=July 28, 2019|archive-date=August 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809012013/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,305461_4,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> However, controversy arose as some felt Houston's face had been intentionally left out of the advertising to hide the film's interracial relationship. In a 1993 interview with ''Rolling Stone'', Houston said that "people know who Whitney Houston is&nbsp;– I'm black. You can't hide that fact."<ref name="RS93" />

The film received mixed reviews. While Houston was accused of merely “playing herself” but came out “largely unscathed”,<ref>{{cite news | first = Rita | last = Kempley | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/thebodyguardrkempley_a0a2f7.htm | title = The Bodyguard |newspaper=The Washington Post | date = November 25, 1992| access-date =October 30, 2011}}</ref> and “lacked chemistry” with her co-star,<ref>{{cite news | newspaper = [[The New York Times]] | url = https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E0CE6DE1E3DF936A15752C1A964958260 | first = Janet | last = Maslin | title = Review/Film: The Bodyguard; Tragic Flaw Meets Pampered Pop Star Over Multiple Risks | date = November 25, 1992 | access-date =October 29, 2011}}</ref> another review wrote that she “photographs wonderfully, and has a warm smile, and yet is able to suggest selfish and egotistical dimensions in the character.”<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-bodyguard-1992 |work=RogerEbert.com |date=November 25, 1992 |title=The Bodyguard (1992) |author=[[Roger Ebert]] |accessdate=April 17, 2025}}</ref> Houston was nominated for [[NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture|Outstanding Actress]] at the [[NAACP Image Awards]], the [[1993 MTV Movie Awards|MTV Movie Award]] for Best Female Performance and the [[People's Choice Award]] nod for Favorite Actress in a Dramatic Motion Picture.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1993/film/news/people-s-choice-noms-out-103669/ |title=People's Choice noms out |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=February 3, 1993 |accessdate=June 3, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://uproxx.com/hitfix/a-look-back-at-1993-and-the-second-annual-mtv-movie-awards/ |title=A look back at 1993 and the second annual MTV Movie Awards |work=[[Uproxx]] |date=April 14, 2013 |accessdate=June 3, 2023}}</ref> Upon its release, ''The Bodyguard'' grossed more than $121&nbsp;million in the U.S. and $410&nbsp;million worldwide, making it one of the top 100 highest-grossing films in history at its time of release.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/domestic.htm?page=3&p=.htm| title=All Time Box Office Domestic Grosses|publisher=Box Office Mojo | access-date=January 12, 2010}}</ref> It remains in the top 50 of most successful [[Motion Picture Association film rating system|R-rated]] [[List of highest-grossing R-rated films|films in box-office history]].<ref name="BodyguardRatedR">{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1967556097/weekend/ |title=The Bodyguard - Box Office Mojo |accessdate=December 6, 2022}}</ref>

The film's [[The Bodyguard (soundtrack)|soundtrack]] also enjoyed success. As [[executive producer]] of the soundtrack, Houston recorded six tracks, two of which she produced.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ebony.com/entertainment/whitney-houston-bodyguard-soundtrack-reissue/|title=Whitney Houston Estate to Reissue 'The Bodyguard' Soundtrack for 25th Anniversary|first1=Bianca|last1=Garwood|date=October 13, 2017|website=EBONY}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/deep-10-whitney-houstons-bodyguard-%E2%80%94-original-soundtrack-album |title=Deep 10: Whitney Houston's The Bodyguard – Original Soundtrack Album |date=November 17, 2016 |publisher=National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |access-date=September 7, 2021 |first=Chuck |last=Crisafulli}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' described it as "nothing more than pleasant, tasteful and urbane".<ref name="CD">{{cite magazine|magazine=CD review digest|title=Jazz, popular, etc|year=1994|volume=7|issue=4|publisher=Peri Press|page=174}}</ref> The soundtrack opened at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 and took the number-one spot the following week, accumulating 20 weeks atop the chart, the first album by a woman to do so. One of the fastest-selling albums ever,<ref name="Inc.2000b">{{cite book|title=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JQ8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA110|date=May 13, 2000|page=110|issn=0006-2510}}</ref> it became the first album in music history to sell more than a million copies in a single week under the [[Luminate (company)|Nielsen Soundscan]] tracking system.<ref>{{cite news | first = Aleene | last = MacMinn | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-12-31-ca-4117-story.html | title = Morning Report: Pop/Rock | newspaper = [[Los Angeles Times]] | date = December 31, 1992 | access-date =September 1, 2010}}</ref><ref>"Whitney Houston gets a boost from Bodyguard". ''The Globe and Mail''. January 1, 1993. Page C6.</ref> ''The Bodyguard'' became the first album in history by a female artist to be certified diamond by the RIAA after it passed the ten-million mark in early November 1993.<ref name="whitneycert"/> It has since gone on to sell more than 18 million copies alone in the US, with total sales reaching 45 million copies worldwide, becoming the [[List of best-selling albums by women|best-selling album by a female artist]] and the [[List of best-selling albums|best-selling soundtrack album]] in history,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/news/bodyguard-soundtrack-25-years-after-whitney-houstons-masterpiece|title='The Bodyguard' Soundtrack: 25 Years After Whitney Houston's Masterpiece|publisher=[[Grammy Awards]]|access-date=June 21, 2023|first=Billy|last=Johnson Jr|date=November 8, 2017}}</ref> earning Houston several [[Guinness World Records]].<ref>''The Bodyguard Soundtrack'' worldwide sales:
* {{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/american-music-awards-christina-aguilera-honor-whitney-houston-bodyguard-tribute-1052841|title=American Music Awards: Christina Aguilera to Honor Whitney Houston With 'Bodyguard' Tribute|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=October 30, 2017|access-date=January 3, 2019|first1=Nordyke|last1=Kimberly}}
* {{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2017/11/09/exclusive-whitney-houstons-bodyguard-turns-25-never-before-seen-performance/845384001/|title=Exclusive: Whitney Houston's 'Bodyguard' turns 25 with never-before-seen performance|work=[[USA Today]]|date=November 9, 2017|access-date=January 3, 2019|first1=Ryan|last1=Patrick}}
* {{cite news|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/deep-10-whitney-houstons-bodyguard-%E2%80%94-original-soundtrack-album|title=Deep 10: Whitney Houston's The Bodyguard – Original Soundtrack Album|publisher=[[National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences]]|date=May 15, 2017|access-date=January 3, 2019|first1=Crisafulli|last1=Chuck}}
* {{cite news|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/890234/christina-aguilera-will-honor-whitney-houston-and-the-bodyguard-s-25th-anniversary-at-the-2017-amas|title=Christina Aguilera Will Honor Whitney Houston and The Bodyguard's 25th Anniversary at the 2017 AMAs|work=[[E! News]]|date=October 30, 2017|access-date=January 3, 2019|first1=Johnson|last1=Zach}}
* {{cite magazine|url=https://www.ebony.com/entertainment/whitney-houston-bodyguard-soundtrack-reissue/|title=Whitney Houston Estate to Reissue 'The Bodyguard' Soundtrack for 25th Anniversary|magazine=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]]|date=October 13, 2017|access-date=January 3, 2019|first1=Garwood|last1=Bianca}}</ref>

