One in a Million (Aaliyah album)

One in a Million
One in a Million
Studio album by Aaliyah
Released	August 13, 1996
Recorded	August 1995–1996
Studio	Battery (New York City); Blue Light (New York City); Brimstone (Inglewood); Full Spectrum (Greensboro); House of Sound (New York City); Krosswire (Atlanta); Larrabee (Los Angeles); Manhattan Center (New York City); Mystic (New York City); Pyramid (Ithaca); Silent Sound (Atlanta); Vanguard (Detroit);
Genre	R&B; pop; hip hop;
Length	73:18
Label	Blackground; Atlantic;
Producer	Timbaland; Carl-So-Lowe; J. Dibbs; Jermaine Dupri; KayGee; Vincent Herbert; Rodney Jerkins; Craig King; Darren Lighty; Daryl Simmons;
Aaliyah chronology
Singles from One in a Million
	"If Your Girl Only Knew"; Released: July 15, 1996; "Got to Give It Up"; Released: November 4, 1996; "One in a Million"; Released: November 12, 1996; "4 Page Letter"; Released: April 8, 1997; "The One I Gave My Heart To"; Released: August 25, 1997; "Hot Like Fire"; Released: September 16, 1997;

One in a Million is the second studio album by American singer Aaliyah. It was released on August 13, 1996, by Blackground Records and Atlantic Records. After facing allegations of an illegal marriage with her mentor R. Kelly following the success of her debut studio album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number (1994), Aaliyah severed all ties with him as Blackground ended its partnership with Jive Records and signed a new distribution deal with Atlantic. Throughout that period of turmoil, Aaliyah began recording her second studio album with Sean Combs, who soon abandoned the project, prompting Aaliyah and her management to seek new collaborators. She subsequently began recording with producers such as Jermaine Dupri, Vincent Herbert, and Craig King, before meeting the previously unknown Timbaland and Missy Elliott, who quickly became the album's primary contributors.

One in a Million is an R&B, pop, and hip hop record experimenting with genres such as trip-hop, electronica, funk, and jungle music. Its lyrical themes predominantly address relationship circumstances, such as commitment, abstinence, and heartbreak. Upon its release, the album garnered generally positive reviews from music critics, mostly directed towards the innovative production and Aaliyah's progressed vocal performance. It debuted at number 20 on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 40,500 copies, before reaching number 18. Internationally, One in a Million peaked within the top 40 in Canada, Japan, and the UK. In June 1997, the album was certified double platinum in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). By 2011, it had sold over three million copies domestically and eight million worldwide.

One in a Million was heavily and extensively promoted with media appearances and live performances. It produced six singles—"If Your Girl Only Knew", "Got to Give It Up", "One in a Million", "4 Page Letter", "The One I Gave My Heart To" and "Hot Like Fire"—with "The One I Gave My Heart To" becoming the highest-peaking single at number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100. Following its 2021 reissue, the album peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard 200. Retrospectively, it has been listed among the best albums of its era and genre by numerous publications and has been credited for re-establishing Aaliyah's image, elevating careers of Timbaland and Elliott, and influencing mainstream music trends of the decades since release.