Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave
vocal range
Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of st ...
and ability to sustain high notes,
she has been referred to as the "
Voice of a Generation".
Aguilera rose to stardom with her
eponymous debut album, for which she is credited with influencing the revival of
teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards preteens and teenagers.Lamb, Bill"Teen Pop" About.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007. Teen pop incorporates different subgenres of pop music, as well as elements o ...
during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Her works, which incorporate feminism, sexuality, and domestic violence, have generated both critical praise and controversy, for which she is often cited as an influence by other artists.
After appearing in television programs, Aguilera signed with
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...
in 1998. Her debut album spawned three
''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles — "
Genie in a Bottle
"Genie in a Bottle" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her self-titled debut studio album (1999). It was written by Pam Sheyne, Steve Kipner and David Frank, and produced by Kipner and Frank. The song was released on May 11, 1 ...
", "
What a Girl Wants" and "
Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)
"Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" is a song recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for her 1999 self-titled debut studio album. Released as the album's fourth and final single on July 11, 2000, by RCA Records, it was the first so ...
" — and earned her the
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...
. Established as a
bubblegum pop
Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States ...
artist, she released her first Spanish record, ''
Mi Reflejo
''Mi Reflejo'' (English: ''My Reflection'') is the second studio album and first Spanish-language album by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on September 12, 2000, as a joint effort between RCA Records and BMG U.S. Latin. After ...
'' (2000), which topped the
''Billboard'' Top Latin Albums for
nineteen consecutive weeks. Aguilera assumed artistic control of her fourth studio album ''
Stripped
Stripped may refer to:
Music
* "Stripped" (song), by Depeche Mode, 1986
* ''Stripped'' (Christina Aguilera album) or the title song, 2002
* ''Stripped'' (Daniel Ash album), 2014
* ''Stripped'' (Macy Gray album), 2016
* ''Stripped'' (Pretty Ma ...
'' (2002). In the music video for its song "
Dirrty", she sparked controversy for exploring her sexuality, leading to the departure of her
teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups.
By region Asia
East Asia possess ...
image. However, further singles "
Beautiful
Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to:
Film and theater
* ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field
* ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...
", "
Fighter" and "
Can't Hold Us Down" became top-ten singles in many countries, and she was named the most successful female artist of 2003.
Her fifth album, ''
Back to Basics'' (2006), was met with favorable reviews and became the second of her career to debut atop of the
''Billboard'' 200. Its singles "
Ain't No Other Man
"Ain't No Other Man" is a song by the American singer Christina Aguilera from her fifth studio album '' Back to Basics'' (2006). Aguilera co-wrote the song with Kara DioGuardi, Charles Martin Roane, Harold Beatty and the producer DJ Premier. "Ain ...
" and "
Hurt" reached the top-ten positions in most countries. In 2010, Aguilera starred in ''
Burlesque
A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects. '' and contributed to
its soundtrack. In subsequent years, she featured on the successful singles "
Feel This Moment
"Feel This Moment" is a song by the American rapper Pitbull, featuring American singer Christina Aguilera. The song was released on February 22, 2013, as the fourth single from the album by Mr. 305, Polo Grounds Music and RCA Records ''Global War ...
", "
Say Something", and "
Moves Like Jagger
"Moves like Jagger" is a song by American band Maroon 5 featuring American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on June 21, 2011, as the fourth and final single from the re-release of the group's third studio album '' Hands All Over'' (201 ...
". The latter reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 making Aguilera one of the few artists to reach the top spot over three decades. Outside of her music, she was named a spokesperson for the
World Food Program (WFP), served as a coach on
reality competition
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
show ''
The Voice
The Voice may refer to:
Fictional entities
* The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics
* The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe
* The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...
'' (2011–2016), and acted in the drama series ''
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...
'' (2015). In 2019, she headlined
Christina Aguilera: The Xperience, her first residency show at the
Planet Hollywood Las Vegas
Planet Hollywood Las Vegas (formerly the Aladdin) is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Eldorado Resorts, Caesars Entertainment. The property was previously the site of an earlier resort known ...
.
Aguilera is considered a
pop culture icon
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
and is generally described as a
triple threat entertainer. With estimated sales over 90 million records, she is recognized as one of the world's
best-selling music artists. In 2009, she was classified as the twentieth most successful artist of the 2000s by ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
''. Throughout her career, she has accumulated numerous
awards and accolades, including five
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
, two
Latin Grammy Award
The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been ...
, two
MTV Video Music Awards
The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
(VMA), one
''Billboard'' Music Awards, one
Guinness World Record
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
, a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...
, and was named a
Disney Legend. Aguilera is regarded as one of the most influential Latin artists in the
entertainment industry
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousan ...
;
in 2013, ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' listed her among the
100 most influential people in the world, and was ranked as the eighth
greatest woman in music by
VH1. Furthermore, she has been deemed one of the greatest singers in contemporary pop music, ranked among the greatest of all time by magazines such as ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' and ''
Consequence of Sound
''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
''.
Life and career
1980–1998: Early life and career beginnings
Christina María Aguilera was born in
Staten Island
Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on December 18, 1980, the eldest of two daughters to musician Shelly Loraine Kearns (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Fidler) and
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...
soldier Fausto Xavier Aguilera. Her father was born in
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
, and her mother has German, Irish, Welsh, and Dutch ancestry.
The family moved frequently because of his military service, and lived in places including New Jersey, Texas, New York, and Japan.
Aguilera said he was physically and emotionally abusive.
She used music to escape her turbulent household.
Following her parents' divorce when she was six years old, Aguilera, her younger sister Rachel, and her mother moved into her grandmother's home in
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
, a suburb in the
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
area.
Her mother later remarried to Jim Kearns and had a son with him named Michael. After years of estrangement, Aguilera expressed interest in reconciling with her father in 2012.
As a child, she was drawn to
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...
and
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...
records her grandmother bought and would practice singing, which earned her a reputation as "the little girl with the big voice" in her neighborhood.
Aguilera aspired to be a singer, and won her first talent show at age eight with a rendition of
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...
's "
I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her second studio album, '' Whitney'' (1987). It was released as the lead single from the album on May 2, 1987, by Arista Records. It was pro ...
".
At age 10, she performed "
A Sunday Kind of Love "A Sunday Kind of Love" is a popular song composed by Barbara Belle, Anita Leonard, Stan Rhodes, and Louis Prima and was published in 1946.
History
The song has become a pop and jazz standard, recorded by many artists.
The song was first recorded ...
" on the competition show ''
Star Search
''Star Search'' was an American television show that was produced by T.P.E./Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Al Masini. A relaunch was produced by 2929 Productions from 2003 to 2004. On both versio ...
'', and was eliminated during the semi-final round.
She performed the song again on
KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, airing programming from the CBS network. It is owned-and-operated station, owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division a ...
's ''Wake Up with Larry Richert''. During her youth in the Pittsburgh area, Aguilera sang "
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the ...
" before
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
hockey,
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
football, and
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
baseball games, and the
1992 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1992 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1991–92 season, and the culmination of the 1992 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested by the Prince of Wales Conference and defending Stanley C ...
. She attended
Rochester Area School District
The Rochester Area School District is a small, urban public school district in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. It serves the boroughs of Rochester and East Rochester, and the township of Rochester Township. Rochester Area School District encom ...
in Rochester and Marshall Middle School near
Wexford
Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 ...
, and briefly attended
North Allegheny Intermediate High School
North Allegheny Intermediate High School (NAI) is a suburban high school in the North Allegheny School District located in McCandless, Pennsylvania, a community north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is one of two high schools in the district an ...
before being homeschooled to avoid being bullied.
In 1991, Aguilera auditioned for a position on the
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Comp ...
's ''
The Mickey Mouse Club
''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised ...
'', though did not meet its age requirements. She joined the television series two years later, which featured her performing musical numbers and
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and ...
until its cancellation in 1994. Fellow cast members included
Ryan Gosling
Ryan Thomas Gosling (born November 12, 1980) is a Canadian actor. Prominent in independent film, he has also worked in blockbuster films of varying genres, and has accrued a worldwide box office gross of over 1.9 billion USD. He has receive ...
,
Keri Russell
Keri Lynn Russell (born March 23, 1976) is an American actress. She portrayed the titular character on the drama series '' Felicity'' (1998–2002), which won her a Golden Globe Award, and Elizabeth Jennings on the FX spy thriller series ''The ...
,
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage producti ...
, and
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
.
After the show ended, Aguilera moved to Japan and recorded her first song, "All I Wanna Do", a duet with Japanese singer
Keizo Nakanishi
is a Japanese singer-songwriter and composer. He graduated from Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Amagi High School and Nihon University College of Economics.
In 2017, Nakanishi participated as a guest artist at the annual touring ice show Fantasy ...
. In 1998, Aguilera returned to the US to seek a recording contract. She approached
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...
, who told her to contact
Walt Disney Records
Walt Disney Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label releases soundtrack albums from The Walt Disney Company's motion picture studios, television series, theme parks, and traditional studio albums produced by its ...
instead because they were having financial difficulties. She sent her
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...
of Whitney Houston's "
Run to You" to Disney in hopes of being selected to record the theme song "
Reflection Reflection or reflexion may refer to:
Science and technology
* Reflection (physics), a common wave phenomenon
** Specular reflection, reflection from a smooth surface
*** Mirror image, a reflection in a mirror or in water
** Signal reflection, in ...
" for their animated film ''
Mulan
Hua Mulan () is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history.
According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as ...
'' (1998). Aguilera was ultimately selected to sing "Reflection"; the song was released in June 1998 and charted on the
''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart at number 15.
1999–2001: ''Christina Aguilera'', ''Mi Reflejo'', and ''My Kind of Christmas''
After "Reflection", Aguilera attracted the attention of RCA's A&R
Ron Fair
Ronald Fair is an American A&R executive, record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several ar ...
and was signed with the label quickly afterwards. RCA was pressured by the contemporary
teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards preteens and teenagers.Lamb, Bill"Teen Pop" About.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007. Teen pop incorporates different subgenres of pop music, as well as elements o ...
craze evoked by Aguilera's peer Britney Spears, leading to the label rushing production of the album and aligning Aguilera to be part of the teen pop trend. They released the lead single from the album, "
Genie in a Bottle
"Genie in a Bottle" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her self-titled debut studio album (1999). It was written by Pam Sheyne, Steve Kipner and David Frank, and produced by Kipner and Frank. The song was released on May 11, 1 ...
", a trendy
pop and
R&B track, in June 1999. The single rose Aguilera to stardom, peaking atop the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and charts of 20 other countries.
It has sold over seven million copies as of 2014. Aguilera's
eponymous debut album followed in August 1999 and peaked at number one on the US
''Billboard'' 200.
It was certified
eight times platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),
and had moved 17 million copies worldwide by 2010. The album produced three other singles: two US number-one singles "
What a Girl Wants" and "
Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)
"Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" is a song recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for her 1999 self-titled debut studio album. Released as the album's fourth and final single on July 11, 2000, by RCA Records, it was the first so ...
", and one US top-five single "
I Turn to You", a cover of
All-4-One
All-4-One is an American male R&B and pop group best known for their hit singles " I Swear", "So Much in Love" and "I Can Love You Like That". The group is composed of Jamie Jones, Delious Kennedy, Alfred Nevarez, and Tony Borowiak, all from ...