At the [[36th Annual Grammy Awards|1994 Grammy Awards]], Houston won the Grammy for [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]] for the soundtrack and was the first black woman to win as producer as well as artist.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/pdominguez/whitney-houston-was-more-than-the-voice |title=This Is How The Biggest Movie Soundtrack Of All Time Got Made |website=BuzzFeed News |date=November 21, 2017 |access-date=September 7, 2021 |first=Alessa |last=Dominguez}}</ref> In addition to the Grammy, Houston also won a record-setting eight American Music Awards, eleven [[Billboard Music Awards]], five [[NAACP Image Awards]] and earned the [[Soul Train Music Awards|Soul Train Music Award]] for the [[Soul Train Music Award for Sammy Davis Jr. – Entertainer of the Year|Sammy Davis Jr. Entertainer of the Year]] honor.<ref name="Company1994yu">{{cite magazine |title=Whitney Houston Eight American Music Awards Make Her Top Female Winner |magazine=Jet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vcADAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56 |date=February 28, 1994 |page=56 |issn=0021-5996 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard | first1 = J.R. | last1 = Reynolds | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=NQgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA34 | title = The Rhythm and the Blues: 8th Soul Train Awards Are Aglow With Stellar Performances, Star Appearances | volume = 106 | issue = 13 | page = 34 | date = March 26, 1994 | access-date =June 29, 2010 | issn = 0006-2510}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=The Crisis | first1 = Denise | last1 = Crittendon | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=U1kEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA34 | title = Stars Shine At The NAACP Image Awards | volume = 101 | issue = 2 | page = 34 | issn = 0011-1422 | date = February–March 1994 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard | first1 = J.R. | last1 = Reynolds | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=FwgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA15 | title = The Rhythm and the Blues: Tupac's Loss May Preserve Awards' Image; New Indies Form Out West And Down South | volume = 106 | issue = 3 | page = 15 | date = January 15, 1994 | access-date =June 29, 2010 | issn = 0006-2510}}</ref><ref name="1994naacplatimes">{{cite news | newspaper = [[Los Angeles Times]] | first = Marisa | last = Leonardi | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-07-ca-9458-story.html | title = Michael Jackson Shares Whitney Houston's Spotlight, Honors: Houston wins five NAACP Image Awards, but Jackson gets cheers in a show marked by controversy | date = January 7, 1994 | access-date =June 29, 2010}}</ref> Houston also earned international honors for the soundtrack, including a [[Juno Award for International Album of the Year|Juno Award]], five [[World Music Awards]], six [[Japan Gold Disc Awards]] and a [[1994 Brit Awards|Brit Award]].<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard | first1 = Mark | last1 = Dezzani | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=TAgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA41| title = World Music Awards Gaining Stature | volume = 106 | issue = 21 | page = 41 | date = May 21, 1994 | access-date =June 29, 2010 | issn = 0006-2510}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.brits.co.uk/history/shows/1994 | title = The BRITs 1994 Winners & Nominees | publisher = [[British Phonographic Industry]] | date = February 14, 1994 | access-date = June 29, 2010 | archive-date = June 30, 2012 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120630155750/http://www.brits.co.uk/history/shows/1994 | url-status = dead }}</ref> 

The soundtrack's lead single was "[[I Will Always Love You (Whitney Houston recording)|I Will Always Love You]]", written and originally recorded by [[Dolly Parton]]. Houston's version was highly acclaimed by critics, regarding it as her "signature song" or "iconic performance". ''Rolling Stone'' and ''USA Today'' called her rendition a [[wikt:tour de force|tour-de-force]].<ref name="rollingstonetop100singers">{{cite magazine|magazine=Rolling Stone | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-147019/whitney-houston-8-222509/ | title = 100 Greatest Singers of All Time (2008) | date = December 3, 2010 | access-date = March 17, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=USA Today|url-access=subscription|first=James T. |last=Jones IV|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/56240516.html?dids=56240516:56240516&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Nov+17%2C+1992&author=James+T.+Jones+IV&pub=USA+TODAY+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=Houston+heroic+on+%60Bodyguard'+album&pqatl=google|title=Houston heroic on 'Bodyguard' album |date=November 17, 1992|access-date=September 25, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725061950/https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/56240516.html?dids=56240516%3A56240516&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&type=current&date=Nov+17%2C+1992&author=James+T.+Jones+IV&pub=USA+TODAY+%28pre-1997+Fulltext%29&desc=Houston+heroic+on+%60Bodyguard%27+album&pqatl=google|archive-date=July 25, 2012}}</ref> The song went on to become the longest-running number one single in ''Billboard'' Hot 100 history at the time for a record setting 14 weeks. The song also became Houston's fourth record-setting "triple-crown" number one ''Billboard'' hit after it topped the R&B and AC charts.<ref name="whitneytriple">{{cite news | newspaper = [[Chicago Tribune]] | first = Jan | last = DeKnock | url = https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1993-01-15-9303162594-story.html | title = Whitney Houston Hits 4th 'Triple' | date = January 15, 1993 | access-date = March 17, 2011 | archive-date = September 24, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200924133210/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1993-01-15-9303162594-story.html | url-status = live }}</ref>{{efn|Houston shares the feat with singer [[Lionel Richie]].<ref name="whitneytriple"/>}} It has gone on to sell more than ten million units in the United States and was certified diamond in January 2021, making Houston just one of four female artists to earn a diamond-certified single and album.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2022/01/12/whitney-houston-joins-taylor-swift-and-mariah-carey-in-an-extremely-rare-musical-feat/|title=Whitney Houston Joins Taylor Swift And Mariah Carey In An Extremely Rare Musical Feat|work=Forbes|date=January 12, 2022|access-date=February 4, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://thatgrapejuice.net/2024/07/katy-perry-becomes-the-fourth-female-artist-to-have-dimond-single-and-diamond-album-in-the-united-states/ |title= Katy Perry Becomes The Fourth Female Artist To Have A Diamond Single and Diamond Album In The United States |work=The Grape Juice |date=July 2, 2024 |access-date=July 8, 2024}}</ref> It remains the best-selling US single by a female artist.<ref name="Inc.1998l">{{cite book|title=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rg4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA10|date=April 11, 1998|page=10|issn=0006-2510}}</ref><ref name="iwalysoundscan">{{cite magazine | first = Gary | last = Trust | url = https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/267561/ask-billboard-battle-of-the-divas-round-3 | title = Battle of the Divas, Round 3 |magazine=Billboard | date = August 28, 2009 | access-date =September 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/whitney-houston-i-will-always-love-you-diamond-status-1235018992/|title=Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You' Is Certified Diamond by RIAA|magazine=Billboard|date=January 13, 2022|access-date=February 4, 2022}}</ref><ref name="guinnesssingle">{{cite web|accessdate=June 20, 2023 |title=Best-selling single by a female artist (US) |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/102425-best-selling-single-by-a-female-artist-us |work=[[Guinness World Records]]}}</ref> The song topped the charts in 34 countries and went on to sell 24 million units worldwide, becoming the [[List of best-selling singles|best-selling single ever]] by a female solo artist.<ref>{{cite news|title=FIVE FAST FACTS ABOUT WHITNEY HOUSTON|url=https://houstonsymphony.org/five-fast-facts-about-whitney-houston/ |first1= |last1= |publisher= Houston Symphony |date= May 26, 2013 |access-date= December 2, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://calgaryphil.com/5-things-about-whitney-houston/#:~:text=Whitney's%20hit%20single%20I%20Will,actually%20written%20by%20Dolly%20Parton.|title=5 Things About Whitney Houston|date=February 23, 2023 |language=en-US|access-date=December 2, 2023}}</ref> Houston earned the [[36th Annual Grammy Awards|Grammys]] for [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]] and [[Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance|Best Pop Female Vocal Performance]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/grammy/record.htm|title=Rock On The Net: Grammy Awards: Record of the Year|website=rockonthenet.com}}</ref> 

