Surprise! š So excited and thrilled to share these exclusive, never before seen photos of Aaliyah on our site, in our bespoke collaboration with photographer Hamish Brown and SCTR who have officially released more gems via their site https://sctr.co.uk/.
With the release of Kathy's 'Baby Girl: Better Known As Aaliyah' releasing this August 17th (1 day time) all of these releases were hugely inspired by Kathy's book to show a side to Aaliyah through images of Baby Girl, that we rarely ever get to see. . So grateful and honoured we were able to be part of such a special moment today.
Enjoy fam! /.\
Below is also a written article posted from SCTR website where photographer Hamish Brown goes into detail behind these iconic photos...
Aaliyah: A Retrospective
Celebrating an icon of R&B, showcasing previously unseen images, from one of her final photoshoots, with iconic photographer Hamish Brown.
Photographer Hamish Brown | Writer Kathy Iandoli
Aaliyah Haughton was not your average icon, and even to this day, she still isnāt. Born in Brooklyn, yet raised in Detroit, Aaliyah came up in the local music scene of Motor City before taking her talents worldwide as a full-fledged recording artist. In the span of her seven-year career, Aaliyah released three studio albums, with a number of soundtracks, guest appearances, collaborations, and posthumous projects that followed. Aaliyah was a singer, she was a songwriter, a producer, a model, a fashion icon, a philanthropist, and an actress. Above all, Aaliyah was a kind and gentle human, whose visionary approach to her music only amplified the desire to see her win. Thatās because you felt her heart in every line sung. She moved with passion and promise, fueled by her talent and her disarming beauty. And even though we lost her physically on August 25, 2001, her legacy lives onāthrough her music, through her memory, and especially through her fans.
Ask any one of those fans to choose their favourite photograph of Aaliyah, and theyāll have about five shots ready, with carefully detailed reasons for their selections. It was impossible not to fall in love with Aaliyah, and the camera knows that all too well. Now, however, these photographs are like buried treasure with every unreleased shot that surfaces. They are their own portals into this mysteriously enigmatic persona, whose eyes told a thousand stories and with every photo you ache to see more.
Hamish Brown knows this about Aaliyah better than most. As one of the final photographers to ever shoot Aaliyah, his images captured Aaliyah in her fullest formāthe last we would see of her before the accepted her new position of angel. Thereās a reason why Hamishās photo is the one that graces the cover of Baby Girl: Better Known As Aaliyahāand thatās because in his first and final shoot with her, Hamish caught the truest essence of Aaliyah. Twenty years later, we still celebrate her, and with that celebration comes a long-awaited journey into the behind the scenesāthe cutting room floor, photographerās cuts, complete with previously unreleased images. A legendary photographer shares never before seen footage a legendary icon. What more can you ask for?
Purchase Kathy Iandoliās book Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah.
Below, in his own words, photographer Hamish Brown recalls this famous photoshoot and meeting Aaliyah. A day that stood still in time for him for 20 years as one of his most treasured photoshoots.
Aaliyah June 1st 2001
Los Angelesā¦
"Iāve been sat on these rolls of film for 20 years, releasing some of the unseen gems from the shoot in 2021, feels massive, incredible and terrifying at the same time. Why now?
Had been toying with the idea for a long time, and seeing the one of the original images on the cover of Kathy Iindoliās book Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah was the absolute catalyst, Iād always planned to release them but needed a reason, and the global lockdown gave me the time to revisit the images and scan the film, itās never been a cost effective option. Some of these images will have been seen from the More Than a Woman artwork or the Ultimate Aaliyah cover, and the New Musical Express cover which they were originally made for, and the shoot filmed by MTV for their diaries. At the time of the shoot, the images I had seen of Aaliyah were very American feeling to me coming from the UK. I wanted to make pictures that were more demure and iconic, and let her beautiful soul come to the fore. Iāve never needed the razmattaz to create the wow factor when someone has genuinely āgot itā you can save that for someone else another day.
We had such a tough job (ok its not a tough job shooting Aaliyah its an amazing one) but keeping her on the quieter tip was a near on impossible. When weād secured the key images, we ended up using her make up artistās hands (Eric Ferrell), gently placed over her mouth, I canāt emphasise the gentle aspect of the placement enough, it was the reaction at that point in time with Aaliyah and how the shoot evolved, we laughed too much trying to get these images. It took me a long time to release the hand over mouth images, because I couldnāt bear the idea of them being misconstrued after the fact and after her passing, but eventually came too release them as part of a Sony Music exhibition in London where I had a voice to set the tone.
Ironically, finding one frame I had no idea would become so poignant was the image of Eric, Eric and Derek, who made up her incredible glam squad, that were such an incredible team. That day, the bond between them, from my perspective, didnāt come across as people that worked together, but as brilliant friends on the maddest rollercoaster. Iāll be eternally grateful for the moment they let me become part of their team for that photo shoot
I was back in Los Angeles around the time of her death, like everyone who remembers where and when and what they were doing, I was awake early with jet lag watching the awful rolling news as the story unfolded, with the footage from the MTV diary showing our shoot on national TV, leaving everyone with that horrible hollow feeling you can never define. I hope these images help to reconnect in part, Aaliyah with everyone that loved her. I very really ask for a signature, it feels so unprofessional to cross that line, but this time Iām so glad I did, my most treasured polaroid." ā Hamish Brown