's song.
At the
42nd Annual Grammy Awards
The 42nd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 23, 2000, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1999. Nominations were announced on January 4, 2000. Santana was the main ...
in February 2000, Aguilera won
Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...
.
Aguilera's two following studio albums, ''
Mi Reflejo
''Mi Reflejo'' (English: ''My Reflection'') is the second studio album and first Spanish-language album by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on September 12, 2000, as a joint effort between RCA Records and BMG U.S. Latin. After ...
'' and ''
My Kind of Christmas
''My Kind of Christmas'' is the third studio album and first Christmas album by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on October 24, 2000, by RCA Records. The album was recorded from late 1999 to mid 2000, while Aguilera was tourin ...
'', were released in September and October 2000, respectively. The former, a Spanish-language album consisting of re-recorded versions of tracks on Aguilera's debut album and several original songs, topped the
''Billboard'' Top Latin Albums for 19 consecutive weeks and was certified six times platinum in the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
field by the RIAA.
It won
Best Female Pop Vocal Album at the
2nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2001. The latter contains covers of
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
popular songs and a few original
dance-pop tunes, and was certified platinum by the RIAA.
In support of her albums, Aguilera embarked on her first concert tour,
Christina Aguilera in Concert
Christina Aguilera in Concert was the debut concert tour by American singer Christina Aguilera. It supported her two studio albums, ''Christina Aguilera'' (1999) and ''Mi Reflejo'' (2000). Beginning in May 2000 with appearances at radio festival ...
, from mid-2000 to early 2001. The tour visited North America, Europe, South America, and Japan. ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
'' in 2000 recognized Aguilera as the Top Female Pop Act of the Year.
Despite the successes, Aguilera was displeased with the music and image her manager Steve Kurtz had aligned her to, feeling unable to control her own image.
In October 2000, she filed a
fiduciary duty
A fiduciary is a person who holds a legal or ethical relationship of trust with one or more other parties (person or group of persons). Typically, a fiduciary prudently takes care of money or other assets for another person. One party, for examp ...
lawsuit against Kurtz for improper, undue, and inappropriate influence over her professional activities. After terminating Kurtz's services, RCA hired
Irving Azoff
Irving Azoff (; born December 12, 1947) is an American entertainment executive and chairman of Full Stop Management, which represents recording artists. In the mid-1980s, he brought success to MCA Records.
Since September 2013, he has been chai ...
as Aguilera's new manager.
Aguilera took her first steps in artistic control with a cover of
Labelle's "
Lady Marmalade
"Lady Marmalade" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, originally for Nolan's disco group. The song is famous for the repeated refrain of " ''Voulez-vous coucher avec moi''?" in French as part of the chorus, a sexually suggestive line t ...
" (1974) with
Pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
,
Mýa
Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), (stylized as Mýa), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born into a musical family, she studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Initially, Mýa began her career as a VJ ...
, and
Lil' Kim for the ''
Moulin Rouge!
''Moulin Rouge!'' (, ) is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows a young English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and cour ...
'' soundtrack.
RCA executives initially opposed to Aguilera recording "Lady Marmalade" because it was "too
urban
Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to:
* Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas
* Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities
Urban may also refer to:
General
* Urban (name), a list of people ...
", but Aguilera ultimately managed to record the song of her own accord.
The collaboration topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for five weeks based on airplay alone, becoming the first airplay-only track in history to remain on the chart's top spot for more than one week. It won
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the
44th Annual Grammy Awards. In mid-2001,
Warlock Records released ''
Just Be Free
''Just Be Free'' is a demo album released by Warlock Records featuring music recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera. After finishing her run on '' The All-New Mickey Mouse Club'', a then fifteen-year-old Aguilera began recording the alb ...
'', a compilation of
demo
Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to:
Music and film
*Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release
* ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes
* ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
tracks Aguilera recorded in 1994 and 1995, when she was looking forward to an album release after the end of ''The Mickey Mouse Club''. Aguilera filed a suit against Warlock Records and the album's producers to stop the release. The two parties came to a confidential settlement to release the album, in which Aguilera lent out her name, likeness, and image for an unspecified amount of damages.
2002–2003: ''Stripped''
While working on her fourth studio album, Aguilera leaned toward a new artistic direction that she felt had more musical and lyrical depth.
She named the album ''
Stripped
Stripped may refer to:
Music
* "Stripped" (song), by Depeche Mode, 1986
* ''Stripped'' (Christina Aguilera album) or the title song, 2002
* ''Stripped'' (Daniel Ash album), 2014
* ''Stripped'' (Macy Gray album), 2016
* ''Stripped'' (Pretty Ma ...
'' and explained that the title represented "a new beginning, a re-introduction of
erselfas a new artist in a way". Aguilera served as the album's
executive producer and co-wrote most of the songs.
To present her new persona, Aguilera released "
Dirrty" as the lead single from the album in September 2002.
Its accompanying music video generated controversy for depicting overtly
sexual fetishes
Sexual fetishism or erotic fetishism is a sexual fixation on a nonliving object or nongenital body part. The object of interest is called the fetish; the person who has ''a fetish'' for that object is a fetishist. A sexual fetish may be regard ...
. Aguilera's new image presented in the video was widely criticized by the public that it began to overshadow her music.
She defended her new image: "I'm in the power position, in complete command of everything and everybody around me. To be totally balls-out like that is, for me, the measure of a true artist."
''Stripped'' was released in October 2002.
The album incorporated various genres from R&B and
flamenco
Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
to
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
, and lyrically revolves around the theme of self-esteem while also discussing sex and gender equality.
It received mixed reviews from music critics, who viewed the employment of various musical styles incoherent, but praised Aguilera's vocals.
The album peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 and has sold over 4.3 million copies in the US as of 2014.
In the UK, the album has sold two million copies as of 2017 and was the second highest-selling album by an American female artist during the 2000s decade, behind
Norah Jones
Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...
with ''
Come Away with Me
''Come Away with Me'' is the debut studio album by American recording artist Norah Jones, released on February 26, 2002, by Blue Note Records. Recording sessions took place at Sorcerer Sound Studio in New York City and Allaire Studios in Shoka ...
''. By 2006, ''Stripped'' had sold over 12 million copies worldwide. The second single from the album, the ballad "
Beautiful
Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to:
Film and theater
* ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field
* ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...
", received universal acclaim for its empowering lyrics about embracing inner beauty, and became an anthem for the
LGBT community. It was the album's best-charting single, peaking at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
The song won
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...
at the
46th Annual Grammy Awards in 2004.
''Stripped'' was followed by three other singles: "
Fighter", "
Can't Hold Us Down", and "
The Voice Within
"The Voice Within" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her fourth studio album, ''Stripped'' (2002). The song was written by Aguilera and Glen Ballard, with production handled by Ballard. It is a piano-driven ballad that talk ...
", all of which were released in 2003 and entered the top 40 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
During promotion of ''Stripped'', Aguilera cultivated a new image by adopting the
alter ego Xtina, dyeing her hair black, and debuting several tattoos and piercings.
She co-headlined the
Justified and Stripped Tour alongside Justin Timberlake from June to September 2003 in support of ''Stripped'' and Timberlake's album ''
Justified'' (2002), before embarking on her solo
Stripped Tour until December. Aguilera attended the
2003 MTV Video Music Awards in August, where she and Britney Spears kissed
Madonna during their performance of "
Like a Virgin" and "
Hollywood", which received considerable media attention. She hosted the
2003 MTV Europe Music Awards
The 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards were held in Western Harbour in Edinburgh, Scotland. The awards ceremony was held in a 6,000-capacity big top arena constructed specifically for the main event.
On the night, Justin Timberlake notably received a ...
, where she won
Best Female award, in November. ''Billboard'' announced Aguilera as the Top Female Pop Act of 2003.
2004–2009: Marriage, ''Back to Basics'', and first child
In 2004, Aguilera recorded a
revised version of
Rose Royce
Rose Royce is an American soul and R&B group. They are best known for several hit singles during the 1970s including "Car Wash", " I Wanna Get Next to You", " I'm Going Down", "Wishing on a Star", and " Love Don't Live Here Anymore".
Career
...
's "
Car Wash
A car wash, carwash, or auto wash is a facility used to clean the exterior, and in some cases the interior of motor vehicles. Car washes can be self-service, full-service (with attendants who wash the vehicle), or fully automated (possi ...
" (1976) with Missy Elliott for the animated film ''
Shark Tale
''Shark Tale'' is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by DreamWorks Pictures. The film was directed by Vicky Jenson, Bibo Bergeron, and Rob Letterman (in his feature directorial de ...
'', in which she was a voice actress, and contributed vocals to
Nelly's single "
Tilt Ya Head Back
"Tilt Ya Head Back" is a song by American recording artists Nelly and Christina Aguilera, taken from Nelly's album ''Sweat'' (2004). The song was released to US radio stations on September 15, 2004, as the second single from the album. Writte ...
". She was a featured artist on
Herbie Hancock's 2005 cover of
Leon Russell's "
A Song for You" (1970), which was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the
48th Annual Grammy Awards
The 48th Annual Grammy Awards took place on February 8, 2006, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning from October 1, 2004 through September 30, 2005. Irish rock band U2 we ...
in February 2006. During this time, Aguilera started working on her follow-up studio album and embraced a new image inspired by figures of the
Classic Hollywood era such as
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
,
Marlene Dietrich
Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
, and
Mary Pickford
Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...
, debuting blonde curly hair and retro-styled makeup.
Aguilera became engaged to marketing executive Jordan Bratman, who had dated her since 2003, in February 2005.
They married on November 19, 2005, at an estate in
Napa County, California. Aguilera released the lead single, "
Ain't No Other Man
"Ain't No Other Man" is a song by the American singer Christina Aguilera from her fifth studio album '' Back to Basics'' (2006). Aguilera co-wrote the song with Kara DioGuardi, Charles Martin Roane, Harold Beatty and the producer DJ Premier. "Ain ...
", from her fifth studio album, ''
Back to Basics'', in June 2006.
The song, like the majority of the album, was inspired by Aguilera's marriage and incorporates elements of early 20th-century soul, blues, and
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
.
It reached number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and has sold 1.7 million digital copies in the US as of 2014.
Its music video saw Aguilera debuting her new alter ego, Baby Jane, inspired by the thriller film ''
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' (1962).
''Back to Basics'' was released in August 2006. Aguilera described the record, a
double album, as a "throwback" to jazz, blues, and soul music of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s that incorporates "a modern twist."
She was much inspired by works of such classic blues and soul singers as
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
,
Millie Jackson
Mildred Virginia Jackson (born July 15, 1944) is an American R&B and soul recording artist. Beginning her career in the early 1960s, three of Jackson's albums have been certified gold by the RIAA for over 500,000 copies sold. Jackson's songs o ...
, and
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...
during the recording sessions. ''Back to Basics'' received generally positive reviews from critics, who commented that the retro-oriented production complements Aguilera's vocals. It debuted atop the ''Billboard'' 200 and has sold 1.7 million copies in the US.