The soundtrack's follow-up singles, "[[I'm Every Woman#Whitney Houston version|I'm Every Woman]]" and "[[I Have Nothing]]", both reached number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Houston set a new ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart record on March 13, 1993 when the two singles joined "I Will Always Love You" in simultaneously charting inside the top 20 in the same week, the first for an artist in the [[Luminate (company)|Nielsen SoundScan]] era.<ref name="charts93">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1993-03-13/ |title=Billboard Hot 100 (the week of March 13, 1993) |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=March 13, 1993 |accessdate=June 19, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | newspaper = [[Chicago Tribune]] | last = DeKnock | first = Jan | url = https://www.chicagotribune.com/1993/03/19/houston-still-plugged-in-as-contender/ | title = Houston Still Plugged In As Contender | date = March 19, 1993 | access-date =October 29, 2011 | page = O}}</ref><ref name="Inc.2001v">{{cite book|title=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UBIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA85|date=December 8, 2001|page=85|issn=0006-2510}}</ref><ref name="Inc.1993o">{{cite book|title=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0w8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA134|access-date=February 13, 2012|date=March 13, 1993|pages=134–|issn=0006-2510}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/bodyguard-anniversary-soundtrack-6327713/ |title='The Bodyguard' Anniversary: Revisiting the Soundtrack |author=Leslie Richin |date=November 25, 2014 |magazine=Billboard |accessdate=March 13, 2025}}</ref> The fourth single, "[[Run to You (Whitney Houston song)|Run to You]]", achieved modest success in the US and UK, while "[[Queen of the Night (song)|Queen of the Night]]" reached the top 40 in several global charts and a remixed version topped the US dance chart. The success of ''The Bodyguard'' led to Houston becoming a [[magazine cover|cover story]] for ''Rolling Stone'' in its June 10, 1993 issue.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/whitney-houston-opens-up-about-her-marriage-fame-117344/ |title=Whitney Houston Opens Up About Her Marriage, Fame |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=June 10, 1993 |author=[[Anthony DeCurtis]] |accessdate=March 13, 2025}}</ref>

[[File:Whitney Houston performs at state dinner for Mandela in 1994 2.png|alt=|thumb|right|Houston performing at a state dinner in the [[White House]] honoring South African president [[Nelson Mandela]] in 1994]]
Houston then embarked on her most expansive global tour to date: ''[[The Bodyguard World Tour]]''. She toured for nearly two years to mostly sold-out audiences across five continents. Houston eventually ranked as the third highest-earning female entertainer of 1993-94, according to ''Forbes'', named as one of the 100 most powerful people in Hollywood by ''[[Premiere (magazine)|Premiere]]'' and placed in the top five of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''{{'}}s annual "Entertainer of the Year" ranking.<ref>{{cite news | work = San Francisco Chronicle | title = Steven Spielberg Is Mr. Entertainer | date = December 24, 1994 | page = D11}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | work = Telegram & Gazette | first = Jim | last = Keogh | title = Few women producers make the top 100 list | date = April 15, 1993| page = C2}}</ref>

In October 1994, Houston attended and performed at a state dinner in the [[White House]] honoring newly elected South African president [[Nelson Mandela]].<ref>{{cite news | work = USA Today | last = Kelly | first = Katy | title = Greeting Mandela with elegance and esteem | date = October 5, 1994 | page = D02}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | work = [[The Free Lance–Star]] | date = October 5, 1994 | access-date =June 12, 2011 | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FQMzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uQcGAAAAIBAJ&pg=6934,786142&dq | title = White House Lionizes Mandela | first = Nita | last = Lelyveld | page = A8}}</ref> At the end of her world tour, Houston performed three concerts in South Africa to honor President Mandela, playing to more than 200,000 people; this made her the first major musician to visit the newly unified and apartheid free nation following Mandela's winning election.<ref name=southafrica>{{cite news | work = Cincinnati Post | last = Paeth | first = Greg | title = HBO worth seeing | date = November 9, 1994 | page = 7B}}</ref> Portions of ''[[Whitney: The Concert for a New South Africa]]'' were broadcast live on HBO with funds of the concerts being donated to various charities in South Africa. The event was considered the nation's "biggest media event since the inauguration of Nelson Mandela".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8_W-QMJlBHIC&pg=PA116 |title=Whitney In South Africa |magazine=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |volume=50 |issue=4 |pages=116–124 |date=February 1995 |issn=0012-9011 }}</ref> In May 1995, Houston hosted the [[1995 Kids' Choice Awards|8th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards]].<ref name="KCA 2007 Fun Facts">{{cite web|url=http://www.nickkcapress.com/2007KCA/funfacts.php|title=KCA Fun Facts - Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2007 Press Kit|publisher=[[Nickelodeon]]|access-date=February 28, 2021|archive-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804105419/http://www.nickkcapress.com/2007KCA/funfacts.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> A month later, in June 1995, Houston's Whitney Houston Foundation for Children was awarded a VH1 Honor for all of their charitable work.<ref name="In1995">{{cite book|title=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ygsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA38|access-date=February 15, 2012|date=July 15, 1995|pages=38–|issn=0006-2510}}</ref>

=== 1995–1997: ''Waiting to Exhale'', ''The Preacher's Wife'' and ''Cinderella'' ===
In 1995, Houston starred in ''[[Waiting to Exhale]]'' as Savannah Jackson, a TV producer. Houston called the film "a breakthrough for the image of black women because it presents them both as professionals and as caring mothers".<ref name=prissy /> It [[List of 1995 box office number-one films in the United States|reached number one in the US box office]] and entered the highest-grossing film lists of both 1995 and 1996, eventually grossing over $67 million in the US, while grossing $81 million altogether worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=waitingtoexhale.htm |title=Waiting to Exhale (1995) |website=Box Office Mojo |date=March 2, 1996 |access-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref> At the time of release, the film received mixed reviews from critics. According to Susan King from the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', the film "showed the power of black actresses and led to other successful movies with ethnic casts."<ref name="exhale20">{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-waiting-exhale-20151222-story.html |title=The impact of 'Waiting to Exhale' |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |author=Susan King |date=December 22, 2015 |accessdate=March 27, 2025}}</ref> The film's success led to similar films such as ''[[How Stella Got Her Groove Back]]'', ''[[The Best Man (1999 film)|The Best Man]]'' and ''[[Diary of a Mad Black Woman]]''.<ref name="exhale20"/><ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/africanambib2.html |title=African American Filmmakers, African American Films: A Bibliography of Materials in the UC Berkeley Library|location=Berkeley, CA|publisher= UC Berkeley Library |access-date=February 15, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine| last=Ascher-Walsh|first=Rebecca| url=https://ew.com/article/1998/08/14/back-groove/| title=Back in the Groove?| magazine=Entertainment Weekly| date=August 14, 1998| access-date=February 20, 2020| archive-date=December 8, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208001109/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,284411,00.html| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=LaPorte|first=Nicole|url=https://variety.com/2005/biz/news/diary-of-a-mad-niche-hit-1117918919/|title=Diary of a Mad Niche Hit|magazine=Variety|date=March 6, 2005|access-date=February 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090308073005/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117918919.html?categoryid=1055&cs=1|archive-date=March 8, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> The film was also notable for its portrayal of black women as strong middle class citizens rather than as stereotypes.<ref>{{cite magazine| first1= Jack E. | last1= White | title= Heavy Breathing |date=January 15, 1996|magazine=Time | url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983966,00.html| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080528223545/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983966,00.html| url-status= dead| archive-date= May 28, 2008| access-date=March 17, 2007 }}</ref> Houston received positive reviews for her role, with ''The New York Times'' reporting: "Ms. Houston has shed the defensive hauteur that made her portrayal of a pop star in 'The Bodyguard' seem so distant."<ref>{{cite news|first1=Stephen|last1=Holden|date=December 22, 1995|access-date=December 1, 2014|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9406E2DF1539F931A15751C1A963958260|title=Waiting to Exhale (1995) Film Review;4 Divas Have Lots Of Fun Telling Off Mr. Wrong|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Houston was nominated a second time for the [[NAACP Image Award]] for [[NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture|Outstanding Actress]].<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=The Crisis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TFkEAAAAMBAJ&q=outstanding&pg=PA18-IA2|title=The 27th NAACP Image Awards Official Ballot|volume=103|issue=2|date=February 3, 1996|access-date=November 19, 2014|pages=20–22|issn=0011-1422}}</ref> 

