I Look to You is the seventh studio album by American R&B-pop singer Whitney Houston. It was first released on August 28, 2009 through Sony Music in Europe, then August 31, 2009 with Arista Records in the United States before being released by RCA Records in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2009. The album is Houston's first studio album since One Wish: The Holiday Album (2003).

It received favorable reviews from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 66/100 from Metacritic and debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200 at number one with sales of 305,000, beating her previous career best first-week sale of 205,000 units with Just Whitney (2002), and it was her first album to reach number one album in the United States since 1992's The Bodyguard. Additionally it became her fourth chart-topping album thus extending her lead as the female artist with the most cumulative weeks at the number one position.

It has spawned two official singles: The title song, which became a top 20 U.S. R&B chart single, and the international single "Million Dollar Bill", which hit the top ten in several countries worldwide and also becoming a US top 20 R&B hit. Since its release, I Look to You has gone on to sell 2.5 million units worldwide, earning platinum certification in seven countries and gold certification in eight. A promotional single, "Nothing But Love", was only released to UK radio stations to promote the accompanying Nothing But Love World Tour.

Background

I Look to You had first been conceived in 2006 with recording and production taking place in 2007, as said Houston during her Los Angeles album listening party in 2009. Rumor of Houston's return to music were first circulated at the start of 2007 and were then substantiated when record label boss and close mentor Clive Davis confirmed that he would personally be involved in the project whilst speaking on the Oprah Winfrey Show. In February 2009, Houston appeared on stage at Davis's "Pre-Grammy Gala" where she performed a four-song set comprising "I Will Always Love You", "I Believe in You and Me", "It's Not Right but It's Okay" and a rousing version of "I'm Every Woman". Onlookers included her mother Cissy Houston, musicians Paul McCartney, Jamie Foxx and Barry Manilow as well as actors Antonio Banderas and Sylvester Stallone.

She told press in London that her latest album will reflect her emotional state and chronicle events in her personal life since her last musical release in 2002. She said "That makes it real. The changes that we go through, the transitions that we go through, the tests that we go through, being a mother, becoming a single mother. It all had its ups and its downs, but for the most part, I kept my faith and I kept my head up... I took my time. All the triumphs and the ups and downs and stuff, it's all incorporated on the album, and hopefully not only does it inspire me, but inspires a whole lot of other people."

Music

According to Davis, I Look to You was not aimed at simply following current music marketing trends, but instead, staying true to who Houston is and the impact she has made on the music industry. The album's opener "Million Dollar Bill" was written and co-produced by Alicia Keys, after the singer-songwriter personally asked Davis if she could make a contribution to the album. Production courtesy of Kaseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean surprised critics, as they felt it was more of an "old-school R&B" production and did not sound like most "Swizzy" productions, and is "not an attempt at being a hip-hop club banger." Shaheem Reed from MTV commented "Houston's voice over a club-friendly beat that blends a rough-riding thump with R&B". "Nothin' But Love", produced by contemporary R&B and hip-hop producer Nathaniel "Danja" Hills, was described by Rap-Up magazine as being "uptempo danceable hand-clapping beat." It was also described as being made for urban radio. "Call You Tonight" is one of two songs written by Johntá Austin and was produced by Norwegian production team Stargate featuring "their trademark guitar riffs." The other Austin track on the album is a mid-tempo R&B track titled, "Worth It", produced by Eric Hudson.

In the Summer 2009 edition of Rap-Up, R&B singer Akon spoke about working with Houston for the then-upcoming album. In the interview he revealed that he had worked with her on two songs for the album; one of which, "Like I Never Left", was previously leaked to the internet. It had initially been tipped as a single. Davis said Houston wanted an island song, so they reached out to Akon. American singer R. Kelly also wrote two songs for the album. One of the songs "Salute" was described as being "militaristic marching beat" that also features Kelly on the backing vocals in the chorus. In the song Houston makes reference to LL Cool J with the lyric "Don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years." Kelly's other contribution, "I Look to You" would go on to become the album's title song and released as the album's debut single. When speaking of the piano ballad Houston said, "It sums up all I wanted to say." The album also contains a cover of the 1970s Leon Russell song, "A Song for You". Houston's cover begins with a "slow piano intro, which picks up in the middle".