At the
49th Annual Grammy Awards
The 49th Annual Grammy Awards was a ceremony honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2005 and ending September 30, 2006 in the United States. The awards were handed out on Sunday, February 11, 2007 at the Staples C ...
in February 2007, Aguilera won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Ain't No Other Man" and performed "
It's a Man's Man's Man's World
"It's a Man's Man's Man's World" is a song written by James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome. Brown recorded it on February 16, 1966, in a New York City studio and released it as a single later that year. It reached No. 1 on the '' Billboard'' R& ...
" as a tribute to the late
James Brown. ''Back to Basics'' was succeeded by two international top-ten singles: "
Hurt" and "
Candyman". Two other singles, "
Slow Down Baby" and "
Oh Mother", were released exclusively in Australia and Europe, respectively. In support of ''Back to Basics'', Aguilera embarked on the
Back to Basics Tour
The Back to Basics Tour was the fourth concert tour and third world tour by American singer Christina Aguilera. The tour was launched to support her fifth studio album, '' Back to Basics'' (2006). It visited Europe, North America, Asia, and Austra ...
, which ran from November 2006 to October 2008. With US$48.1 million grossed, the tour was the highest-grossing solo female tour of 2007.
In January 2008, a son named Max was born to Aguilera and Bratman. Later that year, she appeared in the
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, inclu ...
documentary ''
Shine a Light'' chronicling a two-day concert by
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
in New York City's
Beacon Theatre, in which Aguilera performs "
Live with Me" alongside the band's lead vocalist
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...
. In commemoration of a decade-long career in the music industry, Aguilera released a
greatest hits album
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
titled ''
Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits'' exclusively through
Target
Target may refer to:
Physical items
* Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports
** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports
** Aiming point, in field artillery, f ...
in November 2008, in the US. In addition to previous singles, it includes four original
electropop-oriented songs, two of which are remade versions of two previous singles.
Aguilera commented that the newly recorded tracks' "futurisic, robotic sound" served as a preview for her follow-up studio album. ''Keeps Gettin' Better'' peaked at number nine on the ''Billboard'' 200, and its titular single "
Keeps Gettin' Better" charted at number seven on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
''Billboard'' in 2009 recognized Aguilera as the 20th most successful artist of the 2000s.
2010–2011: ''Bionic'', ''Burlesque'', and ''The Voice''
Aguilera began working on her sixth studio album during her pregnancy when she frequently listened to
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...
. The lead single from the album, "
Not Myself Tonight
"Not Myself Tonight" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera for her sixth studio album ''Bionic (Christina Aguilera album), Bionic'' (2010). It was released by RCA Records as the lead single from the album on April 2, 2010. Produced by ...
", was released in March 2010.
Heavily influenced by electronic genres, the song signaled Aguilera's musical experiments on her forthcoming album. It peaked at number 23 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
The album, titled ''
Bionic
Bionics or biologically inspired engineering is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology.
The word ''bionic'', coined by Jack E. Steele in August 1 ...
'', was released in June 2010. Categorized as a R&B-flavored
futurepop
Futurepop is an electronic music genre that has been characterized as a blend of synthpop, EBM and dance beats, based on trance and techno.Peter Matzke, Tobias Seeliger: ''Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon.'' Schwarzkopf und Schwarzkopf, Berlin ...
album by critics, ''Bionic'' lyrically revolves around sexual themes while also discussing
feminism
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
. Critical reaction to the album was mixed; reviewers commended Aguilera's experimentation with new styles, but found it forced and unnatural.
The album peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 and has sold 332,000 copies in the US as of 2019.
The album spawned one other international single, "
You Lost Me
"You Lost Me" is a song by American recording artist Christina Aguilera from her sixth studio album ''Bionic'' (2010). It was written by Aguilera, Sia, and producer Samuel Dixon. "You Lost Me" was released on June 25, 2010 by RCA Records as the ...
". Two other singles from the album, "
Woohoo" featuring rapper
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated Flow (rapping), flow in her rapping, alter e ...
and "
I Hate Boys
"I Hate Boys" is a song recorded by American recording artist Christina Aguilera for her sixth studio album, ''Bionic'' (2010). The song was written by Aguilera, Ester Dean, William Tyler, Bill Wellings, J. J. Hunter and Jamal Jones, who also han ...
", were released in the US and Europe, and Australia, respectively.
Aguilera starred alongside
Cher in the musical film ''
Burlesque
A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects. ''. Written and directed by
Steve Antin, the film was released in theaters in November 2010. Aguilera played Ali Rose, who quits her bar service job and moves to Los Angeles, where she aspires to be a performer in a
burlesque club owned by Tess Scali (Cher). ''Burlesque'' grossed US$90 million in the box office and received mixed reviews from critics, who found it
clichéd but praised Aguilera's acting. The film received a nomination for
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the
68th Golden Globe Awards
The 68th Golden Globe Awards were broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 16, 2011, by NBC. The host was Ricky Gervais. The nominations were announced on December 14, 2010, by Josh Duhamel, Katie Holmes ...
. Aguilera recorded eight tracks for the film's ten-track
accompanying soundtrack, and Cher performed the other two. The soundtrack reached number 18 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA.
At
Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
in February 2011, Aguilera omitted a few lines while performing the US national anthem. She apologized for the incident, saying: "I got so caught up in the moment of the song that I lost my place." At the
53rd Annual Grammy Awards
The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights pri ...
, she performed alongside
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and talk show host. Throughout her career, she has received various accolades for her works in recorded music, film, televisio ...
,
Martina McBride
Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, born July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material.
McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and reloc ...
,
Yolanda Adams
Yolanda Yvette Adams (born August 27, 1961) is an American gospel singer, actress, and host of her own nationally syndicated morning gospel show. She is one of the best-selling gospel artists of all time, having sold over 10 million albums ...
, and
Florence Welch
Florence Leontine Mary Welch (born 28 August 1986) is an English singer, the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the indie rock band Florence and the Machine. The band's debut studio album, ''Lungs'' (2009), topped the UK Albums Chart and wo ...
in a segment that paid tribute to soul singer
Aretha Franklin. Aguilera finalized her divorce from Jordan Bratman, from whom she had been separated since September 2010, on April 15, 2011. She concurrently started dating Matthew Rutler, an assistant on the set of ''Burlesque''.
From April 2011 to December 2012, Aguilera served as a coach on the first three seasons of the television competition series ''
The Voice
The Voice may refer to:
Fictional entities
* The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics
* The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe
* The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...
''. During the first season, Aguilera was featured on
Maroon 5's single "
Moves like Jagger
"Moves like Jagger" is a song by American band Maroon 5 featuring American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on June 21, 2011, as the fourth and final single from the re-release of the group's third studio album '' Hands All Over'' (2 ...
" upon the invitation of the group's lead vocalist and Aguilera's fellow ''The Voice'' coach
Adam Levine. The single peaked atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was
certified diamond by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
2012–2017: ''Lotus'', second child, and television projects
Upon the third season of ''The Voice'' in September 2012, Aguilera released "
Your Body" as the lead single from her seventh studio album. The single charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 34. The album, titled ''
Lotus'', followed in November 2012. Aguilera described the record as a "rebirth" of herself after the personal struggles she overcame.
Contemporary reviewers found the album generic and conventional, as opposed to Aguilera's previous experimental ventures. ''Lotus'' peaked at number seven on the ''Billboard'' 200 and has sold 303,000 copies in the US as of 2019.
The album was supported by another single, "
Just a Fool", featuring Aguilera's fellow ''The Voice'' coach
Blake Shelton
Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at ...
. In December 2012, Aguilera was replaced by
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is n ...
for the
fourth season of ''The Voice'' due to wanting to focus on solo projects. She returned for the
fifth season in September 2013.
In 2013, Aguilera scored three international top-ten singles. She was featured on rapper
Pitbull
Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
's "
Feel This Moment
"Feel This Moment" is a song by the American rapper Pitbull, featuring American singer Christina Aguilera. The song was released on February 22, 2013, as the fourth single from the album by Mr. 305, Polo Grounds Music and RCA Records ''Global War ...
", which peaked at number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the RIAA.
She subsequently appeared on Mexican singer
Alejandro Fernández
Alejandro Fernández Abarca (; born 24 April 1971) is a Mexican singer.
Nicknamed as El Potrillo by the media and his fans, he has sold over 20 million records worldwide, making him one of the most successful Hispanic music artists. He is the ...
's cover of
Miguel Gallardo's "
Hoy Tengo Ganas de Ti" (1976), which earned a diamond certification in Mexico. Aguilera collaborated with
A Great Big World on the ballad "
Say Something", which earned a six-time platinum certification from the RIAA
and won
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 63rd Grammy Awards category rules, "this category ...
at the
57th Annual Grammy Awards
The 57th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2015, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The show was broadcast live by CBS at 5:00 p.m. PST ( UTC−8). Rapper LL Cool J hosted the show for the fourth consecutive time ...
. Aguilera temporarily withdrew from ''The Voice'' for the
sixth and
seventh
Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven.
Seventh may refer to:
* Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution
* A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts
Film and television
*"The Seventh", a second-season e ...
seasons, wishing to devote time to her family. She was respectively replaced by Shakira and
Gwen Stefani during the two seasons. After her engagement to Matthew Rutler in February 2014 and the birth of their daughter Summer in August, she returned for the
eighth season in October. Aguilera's last season on ''The Voice'' was the
tenth, which she won with her contestant
Alisan Porter
Alisan Leigh Porter (born June 20, 1981) is an American pop, rock & country singer, actress, and dancer. As a child, Porter made acting appearances in '' Parenthood'', '' Stella'' and ''I Love You to Death''. Her breakout role came in 1991, when ...
in May 2016.
Aguilera played a recurring role of Jade St. John, a pop singer who tries to venture out to
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
, on the
third season of
ABC's musical drama series ''
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...
'' in April 2015. Two promotional singles were released in order to support her appearance: "The Real Thing" and "
Shotgun". She and her partner Rutler served as executive producers for a music-based game show, ''Tracks'', which aired on
Spike TV in March 2016.
On June 16, 2016, Aguilera released a song titled "
Change
Change or Changing may refer to:
Alteration
* Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time
* Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of the menstrual period
* Metamorphosis, or change, ...
" in which she dedicated to the victims of the 2016
Orlando nightclub shooting
On , 2016, Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old man, killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States. Orlando Police officers shot and killed him after a three-hour standoff.
In a ...
as well as
Christina Grimmie, who was fatally shot in Orlando the day before the nightclub shooting. The proceeds were donated to the National Compassion Fund to benefit the victims' families. Her other works included recording a
disco song titled "
Telepathy" featuring
Nile Rodgers for the soundtrack of
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
original series ''
The Get Down
''The Get Down'' is an American musical drama television series created by Baz Luhrmann and Stephen Adly Guirgis. The series debuted on Netflix on August 12, 2016, and was cancelled after the first season.
Produced by Sony Pictures Television ...
'' (2016), being a voice actress for ''
The Emoji Movie
''The Emoji Movie'' is a 2017 American computer-animated science fiction comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. Directed by Tony Leondis, who wrote the script with Eri ...
'' (2017), and starring in the romantic science fiction film ''
Zoe'' released in 2018. In November 2017, Aguilera performed a medley of ''
The Bodyguard'' songs during the
American Music Awards
The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Pro ...
in honor to celebrate Whitney Houston.