Houston contributed three songs to the film's soundtrack and advised producer [[Babyface (musician)|Babyface]] to make it an "album of women with vocal distinction".<ref name=prissy>{{cite magazine| first1= Christopher John | last1= Farley | title= No More Prissy |date=December 4, 1995|magazine=Time | url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983795-2,00.html| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080528223545/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983795-2,00.html| url-status= dead| archive-date= May 28, 2008| access-date=March 17, 2007 }}</ref> As a result, several other contemporary female R&B singers such as [[Brandy Norwood|Brandy]], [[Mary J. Blige]] and [[Toni Braxton]] contributed to the soundtrack. Houston's single, "[[Exhale (Shoop Shoop)]]", debuted at number one on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], only the third single to do so.<ref name="Cane">{{Cite web |url=https://www.bet.com/article/n7l04h/waiting-to-exhale-celebrates-15-years-today |title='Waiting To Exhale' Celebrates 15 Years Today |website=BET.com |first=Clay |last=Cane |date=December 21, 2010 |access-date=September 7, 2021 |archive-date=August 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815021200/https://www.bet.com/news/celebrities/movie-reviews/what-the-flick-blog-reviews/2010/12/waiting-exhale-15-years.html?cid=facebook |url-status=live }}</ref>{{efn|It also became the first song from a soundtrack to debut at number one and is only one of four soundtrack songs to do so, the others being [[Celine Dion]]'s "[[My Heart Will Go On]]" and [[Aerosmith]]'s "[[I Don't Want to Miss a Thing]]", both released in 1998 and [[Justin Timberlake]]'s "[[Can't Stop the Feeling!]]" in 2016.}} Two other Houston singles from the soundtrack, "[[Count On Me (Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans song)|Count On Me]]", a duet with [[CeCe Winans]], and "[[Why Does It Hurt So Bad]]", also reached the US top 40, with "Count On Me" reaching number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The soundtrack reached number one on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] in January 1996 and was certified seven-times platinum in the US.<ref name="Cane" /> The album received eleven Grammy nominations and the American Music Award for [[American Music Award for Favorite Soundtrack|Favorite Soundtrack]].<ref name="Cane"/> The soundtrack received strong reviews; as ''Entertainment Weekly'' stated: "the album goes down easy, just as you'd expect from a package framed by Whitney Houston tracks ... the soundtrack waits to exhale, hovering in sensuous suspense"<ref>{{cite book|title=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=December 1, 1995|page=73}}</ref> and has since ranked it as one of the 100 Best Movie Soundtracks.<ref>{{cite magazine|first1=Chris|last1=Willman |title=100 Best Movie Soundtracks |date=October 12, 2001 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,254121,00.html |access-date=March 17, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209174030/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C254121%2C00.html |archive-date=December 9, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 

Houston's next film, the [[Christmas film|Christmas]] [[List of comedy films of the 1990s|comedy]] ''[[The Preacher's Wife]]'' (1996), was largely an update of ''[[The Bishop's Wife]]'' (1948) and starred Houston alongside [[Denzel Washington]] and [[Courtney B. Vance]]. Houston earned $10 million for the role, making her the highest-earning African-American actress in Hollywood at the time.<ref>{{cite news|last=Laurence|first=Charles |title=The Arts: The gospel according to Whitney| work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date= December 14, 1996}}</ref> The movie, with its all African-American cast, was a moderate success, earning about $50&nbsp;million in the US.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=IMDb|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117372/business |title=Box office / Business for "The Preacher's Wife"|date=December 13, 1996 | access-date= February 15, 2008}}</ref> The film gave Houston the strongest reviews of her acting career. ''The San Francisco Chronicle'' said Houston "is rather angelic herself, displaying a divine talent for being virtuous and flirtatious at the same time" and she "exudes gentle yet spirited warmth, especially when praising the Lord in her gorgeous singing voice".<ref>{{cite news|last=Stack|first=Peter| url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1996/12/13/DD36582.DTL |title=Human Comedy's Divine in 'Preacher's Wife'|work =San Francisco Chronicle|date= December 13, 1996}}</ref> Houston won the [[NAACP Image Awards|NAACP Image Award]] for [[NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture|Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture]] for the film.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Jet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mjkDAAAAMBAJ&q=whitney+houston&pg=PA61|title=Ebony's 50th Anniversary Show, Denzel Washington Among NAACP Image Award Winners |volume =95|issue=15|pages=60–61|date=March 3, 1997|access-date=November 19, 2014|issn=0021-5996}}</ref> 

The [[The Preacher's Wife (soundtrack)|accompanying soundtrack]] was Houston's first full-length foray into [[gospel music]], which she produced with [[Mervyn Warren]]. Six of the more traditional gospel tracks were recorded with the [[Georgia Mass Choir]]  at the Great Star Rising Baptist Church in Atlanta. Upon its release, the soundtrack entered number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 and topped the [[Billboard charts#Top Gospel Albums|Top Gospel Albums]] chart, the first by a female artist.<ref name="WhitneyGospelChart">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/whitney-houston/chart-history/sll/ |title=Whitney Houston Chart History: Top Gospel Albums |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |accessdate=July 16, 2023}}</ref> Three singles were released, including "[[I Believe in You and Me]]", which reached the US top-ten, and "[[Step by Step (Annie Lennox song)|Step by Step]]", which became a hit in Europe. The soundtrack sold six million units worldwide, becoming the best-selling gospel album of all time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.moviefone.com/2012/02/13/whitney-houston-interview/|title=Whitney Houston 1996 Interview Sheds Light on Movie Career, Personal Demons|first1=Gary|last1=Susman|date=February 13, 2012|access-date=December 1, 2014|work=[[Moviefone]]|publisher=AOL|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129045846/http://news.moviefone.com/2012/02/13/whitney-houston-interview/|archive-date=November 29, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Despite its success, Houston complained of not receiving a gospel nomination at the [[40th Annual Grammy Awards]] in 1998 and responded by boycotting the ceremony.<ref name="grammysnub">{{cite web |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/8z2jat/whitney-may-pass-on-grammys-over-gospel-snub |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619210316/https://www.mtv.com/news/8z2jat/whitney-may-pass-on-grammys-over-gospel-snub |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 19, 2023 |title=Whitney May Pass on Grammys Over Gospel Snub |work=[[MTV]] |date=February 18, 1998 |accessdate=June 19, 2023}}</ref>{{efn|Houston told ''[[Entertainment Tonight]]'', "basically it was my gospel album, and it was excluded from the gospel category altogether. I'm not going this year... I'm sick of work being done and people not recognizing it."<ref name="grammysnub"/>}} Houston's work was acknowledged by the [[GMA Dove Award|Dove Awards]] and the [[NAACP Image Awards]], where Houston received the award for [[NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Gospel Artist|Outstanding Gospel Artist]].

