The metal corner of TikTok is currently reveling in the fact that ’90s/early 2000s R&B icon Aaliyah was a huge Nine Inch Nails fanatic. The singer – who tragically lost her life aged just 22 in a plane crash in the Bahamas in 2001 that killed nine people – was featured in numerous interview segments chatting about the band at the time — and some of it has found its way back onto the internet.
TikTok user @68tilinfinity has compiled some such examples, with the first clip featuring Aaliyah being interviewed on the red carpet at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards where Nine Inch Nails performed The Fragile live on stage.
“Someone you’re looking forward to tonight is Trent Reznor, are you a fan?” asks the MTV interviewer. “Yes Nine Inch Nails, I’m a huge fan so I’m looking forward to this gig!” Aaliyah shoots back.
In another segment, where Aaliyah picks some of her favorite songs, the singer opens up about Nine In Nails and admits her love for the band might surprise some fans. “Let’s change things up and do some alternative rock,” she smiles. “And I’m a fan of this music, I don’t know if a lot of people know that, but my brother introduced me to this type of music and also to this incredible, incredible group.
“And another reason I like Nine Inch Nails is that I think their production is a little bit similar to some of my work,” she continues, “some of Timbaland’s beats, that electronic kind that Trent Reznor does. And that’s why I chose Closer.”
In another similar segment filmed for MCM, in which Aaliyah discusses some of her favorite music videos, she shows Trent and the boys her cap once again. “We’re going to look at one of my favorite groups, Nine Inch Nails,” she explains. “We’re In This Together: It was the first single from their last album [1999’s The Fragile], and the whole video is black and white. I love black and white videos and I just love Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails.”
Needless to say, the footage wowed fans of both Aaliyah and Nine Inch Nails, with both fandoms appreciating one music icon celebrating another.
Watch the videos below.
@68tilinfinity (opens in new tab) ♬ original sound – She Extends (opens in new tab)
Aaliyah, of course, already has a special place in the hearts of many alternative music fans thanks to her portrayal of Akasha in Queen Of The Damned, 2002’s cheesy vampire sequel. While the film itself was a commercial and critical flop, Aaliyah’s performance was generally a good one was recorded – and the film’s metal-centric soundtrack is rightly hailed as a classic.