2018–2021: ''Liberation'' and Christina Aguilera: The Xperience
Aguilera started working on her eighth studio album in the summer of 2015. "
Accelerate
In mechanics, acceleration is the rate of change of the velocity of an object with respect to time. Accelerations are vector quantities (in that they have magnitude and direction). The orientation of an object's acceleration is given by t ...
" featuring
Ty Dolla Sign
Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...
and
2 Chainz
Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, a ...
was released as the lead single from the album on May 3, 2018. "Accelerate" became Aguilera's tenth number one song on the US ''Billboard'' Dance Songs Chart.
It was followed by the
promotional single
A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...
"
Twice
Twice (; Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn: ''To~uwaisu''; commonly stylized as TWICE) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, ...
" on May 11, and the second single "
Fall in Line
"Fall in Line" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera for her eighth studio album '' Liberation'' (2018), featuring guest vocals from American singer Demi Lovato. It was released as the album's second single on May 16, 2018 by RCA Rec ...
" featuring
Demi Lovato on May 16. "
Like I Do" featuring
GoldLink
D'Anthony William Carlos (born May 17, 1993), better known by his stage name GoldLink, is an American rapper and singer. In 2014, he released his debut mixtape, ''The God Complex'', which received critical acclaim. In June 2015, GoldLink was cho ...
was released on June 7, 2018, as the album's third and final single. ''Liberation'', was released on June 15, 2018, to favorable reviews. Aguilera heavily incorporated R&B and hip hop on the album to represent her desire for freedom from what she described as the "churning hamster wheel" that was ''The Voice''.
''Liberation'' debuted at number six on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, becoming Aguilera's seventh US top-ten album. At the
61st Annual Grammy Awards
The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted. During her opening monologue, Keys brought out Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and ...
, "Fall in Line" was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, while "Like I Do" received a nomination for
Best Rap/Sung Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...
. Aguilera starred in the romantic science fiction ''Zoe'', which was premiered at the
Tribeca Film festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...
in April 2018, and was later released on July 20 by
Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed th ...
.
To promote ''Liberation'', Aguilera embarked on her first tour in 10 years,
The Liberation Tour, which ran from September to November 2018. and a follow-up European tour,
The X Tour, which ran from July to December 2019. She also headlined
Christina Aguilera: The Xperience, a 25-date concert residency at the
Zappos Theater
The Zappos Theater, originally known as Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts, is a mid-sized auditorium located at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. The venue hosts a variety of events, including charity benefits, concerts and ...
at
Planet Hollywood Las Vegas
Planet Hollywood Las Vegas (formerly the Aladdin) is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Eldorado Resorts, Caesars Entertainment. The property was previously the site of an earlier resort known ...
, beginning in May and concluding in March 2020. In October 2019, Aguilera released the soul and blues-inspired song "Haunted Heart" from the soundtrack of the computer-animated ''
Addams Family
''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over a ...
'' film, and a month later "
Fall on Me"—her second collaboration with A Great Big World—was premiered. On March 6, 2020, Aguilera released "
Loyal Brave True
"Loyal Brave True" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Christina Aguilera, taken from Mulan (2020 soundtrack), the soundtrack to the 2020 Drama (film and television)#Action drama, action drama film ''Mulan (2020 film), Mulan''. Co ...
" as a promotional single from the live action remake of ''
Mulan
Hua Mulan () is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history.
According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as ...
''. ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' considered it
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology) ...
-worthy while the song was also shortlisted as one of fifteen potential nominees for the
Academy Award for Best Original Song.
She released a re-recording of "
Reflection Reflection or reflexion may refer to:
Science and technology
* Reflection (physics), a common wave phenomenon
** Specular reflection, reflection from a smooth surface
*** Mirror image, a reflection in a mirror or in water
** Signal reflection, in ...
" on August 28.
In July 2021, Aguilera
performed for two nights at the
Hollywood Bowl with
Gustavo Dudamel
Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramírez (born 26 January 1981) is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist who is the music director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Paris Opera.
Early life
Dudamel was ...
and the
Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Both shows were sold out.
In early October, Aguilera featured on the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
for ''
The Addams Family 2
''The Addams Family 2'' is a 2021 computer-animated supernatural black comedy road film directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon, co-directed by Laura Brousseau and Kevin Pavlovic, written by Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Ben Queen, and Su ...
'' performing the
theme song from the original series. That same week, Aguilera performed two medleys for
ABC's Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary special with the songs "
Reflection Reflection or reflexion may refer to:
Science and technology
* Reflection (physics), a common wave phenomenon
** Specular reflection, reflection from a smooth surface
*** Mirror image, a reflection in a mirror or in water
** Signal reflection, in ...
", "
When You Wish Upon a Star" and "
Loyal Brave True
"Loyal Brave True" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Christina Aguilera, taken from Mulan (2020 soundtrack), the soundtrack to the 2020 Drama (film and television)#Action drama, action drama film ''Mulan (2020 film), Mulan''. Co ...
". Later that month, Aguilera performed "
River Deep – Mountain High
"River Deep – Mountain High" is a song by Ike & Tina Turner released as the title track to their 1966 studio album on Philles Records. Produced by Phil Spector and written by Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. ''Rolling Stone'' ranke ...
" at the
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music an ...
as a tribute for
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...
. On December 7, 2021, Aguilera was also honored with the first Music Icon award at the
47th People's Choice Awards
The 47th ceremony of the People's Choice Awards was held on December 7, 2021, at the Santa Monica Airport, Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. Hosted by Kenan Thompson, the show was the first to be presented before an in-person audience s ...
.
2022–present: ''Aguilera'' and upcoming tenth studio album
In early 2021, Aguilera announced that her ninth studio album would be in Spanish, being her first in 22 years, following up ''
Mi Reflejo
''Mi Reflejo'' (English: ''My Reflection'') is the second studio album and first Spanish-language album by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on September 12, 2000, as a joint effort between RCA Records and BMG U.S. Latin. After ...
'' (2000).
She also announced that the album would be released in three parts, with the first being an
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. titled ''
La Fuerza
''La Fuerza'' () is the debut solo and Spanish-language extended play (EP) by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released through Sony Music Latin on January 21, 2022 as the first part of her ninth studio and second Spanish-language alb ...
'', eventually released on January 21, 2022.
Preceding the EP's release, on October 21, 2021, Aguilera released "
Pa Mis Muchachas
"Pa Mis Muchachas" () is a song recorded by American singers Christina Aguilera, Becky G and Argentine rapper and singer Nicki Nicole featuring Argentine singer Nathy Peluso for the former's ninth studio and second Spanish-language album '' Aguil ...
", with
Becky G
Rebbeca Marie Gomez (born March 2, 1997), known professionally as Becky G, is an American singer and actress. She first gained recognition in 2011 when she began posting videos of herself covering popular songs online. One of her videos caught t ...
,
Nicki Nicole
Nicole Denise Cucco (born 25 August 2000, known professionally as Nicki Nicole) is an Argentine rapper and singer. Born and raised in Rosario, Santa Fe, she gained popularity with her singles "Wapo Traketero", " Colocao", " Mamichula", and "Mal ...
and
Nathy Peluso
Natalia Peluso (born 12 January 1995), known professionally as Nathy Peluso (), is an Argentinian singer, songwriter, dancer and pedagogue. Born in Argentina, and raised in Spain, Peluso became interested in the performing arts at an early age, ...
. Following that, on November 19, Aguilera debuted the second single, "
Somos Nada", at the
22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards
The 22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards was held on Thursday, November 18, 2021, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas to honour the best musical releases within Latin music released from June 1, 2020, to May 31, 2021. The nominations were announc ...
. On January 20, 2022, alongside the release of ''La Fuerza'', "
Santo", a collaboration with
Ozuna
Juan Carlos Ozuna Rosado (; born March 13, 1992), known simply by his surname Ozuna, is a Puerto Rican singer. Five of his studio albums have topped the ''Billboard'' Top Latin Albums chart, with ''Aura'' (2018) charting at number seven on ...
, was released as the third single.
On May 6, 2022, a music video was released for "
La Reina
La Reina ( Spanish: "The Queen") is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region created in 1963 from an eastern portion of the Ñuñoa commune. It belongs to the Northeastern zone of Santiago de Chile.
La Re ...
".
On April 1, 2022, Aguilera performed at the
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
Expo 2020
Expo 2020 ( ar, إكسبو 2020) was a World Expo hosted by Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 ...
and closed the show with a cover of "
A Million Dreams". In late May, Aguilera announced ''
La Tormenta
''La Tormenta'' (''The Storm'') is a 2005 Colombian telenovela and original story by Humberto "Kiko" Olivieri, produced by RTI Colombia and broadcast by Telemundo. The series stars Natalia Streignard and Christian Meier as the main protagonists ...
'', the second extended play apart of her then-forthcoming Spanish-language studio album and its next single, "
Suéltame" with Argentine singer
Tini. The EP was released on May 30, 2022, after being delayed due to the
Robb Elementary School shooting
On May 24, 2022, a mass shooting occurred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, United States, where 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, a former student at the school, fatally shot nineteen students and two teachers, and wounded seventeen other ...
. On May 31, 2022, her ninth studio album, ''
Aguilera'', was released on streaming services and featured all the songs from ''La Fuerza'', ''La Tormenta'' and a new duet with
Christian Nodal
Christian Jesus González Nodal (born January 11, 1999) is a Mexican musician, singer, and songwriter born and raised in Sonora, Mexico. His debut studio album, '' Me Dejé Llevar'' (2017), was met with critical acclaim and success. Nodal has ...
of "Cuando Me Dé la Gana". ''Aguilera'' went on to be nominated for two
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
for
Best Latin Pop Album and
Best Immersive Audio Album
The Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album (until 2018: ''Best Surround Sound Album'') was first awarded in 2005, as the first category in a new "Surround Sound" field.
This field currently holds the Best Immersive Audio Album award as its s ...
and two
Latin Grammy Awards
The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been ...
for
Album of the Year and
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
On June 11, 2022, Aguilera performed at
Los Angeles Pride
The LA Pride Festival & Parade, commonly known as LA Pride, is an annual LGBTQ Pride celebration in Los Angeles, California. It is one of the largest LGBTQ Pride events in the world, traditionally held on the second weekend of June, and produ ...
alongside
Mya,
Kim Petras
Kim Petras (born 27 August 1992) is a German singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. Between 2016 and 2020, she released music as an independent artist under her own imprint, BunHead Records, before signing with Amigo and Repub ...
and
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, and entertainer. Born in New York City, and raised there and in Beverly Hills, California, she is a great-granddaughter of Conrad ...
. During one segment of the show, Aguilera wore a
strap-on dildo which received both praise and controversy. After her
Los Angeles Pride
The LA Pride Festival & Parade, commonly known as LA Pride, is an annual LGBTQ Pride celebration in Los Angeles, California. It is one of the largest LGBTQ Pride events in the world, traditionally held on the second weekend of June, and produ ...
headline show, Agulera embarked on a festival tour,
EU/UK Summer Series,
which included three festivals in Spain, one in Monaco, three arena shows in United Kingdom, and ended with
Brighton Pride
Brighton and Hove Pride is an annual LGBT pride event held in the city of Brighton and Hove, England, organised by Brighton Pride, a community interest company (CIC) who promote equality and diversity, and advance education to eliminate discr ...
