Lifetime's 'Whitney' Trailer Details Singer's Career, Relationships and Struggles

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Lifetime

The newly-released trailer for Lifetime’s Whitney Houston biopic shows the network isn’t holding back when it comes to detailing the late singer’s meteoric rise to stardom, troubled relationship with husband Bobby Brown or her drug use.

"I’m a grown woman now and I am going my own way," Houston, played by America’s Next Top Model alum Yaya DaCosta, tearfully tells her mother Cissy in one scene.

The frenetically-paced trailer offers a look at some of the singer’s most iconic moments, including a live performance of "I Will Always Love You," Houston and Brown’s 1992 wedding ceremony and the couple's performance at the 1993 Billboard Music Awards, where they wore matching red outfits.

Lifetime

The network also isn't shying away from the darker parts of the singer's life, detailing Houston's tumultuous marriage to Brown with glimpses of infidelity, violent fights and the couple's descent into cocaine addiction.

"You need to protect the voice," a perfectly-cast Clive Davis warns Houston.

NEWS: Whitney Houston's Mother Cissy Responds to Lifetime Biopic: 'Please Let Her Rest'

DaCosta has had previous acting experience, appearing in supporting roles on Ugly Betty and in films like Tron: Legacy and The Butler. The television event marks actress Angela Bassett’s directorial debut.


Whitney
airs Jan. 17 on Lifetime, but ET went behind the scenes of the TV movie back in July. See more in the video below.