Following the popularity of the dance remix B-sides appearing on the UK CD release of "Million Dollar Bill", a number of remix EPs were released. "I Look to You – The Remixes" was released on November 6, 2009 in the U.S. and UK, featuring 12 dance remixes of the first single "I Look to You". Also released in the UK and U.S. on November 6, 2009 was "The Remixes", featuring remixes of "I Look to You", "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" and "Million Dollar Bill". This was followed by the final remix EP being released on November 10, 2009, called "I Didn't Know My Own Strength Remixes", which was only released in the U.S.

Release and promotion

On July 14, 2009 Houston travelled to Knightsbridge in London, England for an official album listening party. The evening was hosted at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel by Sony Music chief creative executive Clive Davis. In total nine songs were premiered including "Million Dollar Bill", "Nothin' But Love", "I Didn't Know My Own Strength", "Like I Never Left" (featuring Akon), "For the Lovers", "I Look to You", "Worth It" and a cover of Donny Hathaway's "A Song for You". "Call You Tonight" (produced by Johntá Austin) was also played and cited as a likely lead single. Davis pointed out that "we didn't try to fit Whitney into the market". On July 21, 2009, Houston hosted a listening party with Davis in New York City. Amongst those in attendance were Alicia Keys, Diane Sawyer, Martha Stewart and Vivica A. Fox. The preview of the album triggered a standing ovation and the song "Million Dollar Bill" was amongst those which received critical acclaim. Finally on July 23, 2009 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, the final star-studded listening party took place that was attended by musical and Hollywood elites. Some of the attendees included Halle Berry, Jane Fonda, Stevie Wonder, Magic Johnson, Jackie Collins, Barry Manilow, Beverly Johnson, Diane Warren, Penny Marshall, Brian McKnight, and David Foster amongst others. Again the album was played almost in its entirety, receiving a standing ovation.

Houston's performance on Good Morning America's 'Fall Concerts' series on the American television broadcast network ABC aired on September 2, 2009. She performed songs from the album, including single "Million Dollar Bill" and title song "I Look to You", as well as previous hits "I'm Every Woman" and "My Love Is Your Love". It was also announced at the start of September that Houston would be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey for the new season of The Oprah Winfrey Show and perform "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" as personally requested by Winfrey. The Winfrey interview turned into two one-hour specials featuring the most in-depth and personal interviews of both Houston's and Winfrey's careers and were screened on September 14 and 15 featuring the promised live performance of "I Didn't Know My Own Strength". Winfrey called it the best interview she has ever done. On October 3, 2009, Whitney Houston appeared on German television show, Wetten Dass, and later she was on Le Grand Journal in France to perform "Million Dollar Bill". On October 18, Houston performed the same song live on The X Factor, marking her first UK performance in over a decade. She also performed the single live on The X Factor in Italy. On November 22, 2009, Houston performed "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" at the 2009 American Music Awards in Los Angeles, from which she received a standing ovation.

World tour

It was announced via Houston's official website on October 12, 2009 that the singer would embark on her first world tour in 11 years in promotion of her latest album I Look to You. "This is my first full tour since the My Love Is Your Love tour and I am so excited to be performing for my fans around the world after all this time. I am putting together a great show and cannot wait to perform the songs from my new album I Look To You along with some of your favourites."

The tour began on December 9, 2009 in Russia with further dates including Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Italy and Australia.