. During the show in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
, Aguilera revealed that she had begun working on her tenth studio album, which would be in English.
On September 29, 2022, Aguilera performed "La Reina" at the
2022 ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards and received the
''Billboard'' Spirit of Hope Award. ''La Luz'', the third and final EP from ''Aguilera'', was released that same day and featured a spoken intro by Aguilera and "
No Es Que Te Extrañe". On October 21, 2022, a deluxe 20th anniversary version of ''
Stripped
Stripped may refer to:
Music
* "Stripped" (song), by Depeche Mode, 1986
* ''Stripped'' (Christina Aguilera album) or the title song, 2002
* ''Stripped'' (Daniel Ash album), 2014
* ''Stripped'' (Macy Gray album), 2016
* ''Stripped'' (Pretty Ma ...
'' was released and featured two new tracks: "I Will Be" (the b-side to "
Dirrty") and
Benny Benassi
Marco "Benny" Benassi (; born 13 July 1967) is an Italian DJ, record producer and remixer. He is widely seen as a pioneer of electro house, a genre brought into the mainstream by his 2002 summer club hit " Satisfaction".
He started his career ...
's remix to "
Beautiful
Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to:
Film and theater
* ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field
* ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...
". A new music video for "
Beautiful
Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to:
Film and theater
* ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field
* ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...
" was also released. In November 2022, ''Aguilera'' won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the
23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards
The 23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards ceremony was held on Thursday, November 17, 2022, at the Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas to honour the best musical releases within Latin music released from June 1, 2021, to May 31, 2022. The nominations were a ...
. She also performed "Cuando Me Dé la Gana" with
Christian Nodal
Christian Jesus González Nodal (born January 11, 1999) is a Mexican musician, singer, and songwriter born and raised in Sonora, Mexico. His debut studio album, '' Me Dejé Llevar'' (2017), was met with critical acclaim and success. Nodal has ...
the same night. Aguilera was announced as a headliner of the
Viña del Mar International Song Festival
, image =
, caption =Overture to the closing night of LI Viña del Mar International Song Festival (2010)
, location =Viña del Mar, Chile
, years_active =1960-present
, founders =
, dates =3rd week of February
, ...
festival in
Viña del Mar.
Artistry
Voice
Critics have described Aguilera as a
soprano,
possessing a four-octave
vocal range
Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of st ...
(from
C3 to
C♯7),
being also able to perform the
whistle register
The whistle register (also called the flute register or flageolet register) is the highest register of the human voice, lying above the modal register and falsetto register. This register has a specific physiological production that is different f ...
. After the release of her
self-titled debut album,
Ron Fair
Ronald Fair is an American A&R executive, record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several ar ...
— executive of
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...
— said he was betting on Aguilera due to her "perfect intonation", considering that she had "pipes to be the next
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...
or
Céline Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
".
In an article for ''
Slate'',
Maura Johnston
Maura K. Johnston (born May 28, 1975) is a writer, editor and music critic. A member of Boston College's journalism faculty, she has written for ''Rolling Stone'', ''The Boston Globe'', ''Pitchfork'', ''The Awl'', ''The New York Times'', ''Spin' ...
wrote that although Aguilera works in contemporary pop music, she has "an instrument that despite its ability to leap octaves has a low-end grounding similar to that possessed by opera singers". Highlighting her vocal versatility, Joan Anderman from ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' stated that she is "a real singer
..blessed with the sort of breathtaking elasticity, golden tones, and sheer power that separate the divas from the dabblers". Aguilera is also recognized for making use of
melisma
Melisma ( grc-gre, μέλισμα, , ; from grc, , melos, song, melody, label=none, plural: ''melismata'') is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is refer ...
in her songs and performances;
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles (born October 25, 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', analyzed her vocal abilities, emphasizing that "she can aim a note as directly as a missile or turn its trajectory into an aerobatic spiral of leaping, quivering, scalloping melismas". According to critics of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' magazine, she has been modeled her "dramatic and melismatic technique" following steps of artists like
Etta James.
Throughout her career, her vocal ability has yielded comparisons with other vocalists. As a result of her use of melismatic technique,
David Browne associated her with
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...
and
Mariah Carey, opining that the three form the team of the main proponents of this vocal modality.
Sharing the same point of view,
Sasha Frere-Jones
Alexander Roger Wallace "Sasha" Frere-Jones (né Jones; born 1967) is an American writer, music critic, and musician. He has written for ''Pretty Decorating'', '' ego trip'', ''Hit It And Quit It'', ''Mean'', '' Slant'', ''The New York Post'', '' ...
, columnist for ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'', expressed that the technique was responsible for making her a "serious singer" without needing to "reincarnate the
Sarah Vaughan".
Steve Kipner
Stephen Alan Kipner (born 1950) is an American-born Australian songwriter and record producer, with hits spanning a 40-year period, including chart-topping songs such as Olivia Newton-John's "Physical", Natasha Bedingfield's "These Words", an ...
— songwriter of "
Genie in a Bottle
"Genie in a Bottle" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her self-titled debut studio album (1999). It was written by Pam Sheyne, Steve Kipner and David Frank, and produced by Kipner and Frank. The song was released on May 11, 1 ...
" (1999) — considered that Aguilera has an "impressive" vocal dexterity, being able to "internalized all the riffs from
Chaka Khan".
Ann Powers
Ann K. Powers (born February 4, 1964) is an American writer and pop music critic. She is a music critic for NPR and a contributor at the ''Los Angeles Times'', where she was previously chief pop critic. She has also served as pop critic at ''The ...
, critic from ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'', said that Aguilera has a voice "purely powerful as that of Etta James
..and she's moving toward the expressiveness of
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys K ...
, if not
Aretha Franklin"; however, Powers notes that her vocal ability in ballad songs "connects her to Barbra Streisand", in addition to comparing her to
Donna Summer when she works on songs influenced by
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...
.
However, Aguilera has also been criticized for the excessive use of melisma, as well as for
oversinging Oversinging is a term, sometimes derogatory, aimed at vocal styles that dominate the music they are performed in, including melisma and belting, and overuse of embellishments on one sound.
Definition
Professor and voice instructor Melinda Imthu ...
in her songs and concerts. Writing for ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'', John Eskow stated that she is the main proponent of "oversouling" and, despite recognizing that she has a "great instrument", opined that she "
oesn'tseem to know when to stop" with the use of "gratuitous and confected melisma". Lucy Davies, author at
BBC Music
BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network.
Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...
, acknowledges that Aguilera has a "stunning voice", but indicated that "she could be more varied, simply by cutting out some of the 'y-e-e-eeeh, woah yeh's' in her songs". During the recording session of "
Beautiful
Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to:
Film and theater
* ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field
* ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...
" (2002), the producer
Linda Perry
Linda Perry (born April 15, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. She was the lead singer and primary songwriter of 4 Non Blondes, and has since founded two record labels and composed and produced hit songs for ...
recalled that Aguilera had difficulty avoiding "vocal improvisations", stopping the recording every time she started to "
versing. Perry used the first take, saying, "She had a hard time accepting that as the final track. She's a perfectionist. She knows her voice really well and she knows what's going on. She can hear things that nobody else would catch." In an article for ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'', Chris Willman opined that Aguilera's tendency to oversinging is due to the influence of Carey in her vocal abilities, noting "her slightly nasal tone that really only becomes obvious when she's overselling a song".
VH1 writer Alexa Tietjen added that Aguilera "does tend to take it to the extreme at times
..but Christina's vocal prowess is what's gotten her so far. Love them or hate them, the riffs are a part of who she is as a performer."
Influences
According to Pier Dominguez, the domestic violence that Aguilera suffered during her childhood directly impacted her developing personality. However, the author states that unlike other children who witness the violence at home, she did not show feelings of guilt, emotional disturbance or aggressive behavior towards people; on the contrary, she created an "internal defense mechanism".
On the other hand, Chloé Govan comments that the fact that Aguilera had been a victim of bullying at school made her an introverted and insecure person. Her mother's role was crucial in changing this situation, from whom she learned a "message about self-respect".
Both authors agree that the learning had a strong influence on Aguilera's behavior in the transition to adulthood and exerted an impact on her early number-one singles in career, "
Genie in a Bottle
"Genie in a Bottle" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her self-titled debut studio album (1999). It was written by Pam Sheyne, Steve Kipner and David Frank, and produced by Kipner and Frank. The song was released on May 11, 1 ...
" and "
What a Girl Wants" (both from 1999),
the lyrics of which can refer to
female empowerment
Women's empowerment (or female empowerment) may be defined in several ways, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, and training.Kabeer, Naila ...
.
Aguilera states that her biggest influence in music was
Etta James: "
he's
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
my all-time favorite singer
..I'll still be as raunchy as I wanna be, and I'll have her memory to back me up. She's what I want to be someday". As her first references to sing and perform, Aguilera credits the musical ''
The Sound of Music
''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...
'' (1959) and its lead actress,
Julie Andrews; other of the main inspirations cited throughout her career includes
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...
,
Mariah Carey,
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
,
Pearl Bailey,
Beyoncé and the bands
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...
and
Guns N' Roses.
Furthermore, Aguilera recalls that she started singing her first songs in Spanish during her childhood because of her parents who constantly listened to works by
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record ...
. Other musical inspirations for Aguilera include
Chavela Vargas
Isabel Vargas Lizano (17 April 1919 – 5 August 2012), better known as Chavela Vargas (), was a Mexican singer. She was especially known for her rendition of Mexican rancheras, but she is also recognized for her contribution to other genres o ...
and
Vicente Fernández
Vicente Fernández Gómez (17 February 1940 – 12 December 2021) was a Mexican singer, songwriter, actor, and film producer. Nicknamed "Chente" (short for Vicente), "El Charro de Huentitán" (The Charro from Huentitán), "El Ídolo de México ...
. Aguilera described her song "
La Reina
La Reina ( Spanish: "The Queen") is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region created in 1963 from an eastern portion of the Ñuñoa commune. It belongs to the Northeastern zone of Santiago de Chile.
La Re ...
" from ''
Aguilera'' (2022) as a respectful response to Fernández's "
El Rey".
In recognition of what she describes as "positive female artists," Aguilera mentioned
Madonna and
Janet Jackson as artistic influences; in 2000, during an interview with ''
Jam! Canoe'', she demonstrated her respect for both singers because they have "taken on the stage, the studio and the screen and have been successful in all three
..artists who aren't afraid to take chances and be daring, experimental and sexy".
Cher was also highlighted as one of Aguilera's source of inspiration in career as she remembered that saw her for the first time in the music video for "
If I Could Turn Back Time
"If I Could Turn Back Time" is a song by American singer and actress Cher from her 1989 nineteenth studio album '' Heart of Stone''. It was released as the album's lead single in July 1989, by Geffen Records. The song was written specifically f ...
" (1989), described as a "pivotal moment" that encouraged her as a "woman who's been there, done everything, before everyone else – who had the guts to do it".
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...
and
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...
were Aguilera's biggest influences on her vocal abilities as a child.
Some of her inspirations were portrayed in her artistic work; during the process of developing of her fifth studio album, ''
Back to Basics'' (2006), Aguilera revealed that she had been influenced by music records from
Marvin Gaye,
Aretha Franklin,
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...
and
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
.