In 1996, Houston formed her film production company, BrownHouse Productions. [[Debra Martin Chase]] became her partner. Their goal was "to show aspects of the lives of African-Americans that have not been brought to the screen before" while improving how African-Americans are portrayed in film and television.<ref name=brownhouse>{{cite magazine |title=Whitney Scores As Producer and Star |magazine=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |date= November 1997 |access-date=September 7, 2021 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kYiyPoTrhDUC&pg=PA90}}</ref> Their first project was a [[made-for-television]] remake of [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]]'s ''[[Cinderella (Rodgers and Hammerstein musical)|Cinderella]]''. In addition to co-producing, Houston starred in the film as the [[Fairy Godmother]] along with [[Brandy Norwood|Brandy]], [[Jason Alexander]], [[Whoopi Goldberg]] and [[Bernadette Peters]]. Houston was initially offered the role of Cinderella in 1993, but other projects intervened.<ref>{{cite news|last=Purdum|first=Todd S. | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/02/arts/television-the-slipper-still-fits-though-the-style-is-new.html |title=Television; The Slipper Still Fits, Though the Style Is New| work=[[The New York Times]]| date= November 2, 1997}}</ref> The film is notable for its multi-racial cast and non-stereotypical message.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kYiyPoTrhDUC&pg=PA86 |title=Whitney & Brandy in Cinderella |magazine=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |date=November 1997 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref> An estimated 60 million viewers tuned into the special giving ABC its highest TV ratings in 16 years.<ref name="Carter">{{cite news|last1=Carter|first1=Bill|title=TV Notes; Happy Ending For 'Cinderella'| work=The New York Times| page=7| date=November 5, 1997| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/05/arts/tv-notes-happy-ending-for-cinderella.html}}</ref> The movie received seven [[Emmy]] nominations including Outstanding Variety, Musical or Comedy, while winning Outstanding Art Direction in a Variety, Musical or Comedy Special. 

Houston and Brown also worked on a biopic on actress [[Dorothy Dandridge]].<ref name=brownhouse /> [[Halle Berry]], who also had rights to Dandridge's story, beat Houston and Chase to release her version several years later.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1430186/19970409/houston_whitney.jhtml | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129082640/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1430186/19970409/houston_whitney.jhtml | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 29, 2013 |title= Whitney Houston To Take On "Christie Love| publisher=MTV News|date= April 9, 1997}}</ref> In October, a third [[HBO]] concert special, ''[[Classic Whitney: Live from Washington, D.C.]]'' aired with proceeds of the special going to [[Marian Wright Edelman]]'s [[Children's Defense Fund]], eventually reaching $300,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=WT&p_theme=wt&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB0F3AC7B4905E3&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Streetwise Houston tries new approach Singer's tour hits town Monday|date=July 3, 1999|work=The Washington Times|format=Article ID: R00018180056|archive-date=March 26, 2023|access-date=February 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326032905/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=WT&p_theme=wt&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB0F3AC7B4905E3&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|url-status=dead}}</ref> 

In early 1998, Houston received the [[Soul Train Music Award for Quincy Jones Award for Career Achievement|Quincy Jones Award]] for outstanding career achievements at the [[1998 Soul Train Music Awards|12th Soul Train Music Awards]].<ref name="1998soultrainbillboard">{{cite magazine |magazine=Billboard | first1 = Anita M. | last1 = Samuels | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=6w4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA10 | title = Badu Heads Soul Train; Singer Picks Up 4 Awards | volume = 110 | issue = 11 | page = 10 | date = March 14, 1998 | access-date =June 30, 2010 | issn = 0006-2510}}</ref><ref name="1998soultrain">{{cite web | url = http://www.soultrain.com/stma/library.html | title = Soul Train Music Awards Library: 1998 The 12th Soul Train Music Awards | publisher = [[Don Cornelius]] Productions, Inc | date = February 27, 1998 | access-date =June 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725073904/http://www.soultrain.com/stma/library.html |archive-date=July 25, 2013}}</ref>

=== 1998–2000: ''My Love Is Your Love'' and ''Whitney: The Greatest Hits'' ===
In 1998, Houston released ''[[My Love Is Your Love]]'', her first [[studio album]] in eight years. Released during the so-called "Super Tuesday" week on November 17 of the year where multiple albums by other recording artists were also issued, the album debuted and peaked at number 13 on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/1998/11/27/big-day-music/ |title=A big day in music |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=November 27, 1998 |author=Rob Brunner |accessdate=March 26, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/archive/6734042/music-super-tuesday/ |title=Music: Super Tuesday |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=November 23, 1998 |author1=Christopher John Farley |author2=David E. Thigpen |accessdate=March 26, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/1998/music/news/super-cd-week-1117488917/ |title=Super CD week |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=November 29, 1998 |author=Phil Gallo |accessdate=March 26, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=LgoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA126 | title = The ''Billboard'' 200 chart listing for the week of December 5, 1998 | page = 126 | volume = 110 | issue = 49 | issn = 0006-2510 | date = December 5, 1998 | access-date =October 29, 2011}}</ref> The album featured production from [[Rodney Jerkins]], [[Wyclef Jean]] and [[Missy Elliott]] and resulted in Houston receiving some of her strongest reviews ever, with ''Rolling Stone'' writing that Houston was singing "with a bite in her voice"<ref name="Group1999">{{cite magazine|title=Vibe|magazine = Vibe Vixen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sigEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA60|date=April 1999 |page=60|issn=1070-4701}}</ref> while ''The Village Voice'' called it "Whitney's sharpest and most satisfying so far".<ref>{{cite web |first=Vince |last=Aletti |url=https://www.villagevoice.com/1998/12/08/look-whos-ticking/ |title=Look Who's Ticking |website=The Village Voice |date=December 8, 1998 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref> ''Billboard'' magazine noted the album had a "funkier and edgier sound than past releases" and saw Houston "handling urban dance, [[hip hop music|hip hop]], mid-tempo [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]], [[reggae]], [[torch song]]s and ballads all with great dexterity".<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IwoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA1| title = Houston Finds a New Groove with Arista Set | first1 = Melinda | last1 = Newman | pages = 1, 86 | volume = 110 | issue = 44 | issn = 0006-2510 | date = October 31, 1998 | access-date =October 29, 2011}}</ref> The album produced five top 40 singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the most for a Houston album since 1987's ''Whitney''. 