Singles

The album was preceded by the release of the title song, "I Look to You" which was written by R. Kelly and produced by a production team consisting of Tricky Stewart, Harvey Mason Jr. and Emanuel Kiriakou. The song was serviced in the U.S. as the lead single and later as the second international single. It peaked in the top 20 of the U.S Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, number 70 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top 30 of the Gospel chart. Internationally the song had mixed success, peaking as high as number 16 in Switzerland and as low as 115 in the United Kingdom. The album's second U.S. single (first single internationally) was "Million Dollar Bill" which was written and produced by Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz. It peaked at 100 on the Billboard Hot 100 and in the top 20 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart. Additionally it topped the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. Internationally the single experienced some success, including in the United Kingdom where it debuted at number 12, but eventually peaked at number five.

;Other charting songs

The ballad "I Didn't Know My Own Strength", written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, peaked at number 17 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Songs chart after a remix was released as a bonus track on the U.S. iTunes version of the album. Later, following Houston's performance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, it appeared at number 61 on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Internationally the song peaked at number 38 and number 44 in Ireland and the United Kingdom respectively following its performance by Danyl Johnson, one of the finalists on the sixth series of The X Factor. It also charted on the Japan Hot 100 at number 16. Another song, "Nothin' But Love" was sent to UK radio stations as a promotional single to coincide with the Nothing But Love World Tour. It reached the A-list on BBC Radio 2. Digital Spy gave the song a positive review and awarded it 5/5. and called it a "modern Whitney classic". Meanwhile, "Worth It" debuted on the Korean International Singles Chart at number 182 before eventually peaking at number 56 and number 61 on U.S. Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart.

Critical reception

Initial critical response to I Look to You was generally positive with aggregated reviews on Metacritic awarding the album, 66/100. Most reviews have praised the selection of songs and Houston's delivery. Houston's voice has changed, becoming deeper and huskier. People magazine gave it three out of four stars, saying "Come Grammy night, Houston will leave just as she came."Columnist. . Vibe. Retrieved on 2009-09-04. Slant Magazine critic Sal Cinquemani also wrote "I Look to You finds Whitney struggling to hit notes and deliver phrases that should come effortlessly to such a seasoned vocalist; her vocal cords are plagued by edema, her voice reedy and lacking the crystalline clarity it once possessed on classics like "I Will Always Love You" and "I Have Nothing".Cinquemani, Sal. . Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2009-09-04.

Although critical of Houston's voice, Cinquemani also noted how her vocal change benefited the album: " sounds alive, and seemingly happy to be. The New Voice lives more contently in the midtempo numbers that allow her to sink into the grooves. For the most part, I Look to You manages to sound completely contemporary without the use of guest rappers, dumbed-down lyrics, or slang." Likewise, Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly, who gave the album a B- rating, felt that Houston's huskier vocals lent an emotional intensity to the album: "Houston's famous voice, which now sounds husky and glottal, brings a gravity that the album's often generically worded ballads lack." However, the critic criticized the album for its lack of insight on her struggles of the past years, writing "listeners may feel shut out of the fight. Whatever hardship she's endured, the battles within remain a mystery."Greenblatt, Leah. . Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-09-04.

Allmusic gave I Look to You three stars (out of five) commenting about Houston's problems in the past, her voice and her talent: "I Look to You attempts to wash this all away with something of a return to roots — a celebration of Houston's deep disco beginnings, tempered with a few skyscraping ballads designed to showcase her soaring voice. Houston's rocky decade isn't ignored, but it isn't explored, either: songs allude to Whitney's strength, her willpower as a survivor struggling through some unnamed struggle — enough for listeners to fill in the blanks, either with their own experience or their imaginings of Houston's life. at the very least, Whitney can still sing, knowing when to wring emotion out of a phrase, knowing when not to push for the glory notes that she can no longer hit. What she undoubtedly is, is a pro — she sells these subdued glitzy productions, she makes boring songs interesting, she remains a forceful, tangible presence.Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. . Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-09-04.

Nick Levine of Digital Spy gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and said that "thanks to contributions from a clutch of au courant R&B producers, it does sound contemporary...her voice may not be as technically impressive as it was, but its new, more weathered tones have character, making an optimistic song like 'Million Dollar Bill' really quite touching and a defiant one like 'For The Lovers' more dramatic. If a little too steady to be called a classic, I Look To You is certainly an accomplished, enjoyable return – don't call it a comeback – from an artist who sounds keen again, a lioness who's rediscovered her pride.