In the audiovisual work for "
Candyman" (2007), she performed three different roles as an allusion to the interpretation of "
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" is a World War II jump blues song written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince which was introduced by The Andrews Sisters in the Abbott and Costello comedy film, '' Buck Privates'' (1941). The Andrews Sisters' Decca recording r ...
" by the group
The Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (January ...
on a brief appearance in the film ''
Buck Privates
''Buck Privates'' is a 1941 musical film, musical military comedy film that turned Bud Abbott and Lou Costello into bona fide movie stars. It was the first service comedy based on the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, peacetime draft o ...
'' (1941). Outside the music industry, she mentioned
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
as a reference, paying tribute to the actress in the music video for "
Tilt Ya Head Back
"Tilt Ya Head Back" is a song by American recording artists Nelly and Christina Aguilera, taken from Nelly's album ''Sweat'' (2004). The song was released to US radio stations on September 15, 2004, as the second single from the album. Writte ...
" (2004) and in movie ''
Burlesque
A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects. '' (2010) — where she recorded one of Monroe's most popular songs, "
Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
"Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" is a jazz song introduced by Carol Channing in the original Broadway production of '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1949), with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Leo Robin.
Marilyn Monroe version
American actr ...
", featured in musical ''
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1953). Furthermore, Aguilera highlighted her inspirations in the art world, declaring to be an appreciator of works by
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the Art movement, visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore th ...
,
Roy Lichtenstein and
Banksy
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigram ...
.
Musical style and themes
Generally referred to as a
pop artist,
Aguilera has gone on to experiment with different musical genres throughout her career.
She explains that she always tries to bring something new in her projects, "experiment with
ervoice" in addition to verbalizing her preference of working with more "obscure" collaborators and that she is not necessarily inclined to contact "the number-one chart-toppers in music" because of their popular demand.
Reviewing her artistically, Alexis Petridis, columnist from ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', recognized that her "boldness in reinventing herself" was always "one of her most impressive facets," while Kelefa Sanneh from ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' highlighted her "decision to snub some of the big-name producers on whom pop stars often rely".
Aguilera's first two records, ''Christina Aguilera'' (1999) and ''Mi Reflejo'' (2000), were produced with an influsion of
teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards preteens and teenagers.Lamb, Bill"Teen Pop" About.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007. Teen pop incorporates different subgenres of pop music, as well as elements o ...
and
dance-pop, with the latter also referencing her incentive through
Latin music
Latin music ( Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Spain and Portugal) and the Latino United States inspired by Latin Amer ...
.
She showed artistic growth with ''Stripped'' (2002) which was described as "substantive and mature
..with pleasantly surprising depth," where she showed a range of genres, including
R&B,
hip hop,
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
, and
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...
, and moved away from the teen niche.
On her fifth studio album, ''Back to Basics'' (2006), Aguilera worked with several producers to create a "throwback with elements of old-school genres combined with a modern-day twist
ndhard-hitting beats".
Stephen Thomas Erlewine from
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
called the project an "artistic statement
..a little crass and self-centered, but also catchy, exciting and unique".
In 2010, Aguilera developed the
soundtrack for ''Burlesque'', whose content was influenced by ''
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...
'' (1972) and highlighted several songs that were redone as dance numbers in a fashion similar to ''
Moulin Rouge!
''Moulin Rouge!'' (, ) is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows a young English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and cour ...
'' (2001). In the same year, ''Bionic'' saw Aguilera working with producers specialized in
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...
to create a
future-pop project with elements taken from
electro. Sam Lanksy from
MTV Buzzworthy
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
described it as "forward-thinking and even timeless," and praised its "subversive
ndambient production".
Aguilera explored and heavily incorporated
electro-pop
Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...
on ''Lotus'' (2012). Conversely, in 2018 she contributed with
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
and
Anderson Paak
Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to rel ...
on ''Liberation'', creating an album inspired by R&B and hip-hop styles which she had included in her previous material. Aguilera had noted that, "There's nothing like an amazing hip-hop beat. At the end of the day, I am a soul singer
..singing soulfully is where my core, my root and my heart really is".
Regarding the themes of her music, Aguilera stated that she feels a "sense of responsibility" to reference portions of her personal life so that "people that can relate might not feel as alone in the circumstance". Most of her songs have covered themes of love, motherhood, marriage and fidelity.
She has also deal with heavy topics such as
domestic violence and
abusive relationships.
Sex has also played a huge part in Aguilera's music. In an interview with ''
People
A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...
'', she stated, "If I want to be sexual, it's for my own appreciation and enjoyment. That's why I like to talk about the fact that sometimes I am attracted to women. I appreciate their femininity and beauty". Recognized for being feministic in her music,
Aguilera denounced the
double standard
A double standard is the application of different sets of principles for situations that are, in principle, the same. It is often used to describe treatment whereby one group is given more latitude than another. A double standard arises when two ...
for the first time in "
Can't Hold Us Down" (2002), explaining that men are applauded for their sexual behaviors, while women who behave in a similar fashion are disdained. Writing for ''The Guardian'', Hermione Hoby noted that she "incites a sisterly spirit of collaboration
ndnot shy of the odd feministic declaration herself".
Image
Aguilera has reinvented her public image numerous times during her career. Early in her career, she was marketed as a
bubblegum pop
Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States ...
singer due to the genre's high financial return in the late 1990s,
becoming a
teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups.
By region Asia
East Asia possess ...
.
''
Stereogum'' wrtier Tom Breihan noted that Aguilera "thought of herself primarily as a
..young
Mariah Carey-type, but her
A&R rep
Ron Fair
Ronald Fair is an American A&R executive, record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several ar ...
had instead sent
erinto the pop zeitgeist" of the times. However, she was accused of cultivating a sexual image, attracting criticism regarding her revealing clothes;
in an interview with
MTV News,
Debbie Gibson
Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress.
Gibson released her debut album '' Out of the Blue'' in 1987, which spawned several international hits, later being certified triple plati ...
accused her of "influencing girls out there wearing less and less", considering that "she lives and breathes the sexual image". In response to negative comments, Aguilera stated: "Just because I have a certain image, everyone wants me to be this role model. But nobody is perfect, and nobody can live up to that". Furthermore, her music and image received comparisons to
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage producti ...
.
David Browne, author from ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'', noted that she was "a good girl pretending to be bad" when compared to Spears' music and image. In contrast, Christopher J. Farley of ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' considered her a more impressive artist than Spears.
Megan Turner from ''
New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'' compared the "battle" between both artists in the media with the previous one between
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
and
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
; however, she highlighted the difference in them, opining that "while Britney has a va-va-voom sexuality
..Aguilera had charm and a youthful appeal". ''
Bustle
A bustle is a padded undergarment used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. ...
'' writer James Tison labelled Aguilera a "
diva
Diva (; ) is the Latin word for a goddess. It has often been used to refer to a celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, theatre, cinema, fashion and popular music. If referring to an actress, the meaning of ''diva'' is cl ...
" saying she "mastered being one in the best way possible".
He added that "one of her best diva qualities is her willingness to embrace her own sexuality".
In 2002, Aguilera introduced her
alter ego Xtina, for which she adopted increasingly provocative and extravagant looks.
During this period, she dyed her hair black, debuted body piercings and photographed nude for several publications.
While analyzing her new visual, ''
Vice
A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...
'' and ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' magazines wrote that her new clothes echoed as if she were participating in the ''
Girls Gone Wild'' franchise.
On the other hand, she reinforced her new visual direction by dressing up as a nun during a performance of "
Dirrty" (2002) accompanied by a choir and undressed to reveal what she would wear underneath to serving as the host of the
2003 MTV Europe Music Awards
The 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards were held in Western Harbour in Edinburgh, Scotland. The awards ceremony was held in a 6,000-capacity big top arena constructed specifically for the main event.
On the night, Justin Timberlake notably received a ...
.
In a review of her persona, author
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
opined that Aguilera reached "maturity with transparent sexuality and pounding sounds of nightclubs". Writing for ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
'', Adam White was more positive about her image and recognized that her "embracing of an overtly sexual image in the wake of adolescent stardom was a tried and tested route to adult success".
Under a new persona named Baby Jane — a reference to ''
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' (1962) — Aguilera again transformed her public image in 2006; sticking to the platinum blonde in her hair, she started to dress inspired by actresses from
Old Hollywood. However, in 2010, her new looks were highlighted in the international media for comparisons with those used by
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
. After gaining weight in 2012, she was criticized by several publications; in the following year, she received favorable media attention after a significant weight loss. In the March 2018 edition of ''
Paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distrib ...
'', she appeared without makeup and
photographic manipulation, receiving praise and attracting attention to artists who would pose the same way on their social media.
Aguilera has been cited as a
sex symbol.
Through
VH1, she was included in the list of the sexiest entertainment artists in 2002 and 2013; in publications from ''
FHM
''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...
'' and ''
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'', she received similar honors in 2004 and 2012, respectively. In 2003, she was chosen as the sexiest woman of the year by ''
Maxim
Maxim or Maksim may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine
** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition
** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition
*Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...
'', stamping the cover of the best-selling issue of the magazine's history. Furthermore, she was mentioned as one of the most beautiful people in the world in 2003 and 2007 in ''
People
A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...
'' editions. Aguilera also is recognized a
gay icon
A gay icon is a public figure who is regarded as a cultural icon of some members of the LGBT community.
The most widely recognized gay icons are often actresses and singers who garnered large LGBT fanbases, such as Judy Garland, Madonna, Diana Ros ...
;
in 2019, she was awarded by the
Human Rights Campaign for using her "platform to share a message of hope and inspiration to those who have been marginalized
..bringing greater visibility to the LGBTQ community". Her fashion sense has also attracted media attention throughout her artistic life;
Jon Caramanica
Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music.
Biography
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Caramanica received his bachelor's degree ...
, journalist from ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', concluded that "Aguilera will be remembered for her glamour and her scandalous take on femme-pop",
while Janelle Okwodu from ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'' noted that she "has never been afraid to take a fashion risk
ndhas filled her videos with jaw-dropping styles and risqué runway looks". Following her appearance at
New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...
in 2018, ''
Dazed
''Dazed'' (''Dazed & Confused'' until February 2014) is a bi-monthly British style magazine founded in 1991. It covers music, fashion, film, art, and literature. Dazed is published by Dazed Media, an independent media group known for producing ...
'' named her one of the most stylish people of the year.
Aguilera has called her fans "fighters", which has become the nickname used on social media to refer to her fanbase.
She is one of the most popular musicians on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
with approximately 17 million followers, and was one of the most searched artists in the world in 2002, 2004, and 2010 through
Google
Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...
. She was also one of the most popular searches in 2003 by
Yahoo! Search
Yahoo! Search is a Yahoo! internet search provider that uses Microsoft's Bing search engine to power results, since 2009, apart from four years with Google until 2019.
Originally, "Yahoo! Search" referred to a Yahoo!-provided interface that se ...
. When she became a coach on ''
The Voice
The Voice may refer to:
Fictional entities
* The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics
* The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe
* The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...
