Whitney In Russia...

[From The Platinum Club]

Whitney is coming to Russia
St. Petersburg – New Ice Arena – 8 February 2004
Moscow – Kremlin Palace – 10 & 11 February 2004

Stay tuned to whitneyhouston.com for information on special V.I.P. tickets to be offered to Whitney's shows in Moscow on 10 & 11 February.

For the first time in her illustrious career, superstar Whitney Houston is coming to Russia to perform three concerts in February 2004, one in St. Petersburg on 8 February and two in Moscow, 10 and 11 February. Said Ms. Houston: “ I am very excited to finally be coming to Russia and I look forward to performing for my Russian fans”

In the span of 18 years, Whitney Houston has become an international superstar in the worlds of both music and motion pictures, amassing global album sales of over 120 million albums, 50 million singles copies and a film box office total of over a half billion dollars.
Whitney Houston was born on August 9, 1963 in Newark, N.J. Her mother is the acclaimed gospel singer Cissy Houston. Not surprisingly, Whitney began singing in a gospel choir at age 11 and later went on to work as a backup singer for Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls. Whitney also began working as model in her late teens. "Discovered" in a nightclub by Arista Records A&R man Clive Davis, Whitney's eponymous debut was released in 1985 and became an instant success. Her album, WHITNEY HOUSTON, boasted a string of hits including “Saving All My Love For You” and a song that became virtually Whitney's anthem, "The Greatest Love of All." The album went on to sell over 22 million copies worldwide, becoming the biggest-selling debut album by a solo artist in history.


With the anticipated 1987 release of WHITNEY, Houston made history again when she became the first female artist to enter the album charts at number one. WHITNEY included a stream of chart-toppers including "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)," "So Emotional," "Love Will Save The Day" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go," which established Houston as the only artist to have seven consecutive number-one hits, surpassing a record previously held by The Beatles and the Bee Gees. Her third album, I'M YOUR BABY TONIGHT, released in 1990, displayed Whitney's versatility, spanning tough rhythmic grooves, soulful ballads and up-tempo dance tracks, again setting sales records as a multiplatinum seller internationally.


Whitney's next project was her first motion-picture role in THE BODYGUARD, costarring with Oscar-winning actor/director Kevin Costner. The film broke box-office records worldwide, opening new horizons for her. Six Houston songs highlighted the 1992 soundtrack, which became the biggest-selling album of the 1990s and the most successful soundtrack of all time, selling over 34 million copies worldwide. "I Will Always Love You," the first single from the movie, became the largest-selling commercial single in history. Whitney's second movie, WAITING TO EXHALE, was released in December 1995. The critically acclaimed film, starring Whitney and Angela Bassett, went on to gross about $70 million at the box office, earning far more than the film's original budget and laying the groundwork for a multitude of all-Black ensemble films that followed. The soundtrack for WAITING TO EXHALE, featuring three tracks from Whitney, quickly became a number-one album, which to date has sold about 10 million copies worldwide. In 1996, Whitney's third movie, THE PREACHER'S WIFE, was released costarring Denzel Washington and directed by Penny Marshall. The soundtrack, which included the singles "I Believe In You And Me" and "Step By Step," became the biggest-selling gospel album of all time, fulfilling Whitney's dream to record a gospel album.


After a long wait that included successful international tours, Whitney returned to recording and released her first non-soundtrack album in eight years -- MY LOVE IS YOUR LOVE. The album went on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide and earned Whitney her sixth Grammy -- Best Female R&B Vocal Performance -- for the single "It's Not Right But It's Okay" in February 2000. The success of MY LOVE IS YOUR LOVE was followed quickly with the release of WHITNEY: THE GREATEST HITS in May 2000. The double-album, which features Whitney's biggest hits, as well as remixes and a few rarities, has sold eight million copies worldwide to date.

Whitney released the album JUST WHITNEY in December 2002, achieving the biggest opening of her career in the Soundscan era and in November, 2003 she released her first ever collection of holiday songs titled: ONE WISH-THE HOLIDAY ALBUM demonstrating once more that her musical talent knows no bounds.

Whitney has garnered a slew of international awards, including six Grammys, 21 American Music Awards, 12 NAACP Image Awards, six People's Choice Awards, two Emmys, 15 Billboard Music Awards and eight Soul Train Awards, including the Soul Train Artist of the Decade Award. She was honored with the BET Lifetime Achievement Award in June 2001.

The long-awaited shows in Russia will definitely have phenomenal public demand
and be one of the year’s greatest sensations!

[Click On Images To View In Larger Scale]
 

NEWSFILE: 12 JANUARY 2004