NewzNEW YORK (AP) — It was four decades ago next year that Whitney Houston released “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me),” a timeless hit in a career made up of them. And it is just one of her 11 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles, all of which have been compiled into a new album, “WH1TNEY,” released Friday.
The record is part of ongoing birthday celebrations for Houston, who would’ve turned 63 on Sunday. There’s also the fifth annual Whitney Houston Legacy of Love gala, taking place Saturday night, and a Whitney Houston Barbie — her first, ever, courtesy of parent company Mattel — releasing Sunday. “It’s a dream come true,” says Pat Houston, the executor of Whitney Houston’s estate and her sister-in-law.
In this interview, Pat Houston discusses the No. 1 hits collection, the new Barbie, if a “Michael”-style biopic is on the table and more. It has been edited for clarity and brevity.
HOUSTON: Whitney always believed that the ultimate collection represented the very best of her career. And you know, it brought together songs that defined generations. It touched hearts around the world.
And those kinds of hits were not just chart toppers, they were the soundtrack to millions of lives and a testament to a voice that will never be duplicated. AP: There’s also the first Whitney Houston Barbie arriving Sunday. She’s wearing her 1987 “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” music video look.
HOUSTON: It is her first ever Barbie. And let me tell you something, what made this journey special is because Whitney and I had conversations about Barbie more than 20 years ago. And to see this vision finally come to life decades later is both emotional and very much inspiring.
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