'', Aguilera became one of the
highest-paid American television stars; in 2011, it was reported that she would receive $225,000 per episode, as well as $12 million per season in 2013, $12.5 million in 2014, and $17 million in 2016. In 2007, ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' included her on its list of richest women in entertainment with an estimated net worth estimated of $60 million, and estimated that she had earned $20 million that year. In 2021,
Yahoo! Finance
Yahoo! Finance is a media property that is part of the Yahoo! network. It provides financial news, data and commentary including stock quotes, press releases, financial reports, and original content. It also offers some online tools for perso ...
estimated Aguilera's fortune at $160 million.
Legacy
Various music journalists and authors have noted Aguilera's legacy in the
entertainment industry
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousan ...
and deemed her as one of the greatest artists in
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...
. In 2004, she was listed as one of the most influential people in the music market according to ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'', and was cited as the eight greatest woman in the phonographic industry by
VH1.
Early in her career, Aguilera was labeled as a
teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups.
By region Asia
East Asia possess ...
,
and has been cited as one of the artists who revived
teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards preteens and teenagers.Lamb, Bill"Teen Pop" About.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007. Teen pop incorporates different subgenres of pop music, as well as elements o ...
in the late nineties; ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' magazine stated that she was a "pioneer
na different type of teen stardom", crediting her vocal ability as responsible for the phenomenon.
Since then, she has been named as one of the greatest singers in contemporary pop music; by
MTV, she was cited as one of the best voices in music since eighties, while ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' and ''
Consequence of Sound
''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' included her in their lists of greatest singers of all time.
In 2013, ''
Latina
Latina or Latinas most often refers to:
* Latinas, a demographic group in the United States
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America.
*Latin Americans
Latina and Latinas may also refer ...
'' honored her as the best vocalist of Latin origin in history. With the recognition of her vocal ability and influence in the music industry, she has been referred in media with the titles of "
Princess of Pop"
and "
Voice of a Generation".
Upon launching her music career in the late nineties, Aguilera was cited as one of the artists who shaped the "Latin explosion", in addition to contributed to the
Latin pop boom in American music in early of the century. Considered one of the greatest artists of the 2000s,
she has been classified between the main references of the
Millennials; writing for ''
Vice
A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...
'' magazine, Wanna Thompson analyzed her impact in the turn of the century, stating that alongside
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage producti ...
, "Aguilera dominated mainstream pop-related discussions.
erperfectly packaged music and looks appealed to tweens and teens who wanted to be like the pretty, chart-topping pop stars plastered everywhere". The commercial success of her first projects as a
bubblegum pop
Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States ...
singer caused an effect that influenced record labels to invest in new artists who attracted the same youthful appeal, catapulting names like
Jessica Simpson and
Mandy Moore
Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her debut single, "Candy (Mandy Moore song), Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Her de ...
.
Critics also highlighted the impact of her work in
popular culture
Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...
; while ''
Stripped
Stripped may refer to:
Music
* "Stripped" (song), by Depeche Mode, 1986
* ''Stripped'' (Christina Aguilera album) or the title song, 2002
* ''Stripped'' (Daniel Ash album), 2014
* ''Stripped'' (Macy Gray album), 2016
* ''Stripped'' (Pretty Ma ...
'' (2002) was cited as "the blueprint for divas making the transition from teen idol to adult pop star", Aguilera is credited for "paving the way for a generation of pop singers".
Jeff Benjamin from ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
'' stated that the album explored a "process of self-identification and declaration still influencing today's mainstream scene", in addition to "how of today's biggest pop stars have followed a similar path, exploring and incorporating these strategies into their careers".
In 2007,
her self-titled debut album was added to the definitive list from
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, being recognized as one of the "history's most influential and popular albums". Since then, Aguilera and her work have influenced various recording artists including
Ariana Grande,
Ava Max
Amanda Ava Koci (born Amanda Koçi; February 16, 1994), known professionally as Ava Max, is an American singer and songwriter. She signed with Atlantic Records in 2016, through which she released her breakthrough single " Sweet but Psycho" in ...
,
Becky G
Rebbeca Marie Gomez (born March 2, 1997), known professionally as Becky G, is an American singer and actress. She first gained recognition in 2011 when she began posting videos of herself covering popular songs online. One of her videos caught t ...
,
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage producti ...
,
Camila Cabello
Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao (; ; born March 3, 1997) is a Cuban-born American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, which became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. While in ...
,
Charli XCX
Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery ...
,
Demi Lovato,
Dua Lipa,
Grimes
Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her early work has been described as extending from "lo-fi R&B" to futuristic dance-pop, and has i ...
,
Halsey,
Hayley Williams,
Iggy Azalea
Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea (), is an Australian rapper. At the age of 16, Azalea moved from Australia to the United States in order to pursue a career in music. Azalea earned public recognitio ...
,
Karol G
Carolina Giraldo Navarro (born 14 February 1991), known professionally as Karol G (stylized in all caps), is a Colombian singer and songwriter. She is predominantly described as a reggaeton and Latin trap artist, but has experimented with a ...
,
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...
,
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
,
Lauren Jauregui
Lauren Michelle Jauregui Morgado (; born June 27, 1996) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, which became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. Jauregui began exp ...
,
Meghan Trainor
Meghan Elizabeth Trainor (born December 22, 1993) is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She rose to prominence after signing with Epic Records in 2014 and releasing her debut single "All About That Bass", which reached ...
,
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip ho ...
,
Nicki Nicole
Nicole Denise Cucco (born 25 August 2000, known professionally as Nicki Nicole) is an Argentine rapper and singer. Born and raised in Rosario, Santa Fe, she gained popularity with her singles "Wapo Traketero", " Colocao", " Mamichula", and "Mal ...
,
Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (born February 20, 2003) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She gained recognition in the late 2010s with her lead roles on the Disney television programs '' Bizaardvark'' and '' High School Musical: The Musi ...
,
Rina Sawayama
is a Japanese–British singer-songwriter, actress and model. Born in Niigata, Japan, she emigrated to London with her parents at age five. She is known for her musical versatility and has been labelled a "musical chameleon". In 2017, she ...
,
Rosalía
Rosalia Vila Tobella (born 25 September 1992), known mononymously as Rosalía (, ), is a Spanish singer. Born and raised in the outskirts of Barcelona, she has been described as an "atypical pop star" due to her genre-bending musical styles. ...
,
Sabrina Carpenter,
Sam Smith
Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single " Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...
,
Selena Gomez
Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...
, and
Tinashe
Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe ( ; born February 6, 1993), known mononymously as Tinashe, is an American singer, dancer, and actress. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Tinashe moved to Pasadena as a child to pursue a career in entertainment. Her notab ...
, and athletes such as figure skater
Johnny Weir
John Garvin Weir (; born July 2, 1984) is an American figure skater and television commentator. He is a two-time Olympian (representing the United States in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics, respectively), the 2008 World bronze medalist, a t ...
, ice dancers
Zachary Donohue and
Madison Hubbell, and swimmer
Dana Vollmer
Dana Whitney Vollmer (born November 13, 1987) is a former American competition swimmer, five-time Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal as a member of the winning United States ...
.
Aguilera has also been praised for emphasizing the importance of feminism in pop music; several journalists agree that her use of sexual imagery has helped catalyze public discourse on the topic.
Lamar Dawson, columnist from ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'', praised her feminist efforts in the music industry and recognized that "while Christina isn't the first pop star to place feminist rhetoric into pop culture, she led the charge at the beginning of the 21st century of influencing the next generation of impressionable teens who were too young for
Janet ">acksonand
Madonna's curriculum". Gerrick D. Kennedy from ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' shared the same point of view and stated that "for a generation who hit puberty during the great 2000 pop explosion, Aguilera was an essential voice with music that tackled self-empowerment, feminism, sex and domestic violence — subject matter her contemporaries were shying away from".
Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, co-founder of ''
The Vagenda'', opined that the provocative dance routines in Aguilera's music videos was "empowering",
as she has been referred to as the forerunner of the ''
slutdrop'' dance style.
Aguilera's videography impact was also analysed by music critics. While "
Dirrty" (2002) has been described as "one of the most controversial videos in pop music history",
and one of the greatest music videos of all time, Issy Beech from ''
i-D'' recognized that the audiovisual work "paved a path for videos like "
Anaconda
Anacondas or water boas are a group of large snakes of the genus '' Eunectes''. They are found in tropical South America. Four species are currently recognized.
Description
Although the name applies to a group of snakes, it is often used ...
" and "
Wrecking Ball
A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a crane, that is used for demolishing large buildings. It was most commonly in use during the 1950s and 1960s. Several wrecking companies claim to have invented the wrecking ball. An e ...
"
..paved the way for open sexuality from women in pop". In the video for "
Beautiful
Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to:
Film and theater
* ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field
* ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...
" (2002), the highlight scene of a gay kiss has been considered one of the most important moments for
LGBT culture
LGBT culture is a culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. It is sometimes referred to as queer culture (indicating people who are queer), while the term gay culture may be used to mean "LGBT culture" o ...
, in addition to start Aguilera's image as a
gay icon
A gay icon is a public figure who is regarded as a cultural icon of some members of the LGBT community.
The most widely recognized gay icons are often actresses and singers who garnered large LGBT fanbases, such as Judy Garland, Madonna, Diana Ros ...
. Both works was elected as one of the greatest music videos of the 21st century by editors from ''Billboard'', while she was named one of the greatest women of the video era according VH1. In 2012, her videographic collection and some looks used throughout her career were part of an exhibition by the
National Museum of Women in the Arts
The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), located in Washington, D.C., is "the first museum in the world solely dedicated" to championing women through the arts. NMWA was incorporated in 1981 by Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay. Since openin ...
aimed at illustrating "the essential roles women have played in moving rock and roll and American culture forward".
Jon Caramanica
Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music.
Biography
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Caramanica received his bachelor's degree ...
from ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' also commented about her contributions to television, observing an expressive number of artists signing with television networks to act as coaches of singing
reality competition
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
after her participation in the
American version of
''The Voice'' franchise.
Achievements
Aguilera has accumulated several awards and accolades in her career. At the age of nineteen, she won the
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...
, being recognized by
The Recording Academy
The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy A ...
as one of the youngest singers to receive this award. She has since gone on to win four more Grammys. Furthermore, she has won two
Latin Grammy Awards
The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been ...
, two
MTV Video Music Awards
The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
, one
''Billboard'' Music Award, one
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
, and was also nominated with a
Golden Globe Award. In 2010, she received a star on
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...
in "recognition of her achievements in the
recording industry
A record, recording or records may refer to:
An item or collection of data Computing
* Record (computer science), a data structure
** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity
** Boot sector or boot record, r ...
". In 2019, she was also immortalized as a
Disney Legend in "honor for her remarkable contributions to the Walt Disney Company".
In addition to being often cited as one of the most prominent Latin artists in the
entertainment industry
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousan ...
,
Aguilera was elected as one of the
100 most influential people in the world by ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' in 2013.
Aguilera is recognized as one of the world's
best-selling music artists, with estimated sales around 75 million records.
According to Nielsen Soundscan, she has sold over 18.3 million albums in the United States,
and her
self-titled debut album (1999) was certified RIAA certification, 8x platinum and listed as one of the best-selling in the country by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Regarding her digital download (music), digital sales, it is estimated that she has sold around 21.4 million tracks in the country until 2014.