Commercial success

I Look to You debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 with sales of 305,000 copies NYTimes. Retrieved on 2009-09-08. and is to date Houston's best opening week sales as well as the second best opening sales by a female artist for 2009. Billboard. Retrieved on 2009-09-08. The album is Houston's fourth number one album overall, and the first since The Bodyguard (1992). The album also debuted at number one on the U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Week three sales spiked to 156,000 following Houston's appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Billboard. Retrieved on 2009-09-22. On December 1, 2009, the album was certified platinum by the RIAA for selling/shipping one million copies.

In several countries, the album attained gold status within a month of its release. In Canada, the album shot to the top of the charts, selling 10,000 copies in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan data, Houston's best opening totals since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1996. Her last album, Just Whitney, debuted at number 85 with just 3,000 in sales. After three weeks the album had sold around 26,000 copies in Canada. According to Arista Records, the album also debuted at number one in the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. In the UK, the album debuted at three with first week sales of 51,632 The album also debuted at three in France with first week sales of 9,000. In Korea the album reached number one on the monthly chart and sold 2,429 copies. According to Houston's official website, the album and singles combined have sold a total of 500,000 copies in the UK and Ireland. Whitney Houston.com (official website). retrieved: 2010-04-30. The album also finished the 29th biggest selling album of 2009 in the United States. Billboard. Nielson SoundScan. Retrieved 2010-03-14.

Personnel

Credits for I Look to You adapted from HMV Japan.. HMV Jp. Retrieved on 2009-09-15.

*Marcella "Ms. Lago" Araica – mixing

*Christian Baker – assistant

*Adam Beyrer – engineer

*Courtney Blooding – background vocals

*Anita Marisa Boriboon – art direction and design

*Clive Davis – executive producer, A&R

*Michael Daley – assistant vocal engineer

*Kaseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean – producer, programming

*Patrick Demarchelier – photography

*Mikkel S. Eriksen – engineer, instrumentation

*Abel Garibaldi – engineer

*Fernando Garibay – producer

*Chris Gehringer – mastering

*Charlotte Gibson – background vocals

*Angela N. Golightly – production coordination

*Christy Hall – production assistant

*Andrew Hey – mixing, vocal engineer

*Gary Houston – background vocals

*Whitney Houston – executive producer, writer

*Dabling Harward – vocal engineer

*Eric Hudson – producer, instrumentation

*Tavia Ivey – background vocals

*Larry Eaglin Jackson – executive producer, A&R

*Chad Jolley – engineer

*Claude Kelly – vocal producer

*Robert Kelly (R. Kelly) – arranger, producer

*Alicia Keys – vocal producer, vocal arrangement, producer

*Kimberly Kimble – hair stylist

*Emanuel Kiriakou – producer, instrumentation

*Damien Lewis – engineer

*Donnie Lyle – guitar, musical direction

*Tony Maserati – mixing

*Harvey Mason, Jr. – producer, mixing, vocal producer

*Kenny Mason – choir director

*Jeff Meeks – engineer

*Jan Fairchild – engineer

*Nick Fainbarg – engineer

*Ian Mereness – engineer

*Ann Mincieli – engineer

*Luis Navarro – assistant

*Dave Pensado – mixing

*Jochem van der Saag – synthesizer, engineer, drum programming, mixing, sound design

*Miguel Scott – assistant

*Timothy Snell – stylist

*Bernt Rune Stray – guitar

*Phil Tan – mixing

*Aliaune "Akon" Thiam – producer

*Pat Thrall – engineer

*Miki Tsutsumi – assistant

*Giorgio Tuinfort – producer, programming

Locations and studios

Recording locations and studios included:. Muze. Retrieved on 2009-09-04.