The leading single was the [[Mariah Carey]]-featured duet, "[[When You Believe]]", off ''[[The Prince of Egypt]]'', which peaked at number 15 in the US and reached number two on the [[Eurochart Hot 100]], and later won an [[Academy Award for Best Original Song#1991-2000|Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/71st-winners.html | title = The 71st Academy Awards (1999) Nominees and Winners | publisher = Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | date = March 21, 1999 | access-date =October 29, 2011}}</ref> The second single, "[[Heartbreak Hotel (Whitney Houston song)|Heartbreak Hotel]]", peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while the following two singles, "[[It's Not Right but It's Okay]]" and [[My Love Is Your Love (song)|the title track]], produced by Jean, each peaked at number four. The final single, "[[I Learned From the Best]]", also reached the US top 40. The album remained on the ''Billboard'' 200 for almost two years and sold four million units alone in the US, where it was certified four-times platinum by the RIAA.<ref name="whitneycert"/> Besides "Believe", the latter four singles reached number one on the ''Billboard'' [[Dance Club Songs]] chart. 

Houston's North American leg of her [[My Love Is Your Love World Tour|world tour]] to promote the album was successful but plagued by cancellations with Houston's publicist citing "throat problems and a 'bronchitis situation'".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/430811.stm |title=US city makes $100,000 Whitney claim |work=BBC News |date=August 26, 1999 |access-date=March 3, 2018}}</ref> However, its European leg was ranked as the highest-grossing arena tour of the year in the continent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/media-telecommunications/movies-sound-recording/6714253-1.html |title=Whitney Houston World Tour '99 Becomes Europe's Highest Grossing Arena Tour of the Year |publisher=AllBusiness.com |date=October 19, 1999 |access-date=October 29, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090725205420/http://www.allbusiness.com/media-telecommunications/movies-sound-recording/6714253-1.html |archive-date=July 25, 2009 }}</ref> The success of the tour led to ''My Love Is Your Love'' reaching number one on the [[European Top 100 Albums]] chart in August 1999, staying there for six weeks.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1999/MM-1999-08-21.pdf |title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles / European Top 100 Albums |magazine=Music & Media |volume=16 |issue=34 |date=21 August 1999 |pages=11–12 |oclc=29800226 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> All of Houston's singles from the album were successful internationally, with the title track reaching number one on the Eurochart Hot 100 and selling more than three million units worldwide while the last release, "I Learned From the Best" topped the charts in Poland and Romania.<ref name="mylove">{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fwgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA137 | title="My Love Is Your Love" single; triple platinum worldwide | page = 137 | volume = 111 | issue = 47 | date = November 20, 1999 | access-date =September 25, 2010 | issn = 0006-2510}}</ref> Eventually, global sales of the album reached 10 million units worldwide.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |date=November 18, 2016 |title=Whitney Houston Released Two Albums This Week In 1992 & 1998 |url=https://www.whitneyhouston.com/news/whitney-houston-released-two-albums-week-1992-1998/ |website=whitneyhouston.com}}</ref>

The album's European success helped Houston win the [[MTV Europe Music Award]] for [[MTV Europe Music Award for Best R&B|Best R&B]], while the music video for "Heartbreak Hotel" led to Houston receiving her first [[MTV Video Music Awards|MTV Video Music Award]] nomination in over a decade.<ref name="1999emabbc">{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/515689.stm | title = Entertainment: Dublin gears up for MTV show |work=BBC News | date = November 11, 1999 | access-date =July 3, 2010}}</ref><ref name="1999ema">{{cite magazine | url = https://www.billboard.com/news/spears-tops-1999-mtv-europe-music-awards-949845.story#/news/spears-tops-1999-mtv-europe-music-awards-949845.story | title = Spears Tops 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards | magazine = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date = November 12, 1999 | access-date =July 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105153513/http://www.billboard.com/news/spears-tops-1999-mtv-europe-music-awards-949845.story#/web/20121105153513/http://www.billboard.com/news/spears-tops-1999-mtv-europe-music-awards-949845.story |archive-date=November 5, 2012}}</ref><ref name="1999emamtv">{{cite web | first = Brian | last = Ives | url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1434401/19991112/spears_britney.jhtml | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20010417214300/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1434401/19991112/spears_britney.jhtml | url-status = dead | archive-date = April 17, 2001 | title = Bono Honored As Britney Spears Dominates MTV Europe Awards | publisher = MTV Network | date = November 12, 1999 | access-date= July 3, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/1999/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080828041546/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/1999/ | url-status = dead | archive-date = August 28, 2008 | title = 1999 MTV Video Music Awards | publisher = MTV Network | date = September 9, 1999 | access-date =July 3, 2010}}</ref> Nominated for four Grammys at the [[42nd Annual Grammy Awards|2000 ceremony]], Houston nabbed her sixth and final competitive Grammy in the [[Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance|Best Female R&B Vocal Performance]] category for "It's Not Right but It's Okay".<ref name="whitneygrammy">{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/whitney-houston/3899 |title=Whitney Houston - Grammy History |work=[[Grammy Award]]s |accessdate=June 19, 2023}}</ref> Near the end of the year, the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] hosted its Century Awards and named Houston the top-selling R&B female artist of the century with certified US sales of 51 million records at the time while the [[The Bodyguard (soundtrack)|soundtrack to ''The Bodyguard'']] received the award for top-selling soundtrack album of the century.<ref name="riaacentury">{{cite web|url=http://www.riaa.net/newsitem.php?news_month_filter=11&news_year_filter=1999&resultpage=&id=3ABF3EC8-EF5B-58F9-E949-3B57F5E313DF |title=The American Recording Industry Announces its Artists of the Century |publisher=Recording Industry Association of America |date=November 10, 1999 |access-date=July 23, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724032619/http://www.riaa.net/newsitem.php?news_month_filter=11&news_year_filter=1999&resultpage=&id=3ABF3EC8-EF5B-58F9-E949-3B57F5E313DF |archive-date=July 24, 2011 }}</ref> In March 2000, Houston earned a special honor at the [[2000 Soul Train Music Awards|14th Soul Train Music Awards]] as the female artist of the decade for her extraordinary artistic contributions during the 1990s.<ref name="2000soultrain">{{cite web | first = David | last = Basham | url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1434868/20000211/tlc.jhtml | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130104040605/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1434868/20000211/tlc.jhtml | url-status = dead | archive-date = January 4, 2013 | title = TLC Nominated For Three Soul Train Music Awards | publisher = MTV | date = February 11, 2000 | access-date =July 4, 2010}}</ref><ref name="2000soultrainbillboard">{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard | first1 = Gail | last1 = Mitchell | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=nA4EAAAAMBAJ&q=soul%20train%20music%20awards%2014th&pg=PA20 | title = TLC Rides Soul Train | date = March 18, 2000 | access-date =July 4, 2010 | issn = 0006-2510 | volume = 112 | issue = 12 | page = 20}}</ref>