*KMA Music, New York, NY

*Oven Studios

*Patchwerk Studios, Atlanta, GA

*Costa Mesa Studios, Costa Mesa, CA

*1221 Studios, Los Angeles, CA

*Studio at the Palms, Las Vegas, NV

*Germano Studios, New York, NY

*The Chocolate Factory, Chicago, IL

*Roc The Mic Studios, New York, NY

*Tree Sound Studios, Norcross, GA

*The Boom Boom Room, Burbank, CA

*Soapbox West Studios, San Francisco, CA

*Hit Factory Criteria, Miami, FL

*Mason Sound, North Hollywood, CA

*Chalice Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA

Charts, procession and succession

Chart positions

Year-end charts

Chart procession and succession

Certifications

*GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) covers Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE.

Release history

References

Artist/Band Information

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is an American R&B/pop singer, actress, and former fashion model. Houston is the most awarded female artist of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 2 Emmy Awards, 6 Grammy Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among a total of 415 career awards as of 2010. Houston is also one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 170 million albums and singles worldwide.

Inspired by several prominent soul singers in her extended family, including her mother Cissy Houston, cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, and Godmother Aretha Franklin, Houston began singing at her New Jersey church as a member of a junior gospel choir at age eleven. After she began performing alongside her mother in night clubs in the New York City area, she was discovered by Arista Records label head Clive Davis. Houston has released six studio albums and three movie soundtrack albums throughout her career, all of which have had diamond, multi-platinum, platinum, or gold certification.

Houston released her debut album Whitney Houston in 1985, which became the best-selling debut album by a female act at the time of its release. Her second studio album Whitney (1987) became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Houston's crossover appeal on the popular music charts as well as her prominence on MTV, starting with her award-winning video for "How Will I Know", enabled several African-American female artists to follow in her success.

Houston's first acting role was as the star of the feature film The Bodyguard in 1992. The film's original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Its lead single, "I Will Always Love You", became the best-selling single by a female artist in music history. The album makes her the only female act ranked in the list of the world's Top 10 best-selling albums; at number four. Houston continued to star in feature films and contributed to soundtracks including Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher's Wife (1996). After the release of her fourth studio album My Love Is Your Love (1998), she renewed her recording contract with Arista Records in 2001. She subsequently released her fifth studio album, Just Whitney, the following year with a Christmas album, One Wish: The Holiday Album, being released in 2003. Amidst widespread media coverage of personal and professional turmoil, Houston ended her 14 year marriage to Bobby Brown in 2006. In 2009, Houston released her seventh studio album, I Look To You.

Biography

Early life

Whitney Houston was born in what was then a middle income neighborhood of Newark, New Jersey, the third and youngest child of John and gospel singer Cissy Houston. She is of African American, Native American and Dutch descent. Her mother, along with cousins Dionne Warwick and the late Dee Dee Warwick and godmother Aretha Franklin were all notable figures in the gospel, rhythm and blues, pop, and soul genres. Houston was raised a Baptist, but was also exposed to the Pentecostal church. After the 1967 Newark riots, the family moved to a middle class area in East Orange, New Jersey when she was four.

At the age of eleven, Houston began to follow in her mother's footsteps and started performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, where she also learned to play the piano. Her first solo performance in the church was "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah".

When Houston was a teenager, she attended a Catholic single-sex high school, Mount Saint Dominic Academy, where she met her best friend Robyn Crawford, whom she describes as the "sister she never had." While Houston was still in school, her mother continued to teach her how to sing. In addition to her mother, Franklin, and Warwick, Houston was also exposed to the music of Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Roberta Flack, most of whom would have an impact on her as a singer and performer.

1977–84: Early career

Houston spent some of her teenage years touring nightclubs where her mother Cissy was performing, and she would occasionally get on stage and perform with her. In 1977, at age 14, she was a backup singer on the Michael Zager Band's single "Life's a Party". Zager subsequently offered to obtain a recording contract for the young singer, but Cissy declined, wanting her young daughter to finish school first. Then in 1978, at age 15, Houston sang background vocals on Chaka Khan's hit single "I'm Every Woman", a song she would later turn into a hit for herself on her monster-selling soundtrack album The Bodyguard. She also sang back-up on albums by Lou Rawls and Jermaine Jackson. In the early 1980s, Houston started working as a fashion model after a photographer saw her at Carnegie Hall singing with her mother. She appeared as a lead vocalist on a Paul Jabara album, entitled Paul Jabara and Friends: featuring The Weather Girls, Leata Galloway & Whitney Houston (Columbia Records, 1983). She appeared in Seventeen Magazine and became one of the first women of color to grace the cover of Seventeen magazine. She was also featured in layouts in the pages Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Young Miss and appeared in a Canada Dry soft drink TV commercial. Her striking looks and girl-next-door charm made her one of the most sought after teen models of that time. While modeling, she continued her burgeoning recording career by working with producers Ben Dover, Bill Laswell and Martin Bisi on an album they were spearheading called One Down, which was credited to the group Material. For that project, Houston contributed the ballad "Memories". Robert Christgau of The Village Voice called her contribution "one of the most gorgeous ballads you've ever heard".

Houston had previously been offered several recording agencies (Michael Zager in 1980 and Elektra Records in 1981). In 1983, Gerry Griffith, an A&R representative from Arista Records saw her performing with her mother in a New York City nightclub and was impressed. He convinced Arista's head Clive Davis to make time to see Houston perform. Davis too was impressed and offered a worldwide recording contract which Houston signed. Later that year, she made her national televised debut alongside Davis on The Merv Griffin Show.

Houston signed with Arista in 1983 but did not begin work on her album immediately. The label wanted to make sure no other label signed the singer away. Davis wanted to ensure he had the right material and producers for Houston's debut album. Some producers had to pass on the project due to prior commitments. Houston first recorded a duet with Teddy Pendergrass entitled "Hold Me" which appeared on his album, Love Language. The single was released in 1984 and gave Houston her first taste of success, becoming a Top 5 R&B hit. It would also appear on her debut album in 1985.

1985–86: Rise to prominence

Whitney86Grammy.jpgleftthumb160pxHouston in the backstage area, after receiving her first Grammy award at its 28th ceremony on February 25, 1986.

With production from Michael Masser, Kashif, Jermaine Jackson and Narada Michael Walden, Houston's self-titled debut album was released in February 1985. Rolling Stone magazine praised the new talent, calling her "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." The first single, the dance-funk "Someone For Me", failed to chart in the US and UK. The next single, "Thinking About You", reached the top ten of the US R&B Chart, as the album sold modestly. The release of the next single, the soulful ballad "You Give Good Love", peaked at #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and went to #1 on the R&B Charts. As a result, the album began to sell strongly, and Houston continued promoting the album by touring nightclubs in the US. She also began performing on late-night television talk shows, which was not usually accessible to black acts. The jazzy ballad "Saving All My Love for You" was released next and it would become Houston's first #1 hit single in both the US and the UK. She was now an opening act for singer Jeffrey Osborne on his nationwide tour. At the time, MTV had received harsh criticism for not playing enough videos by African-American artists while favoring rock acts. The next single, "How Will I Know", peaked at #1 and introduced Houston to the MTV audience thanks to its video. This would make the singer the first African-American female artists to receive heavy rotation on the network. By 1986, a year after its initial release, Whitney Houston topped the Billboard 200 album chart and stayed there for 14 non-consecutive weeks. The final single, "Greatest Love of All", became Houston's biggest hit at the time after peaking #1 and remaining there for three weeks. At the time, Houston released the best-selling debut album by a female artist. Houston then embarked on her world tour, Greatest Love Tour. The album had become an international success, and was certified 13x Platinum (diamond) in the United States alone, and has sold a total of 25 million copies worldwide.

At the 1986 Grammy Awards, Houston was nominated for three awards including Album of the Year. She was ineligible for the Best New Artist category due to her previous duet recording with Teddy Pendergrass in 1984. She won her first Grammy award for 'Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female' for "Saving All My Love for You".