The next year, in May 2000, Houston's first compilation album, ''[[Whitney: The Greatest Hits]]'', was released. The album reached number five in the US and number one in the UK and also reached the top ten in multiple countries.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mQ8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA116 | title = The ''Billboard'' 200 chart listing for the week of June 3, 2000 | page = 116 | volume = 112 | issue = 23 | issn = 0006-2510 | date = June 3, 2000 | access-date =October 29, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard | title = Hits of the World | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mw8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA88-IA2 | pages = 72–73 | volume = 112 | issue = 25 | date = June 17, 2000 | access-date =October 29, 2011 | issn = 0006-2510}}</ref> A double-disc collection, the album's first disc, "Cool Down", featured all of Houston's hit ballads, while the second disc, "Throw Down", featured [[house music|house]] and [[club music|club]] remixes of the singer's uptempo hits, in response to the well-received dance remixes from the previous album.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PA8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA26| title = Reviews & Previews: Spotlight | page = 26 | volume = 112 | issue = 21 | issn = 0006-2510 | date = May 20, 2000 | access-date =October 29, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | first = Steve | last = Huey | url = https://www.allmusic.com/album/greatest-hits-import-version-r1226396/review | title = Whitney: The Greatest Hits review | work = AllMusic | access-date =October 29, 2011}}</ref> It also included four new tracks, three of them duets from the likes of [[Deborah Cox]], [[Enrique Iglesias]] and [[George Michael]]. The singles with the latter two artists, "[[Could I Have This Kiss Forever]]" and "[[If I Told You That]]", both became hits in Europe. The set was later certified five times platinum in the US for sales of five million copies, while worldwide sales reached 10 million.<ref name="whitneycert"/><ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/77413/florida-orchestra-sues-arista-over-anthem | title = Florida Orchestra Sues Arista Over Anthem | magazine = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date = December 17, 2001 | access-date =October 29, 2011}}</ref>

=== 2000–2008: ''Just Whitney, Princess Diaries,'' and ''Cheetah Girls'' ===
[[File:Whitney Houston 2000.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|left|Houston outside the [[Capitol Hill]], Washington, D.C., on October 16, 2000]]
Houston's reputation as "[[America's Sweetheart]]", which she was nicknamed for the duration of her career, came under scrutiny at the beginning of the [[2000s in music|2000s]]. Reports of erratic behavior, showing up hours late to interviews, photo shoots, rehearsals and canceling several concerts, had been following her since the late [[1990s in music|1990s]].<ref name="RollingStoneBio">{{cite magazine|title=Whitney Houston biography |magazine=Rolling Stone |year=2012 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/whitney-houston/biography |access-date=February 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091209024845/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/whitneyhouston/biography |archive-date=December 9, 2009}}</ref><ref name="McShane-20000406">{{cite news|first=Larry|last=McShane|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/digest/ent3.htm |title=Whitney Houston Gets Bad Press|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=April 6, 2000}}</ref> 

Houston failed to show up to induct [[Clive Davis]] into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in March 2000.<ref name="Dansby-20000607">{{cite magazine |first1=Andrew |last1=Dansby |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/whitneyhouston/articles/story/5924161/whitney_insider_tells_of_drug_use_failed_intervention |title=Whitney Insider Tells of Drug Use, Failed Intervention |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=June 7, 2000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527083340/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/whitneyhouston/articles/story/5924161/whitney_insider_tells_of_drug_use_failed_intervention |archive-date=May 27, 2009}}</ref> Weeks later, Houston was scheduled to perform at the [[Academy Awards]] but was fired from the event by musical director and longtime friend [[Burt Bacharach]]. At the time, her publicist cited throat problems as the reason for the cancellation. In his book, ''The Big Show: High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards'', author Steve Pond revealed that "Houston's voice was shaky, she seemed distracted and jittery, and her attitude was casual, almost defiant"; though she was supposed to perform "[[Over the Rainbow]]", she sung a different song during rehearsals.<ref>Movie & TV News @ IMDb, [https://www.imdb.com/news/wenn/2004-12-23#celeb5 "Houston's Oscar Confusion"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325203750/http://www.imdb.com/news/wenn/2004-12-23#celeb5 |date=March 25, 2017 }}, December 23, 2004. Houston was replaced at that Oscar telecast by singer Faith Hill.</ref> Houston later admitted she had been fired.<ref name="Sawyer-Houston-Interview-2002">{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/transcript-whitney-houston-im-person-life/story?id=15574357|title=Transcript: Whitney Houston: 'I'm a Person Who Has Life'|date=February 13, 2012|access-date=December 12, 2024|publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214082903/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/transcript-whitney-houston-im-person-life/story?id=15574357|archivedate=February 14, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> Houston, however, did show up for a scheduled performance to celebrate Arista's 25th anniversary with [[Clive Davis]], her performance received good reviews.<ref>"Whitney Shines at Arista Anniversary", ''[[USA Today]]'', April 12, 2000.</ref>

In May 2000, Houston's longtime executive assistant and friend, [[Robyn Crawford]], resigned from Houston's management company.<ref name="Dansby-20000607" />

Despite increasing negative press, Houston continued to find success. She produced the film ''[[The Princess Diaries (film)|The Princess Diaries]]'' (2001) alongside fellow BrownHouse partner Debra Martin Chase. Starring [[Anne Hathaway]] and [[Julie Andrews]], the film became an [[sleeper hit|unexpected success]] in the box office, grossing more than $165 million worldwide. Houston and Chase became the first black people in box office history to produce a film that surpassed $100 million in the box office.<ref name="PD1">{{cite web |url=https://people.com/movies/see-whitney-houston-with-a-young-anne-hathaway-on-the-set-of-the-princess-diaries/ |title=See Whitney Houston With a Young Anne Hathaway on the Set of 2001's The Princess Diaries |work=[[People (magazine)|People]] |date=May 11, 2020 |first=Alexia |last=Fernández |access-date=September 9, 2024}}</ref> In August 2001, Houston signed one of the biggest record deals in music history, with Arista/[[Bertelsmann Music Group|BMG]]. She renewed her contract for $100 million to release six new albums, for which she would also earn royalties.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Lafranco|first= Robert|author2=Binelli, Mark|author3=Goodman, Fred|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938443/the_rolling_stone_money_report|title=The Rolling Stone Money Report|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=July 4, 2002|access-date=January 15, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204053142/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938443/the_rolling_stone_money_report/|archive-date=February 4, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Whitney Houston Signs $100 Million Contract with Arista Records|page=18|magazine=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]]|date=August 20, 2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MQ0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA1|magazine=Billboard|last=Mitchell|first=Gail|title=Arista Aims New Houston Album At 'Core Urban' Fans|date=December 14, 2002|access-date=December 12, 2024|page=1, 64|volume=114|issue=50}}</ref>

A performance at ''[[Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special]]'' in September 2001 led to increasing rumors of drug use and possible health issues due to Houston's extremely thin frame.<ref name="abcnews">{{cite news|last=Knolle|first=Sharon|title=Reports of Whitney Houston's Death Denied|date=September 13, 2001|work=ABC News|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/reports-whitney-houstons-death-denied/story?id=102477|access-date=July 27, 2019}}</ref> She canceled a second performance scheduled for the following night.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Lynette|last1=Holloway|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/11/business/in-switch-whitney-houston-has-to-sell-an-album.html|title=In Switch, Whitney Houston Has to Sell an Album|work=The New York Times|date=November 11, 2002|access-date=December 12, 2024|page=C0009}}</ref> Within weeks, Houston's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was re-released after the [[September 11 attacks]], with the proceeds donated to the [[New York City Fire Department|New York Firefighters 9/11 Disaster Relief Fund]] and the [[Fraternal Order of Police|New York Fraternal Order of Police]]. The single reached No. 6 on the US Hot 100, topping its previous position.<ref name="mtv010917">{{cite news|first1=Shaheem|last1=Reid|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1448905/whitney-houstons-star-spangled-banner-to-wave-again/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727084327/http://www.mtv.com/news/1448905/whitney-houstons-star-spangled-banner-to-wave-again/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 27, 2014|title=Whitney Houston's 'Star-Spangled Banner' To Wave Again|publisher=MTV Networks|date=September 17, 2001|access-date=July 27, 2019}}</ref><ref name="whitneyhoustonbillboardhistory">{{cite magazine | url = {{BillboardURLbyName|artist=Whitney Houston|chart=all}} | title = Whitney Houston ''Billboard'' chart history |magazine=Billboard | access-date =October 29, 2011}}</ref>

Houston released her fifth studio album, ''[[Just Whitney]]'', in December 2002. The album debuted at number nine on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified platinum, though it received mixed reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/just-whitney/whitney-houston|title=Just Whitney" by Whitney Houston|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=July 27, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Group2003">{{cite magazine|title=Vibe|magazine=Vibe Vixen|date=September 2003 |page=186|issn=1070-4701}}</ref><ref name="Sawyer-Houston-Interview-2002"/> In August 2003, Houston's second television film as a producer, ''[[The Cheetah Girls (film)|The Cheetah Girls]]'', premiered on the [[Disney Channel]]. A soundtrack of the film, executive produced by Houston, became successful, reaching double platinum status in the US. Later that November, Houston released her first Christmas album, ''[[One Wish: The Holiday Album]]'', which featured traditional holiday songs and was certified gold in the US.<ref>{{cite web|website=Live About|url=https://www.liveabout.com/best-rampb-christmas-songs-standards-2851629|first1=Mark Edward |last1=Nero|title=10 Great R&B Christmas Songs|date=May 24, 2019|access-date=July 27, 2019}}</ref>

In April 2004, Houston's second film as producer, ''[[The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement]]'', was equally successful in the box office like its predecessor, earning $134 million in the box office. For most of the year, Houston toured internationally.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Cashmere|first= Paul|url=http://www.mtv.tv/news/Whitney-back-with-Clive-Davis-13112/|title=Whitney Back With Clive Davis|date=September 17, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120709025508/http://www.mtv.tv/news/Whitney-back-with-Clive-Davis-13112/|archive-date=July 9, 2012}}</ref> Houston's success behind the scenes continued in 2006 with the airing of ''[[The Cheetah Girls 2]]'', which Houston served as executive producer. The film remains one of the highest-rated [[Disney Channel Original Movie|Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOM)]] in history with more than 8.1 million viewers tuning in for the premiere.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6408870.html |title=Disney Movie Skips to Another Record |first=R. Thomas |last=Umstead|date=January 22, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070209132433/http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6408870.html |archive-date=9 February 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== 2009–2012: ''I Look to You'' ===
[[File:Flickr Whitney Houston performing on GMA 2009 6.jpg|thumb|right|Houston performing "[[I Look to You (song)|I Look to You]]" on ''[[Good Morning America]]'', September 1, 2009]]	
Houston released ''[[I Look to You]]'' in August 2009. The album debuted at No. 1 on the [[Billboard 200]] with 305,000 copies sold, marking a strong return.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.voanews.com/archive/whitney-houston-album-due-out-sept-1-american-idol-auditions-kick|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927233727/https://www.voanews.com/archive/whitney-houston-album-due-out-sept-1-american-idol-auditions-kick|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 27, 2020|title=Whitney Houston Album Due Out Sept. 1; 'American Idol' Auditions Kick Off|work=VOA News|publisher=Voice of America|date=June 9, 2009|access-date=July 27, 2019}}</ref> The album's success was followed by her performance on various European television shows and her appearance as a guest mentor on ''[[The X Factor (UK series 6)|The X Factor]]'' in the UK. Despite a wardrobe malfunction during her performance of "Million Dollar Bill", the single still achieved commercial success, later going [[BPI certification|platinum]] in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite news|last=Singh|first= Anita|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/x-factor/6387117/Whitney-Houstons-weird-performance-on-The-X-Factor-gives-her-top-five-hit.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/x-factor/6387117/Whitney-Houstons-weird-performance-on-The-X-Factor-gives-her-top-five-hit.html |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Whitney Houston's weird performance on The X-Factor gives her top five hit|work=The Telegraph |date=October 20, 2009|access-date=October 20, 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The [[I Look to You (song)|title track]] was also a hit and was later certified [[RIAA certification|platinum]] in the United States. Following the album's release, Houston embarked on the [[Nothing but Love World Tour]], her first world tour in more than 10 years. Despite some negative reviews and rescheduled concerts, Houston continued to perform.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/2010/02/this_just_in_whitney_houston_d.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024234953/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/2010/02/this_just_in_whitney_houston_d.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 24, 2011|title=This just in: Whitney Houston disappoints in Australia, Charlie Sheen enters rehab, Placido Domingo to undergo surgery|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=February 24, 2010|access-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref>

In January 2010, Houston was nominated for two NAACP Image Awards and won Best Music Video for "I Look to You".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eonline.com/photos/4576/whitney-houston-s-highs-lows/169705|title=High: A Lifetime of Achievements (2010) from Whitney Houston's Highs & Lows|publisher=E!|language=en-US}}</ref> On January 16, she received the Entertainers Award at the [[The BET Honors|BET Honors]], acknowledging her lifetime achievements spanning more than 25 years. In January 2011, Houston made a surprise appearance at the ''BET Celebration of Gospel'' where she joined friend, gospel singer [[Kim Burrell]] onstage, to perform a duet version of "[[I Look to You (song)|I Look to You]]"; their performance was received well. It would be Houston's final television performance prior to her death.<ref name="whlasttvperf">{{cite web |url=https://www.smoothradio.com/artists/whitney-houston/final-tv-performance-kim-burrell/ |title=When Whitney Houston brought crowd to their feet with surprise duet in final TV performance |work=[[Smooth Radio (2014)|Smooth Radio]] |author=Thomas Edward |date=9 August 2023 |accessdate=April 23, 2025}}</ref>

Later in 2010, Houston was cast in the remake of the 1976 film ''[[Sparkle (2012 film)|Sparkle]]'', where she served as both a star and executive producer. The film marked her final acting role before her untimely death.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/whitney-houston-talks-star-music-234137|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|last=Kit|first=Borys|title=Whitney Houston in Talks to Star in Music-Themed Drama 'Sparkle' (Exclusive)|date=September 12, 2011|access-date=July 27, 2019}}</ref> The movie was released on August 17, 2012. The [[Sparkle (2012 soundtrack)|soundtrack]] featured "[[Celebrate (Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks song)|Celebrate]]", the last song Houston recorded, which was released in May 2012.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ballhorn|first=Kelly|title=WORLD PREMIERE: Whitney Houston & Jordin Sparks Duet 'Celebrate' From 'Sparkle' [AUDIO]|url=http://ryanseacrest.com/2012/05/21/world-premiere-whitney-houston-jordin-sparks-duet-celebrate-from-sparkle-audio/|publisher=ryanseacrest.com|access-date=May 21, 2012|date=May 21, 2012|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120521072837/http://ryanseacrest.com/2012/05/21/world-premiere-whitney-houston-jordin-sparks-duet-celebrate-from-sparkle-audio/|archive-date=May 21, 2012}}</ref>