In the United Kingdom, Aguilera has sold over 9.4 million records as of 2013, which 3.3 million in albums sales and 6.1 million in singles sales. According to The Official Charts Company, her fourth studio album ''
Stripped
Stripped may refer to:
Music
* "Stripped" (song), by Depeche Mode, 1986
* ''Stripped'' (Christina Aguilera album) or the title song, 2002
* ''Stripped'' (Daniel Ash album), 2014
* ''Stripped'' (Macy Gray album), 2016
* ''Stripped'' (Pretty Ma ...
'' (2002) is one of the few to surpass the 2 million copies sold,
becoming the List of best-selling albums of the 2000s (decade) in the United Kingdom, second highest-selling album by an American female artist during the 2000s and one of the List of best-selling albums of the 21st century in the United Kingdom, best-selling albums of the millennium in the country.
Furthermore, "
Moves Like Jagger
"Moves like Jagger" is a song by American band Maroon 5 featuring American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on June 21, 2011, as the fourth and final single from the re-release of the group's third studio album '' Hands All Over'' (201 ...
" (2011) — her collaboration with band
Maroon 5 — was cited as one of the List of best-selling singles in Australia, best-selling singles in Australia, List of best-selling singles in Canada, Canada, List of best-selling singles in South Korea, South Korea,
[Cumulative sales for "Moves Like Jagger":
*
*
*
*
*
*
*] the List of best-selling singles in the United Kingdom, United Kingdom, and the List of best-selling singles in the United States, United States,
as well as one of the List of best-selling singles#Best-selling digital singles, best-selling digital singles with over 14.4 million copies.
The song was Recording Industry Association of America#RIAA Diamond certifications, certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2021.
After being listed as the top female artist of 2000 and 2003,
''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
'' classified Aguilera as the twentieth most successful artist of the 2000s.
Through the same publication, she was considered one of the most successful artists of the decade on
''Billboard'' 200, Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100, and Mainstream Top 40 charts, and the second best-selling singles artist in the United States, behind
Madonna. In 2016, she was also nominated as one of the greatest artists in history of the Mainstream Top 40 and Dance Club Songs charts. In addition, Aguilera was recognized by the magazine as one of the four female artists in history to have a List of Billboard Hot 100 chart achievements and milestones, number-one single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in three consecutive decades.
In 2020, she was cited by ''Pollstar'' as one of the top female artists of the 21st century in the concert, concert industry; according to the publication, she sold more than 1.8 million tickets for her performances throughout her career, with an earning exceeding $113.8 million. In Morocco, Aguilera held her largest audience concert, attracting 250,000 people to her performance at Mawazine Festival#2016, Mawazine Festival, becoming the record audience in history of the event.
Other activities
Investments and endorsements
Outside of her projects in the music industry, Aguilera has worked in other activities. In 2016, after founding her own production company, MX Productions, she signed a contract with Lions Gate Entertainment to develop a music competition program, named ''Tracks'', which was aired on
Spike TV. At the same year, it was reported that she was an investor of multiple companies, including Pinterest, DraftKings, Lyft and MasterClass — for which she also developed a singing class. Throughout her career, she has worked with the sale of your own products; in 2011, she attended São Paulo Fashion Week to unveil her first clothes line which was commercialized at the Brazilian department store C&A. In 2004, she started her perfume line through Procter & Gamble (P&G), which is maintained with annual releases since then; in addition to being awarded numerous times at the FiFi Awards by The Fragrance Foundation, her fragrances ranked among the United Kingdom's best-sellers in 2007 and 2009. In 2016, Aguilera's fragrance business was acquired by Elizabeth Arden, Inc., where it was estimated that the brand had $80 million in sales and $10 million in earnings in January of that year.
Aguilera has also been involved in marketing initiatives during her career, endorsing numerous brands, including Sears and Levi's (2000), Skechers (2003), Mercedes-Benz, Virgin Mobile (both in 2004), Pepsi, Orange UK, Sony Ericsson (both in 2006), Oreo (2017), and SweeTarts (2021). In 2001, she signed with Coca-Cola to star in a series of television commercials in a deal reported to worth up £50 million. Furthermore, Aguilera inspired a clothing line by Versace in 2003, starring as a model in its advertising campaign; likewise, in 2008, she influenced and appeared in a campaign to promote a collection of sterling silver pieces designed by Stephen Webster. In 2004, it was reported that she earned over £200,000 pounds to open a summer sale at London's department store Harrods. Following the birth of her first child in 2008, Aguilera was paid $1.5 million to submit her baby pictures to ''
People
A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...
'' magazine, which became the List of most expensive celebrity photographs, ninth most expensive celebrity baby photograph ever taken.
Philanthropy
Aguilera has done numerous philanthropic works during her career. In 2001, she signed an open letter organized by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) destined to South Korea, appealing on national government to ban the consumption of dogs and cats. In 2006, she replaced a costume designed by Roberto Cavalli for her
Back to Basics Tour
The Back to Basics Tour was the fourth concert tour and third world tour by American singer Christina Aguilera. The tour was launched to support her fifth studio album, '' Back to Basics'' (2006). It visited Europe, North America, Asia, and Austra ...
after discovering that he had used fox fur in its composition. In 2010, Aguilera auctioned tickets to her concerts through Christie's, earmarking the proceeds to non-profit environmental organizations, including Conservation International and the Natural Resources Defense Council. She has also worked to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS; in 2004, she was the face of a make-up line by MAC Cosmetics, profits of which were used to benefit the Mac AIDS Fund. In the following year, Aguilera appeared in a photo book which raised funds for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, in addition to starring in a campaign organized by YouthAIDS.
In 2003, Aguilera visited and donated over $200,000 dollars to the Women's Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, a support center for victims of domestic violence. In 2019, she donated part of the proceeds from her The Xperience, residency concert to an organization based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Furthermore, she has starred in commercials on the Lifetime (TV network), Lifetime channel calling for an end to violence against women, and collaborated with institutions that fight breast cancer. In 2005, she participated in a gala event designed to raise funds for child support organizations, including Nelson Mandela Children's Fund; similarly, in 2008, she participated in the Var mısın? Yok musun?, Turkish version of the game show ''Deal or No Deal'', where she earned ₺180,000 lire — an amount converted into donations to the country's orphanages. In a ''Montblanc (company), Montblanc'' initiative, she participated in a charity event promoting children's access to music education in 2010. Aguilera was also involved in campaigns to encourage people to vote. During the 2004 United States presidential election, she was featured on advertising panels for Declare Yourself and served as a spokesperson for Rock the Vote in the 2008 United States presidential election, 2008 presidential election.
In 2005, Aguilera donated her wedding gifts to charities in support of families affected by Hurricane Katrina. In 2012, as a result of the disaster caused by Hurricane Sandy, she participated in a special organized by National Broadcasting Company (NBC), where she performed the song "
Beautiful
Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to:
Film and theater
* ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field
* ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...
" (2002) and asked for donations to the American Red Cross. In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, she auctioned off a Chrysler 300 and used the money raised to help disaster victims. She additionally appeared on the ''Hope for Haiti Now'' telethon, where donations directly benefited Oxfam, Oxfam America, Partners In Health, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Red Cross, and UNICEF. In 2009, she became the global spokesperson for the
World Food Program, a branch of the United Nations (UN). Through the program, she traveled to several countries with high rates of malnutrition, such as Guatemala,
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
, and Rwanda. Since then, it is estimated that she has helped raise more than $148 million for the organization and other hunger relief agencies in 45 countries. In 2012, her role in the project earned her the World Hunger Relief#History, George McGovern Leadership Award, which she received in the White House from former United States Secretary of State, Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
In 2016, Aguilera donated proceeds of her single "
Change
Change or Changing may refer to:
Alteration
* Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time
* Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of the menstrual period
* Metamorphosis, or change, ...
" to the victims and families of the
Orlando nightclub shooting
On , 2016, Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old man, killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States. Orlando Police officers shot and killed him after a three-hour standoff.
In a ...
.
Aguilera noted that, "Like so many, I want to help be part of the change this world needs to make it a beautiful, inclusive place where humanity can love each other freely and passionately".
Discography
Studio albums
* ''Christina Aguilera (album), Christina Aguilera'' (1999)
* ''
Mi Reflejo
''Mi Reflejo'' (English: ''My Reflection'') is the second studio album and first Spanish-language album by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on September 12, 2000, as a joint effort between RCA Records and BMG U.S. Latin. After ...
'' (2000)
* ''
My Kind of Christmas
''My Kind of Christmas'' is the third studio album and first Christmas album by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on October 24, 2000, by RCA Records. The album was recorded from late 1999 to mid 2000, while Aguilera was tourin ...
'' (2000)
* ''
Stripped
Stripped may refer to:
Music
* "Stripped" (song), by Depeche Mode, 1986
* ''Stripped'' (Christina Aguilera album) or the title song, 2002
* ''Stripped'' (Daniel Ash album), 2014
* ''Stripped'' (Macy Gray album), 2016
* ''Stripped'' (Pretty Ma ...
'' (2002)
* ''
Back to Basics'' (2006)
* ''
Bionic
Bionics or biologically inspired engineering is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology.
The word ''bionic'', coined by Jack E. Steele in August 1 ...
'' (2010)
* ''
Lotus'' (2012)
* ''Liberation (Christina Aguilera album), Liberation'' (2018)
* ''
Aguilera'' (2022)
Filmography
* ''
Burlesque
A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects. '' (2010)
* ''
The Emoji Movie
''The Emoji Movie'' is a 2017 American computer-animated science fiction comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. Directed by Tony Leondis, who wrote the script with Eri ...
'' (2017)
* ''
Zoe'' (2018)
Tours and residencies
Headlining tours
*
Christina Aguilera in Concert
Christina Aguilera in Concert was the debut concert tour by American singer Christina Aguilera. It supported her two studio albums, ''Christina Aguilera'' (1999) and ''Mi Reflejo'' (2000). Beginning in May 2000 with appearances at radio festival ...
(2000–2001)
* The Stripped Tour (2003)
*
Back to Basics Tour
The Back to Basics Tour was the fourth concert tour and third world tour by American singer Christina Aguilera. The tour was launched to support her fifth studio album, '' Back to Basics'' (2006). It visited Europe, North America, Asia, and Austra ...
(2006–2008)
*
The Liberation Tour (2018)
*
The X Tour (2019)
Co-headlining tours
* The Justified & Stripped Tour (2003)
Residencies
*
Christina Aguilera: The Xperience (2019–2020)
Promotional tours
*
EU/UK Summer Series (2022)
See also
* List of artists who reached number one in the United States
* List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
External links
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aguilera, Christina
Christina Aguilera,
1980 births
Living people
20th-century American actresses
20th-century American singers
20th-century American women singers
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American singers
21st-century American women singers
Activists from New York City
Actresses from Los Angeles
Actresses from New York City
Actresses from Pittsburgh
Ambassadors of supra-national bodies
American child actresses
American child singers
American contemporary R&B singers
American dance musicians
American dancers
American expatriates in Japan
American female dancers
American feminists
American film actresses
American Latin pop singers
American people of Dutch descent
American people of Ecuadorian descent
American people of German descent
American people of Irish descent
American people of Welsh descent
American philanthropists
American sopranos
American soul singers
American television actresses
American voice actresses
American women activists
American women pop singers
American women record producers
American women singer-songwriters
Businesspeople from Los Angeles
Businesspeople from New York City
Businesspeople from Pittsburgh
Child pop musicians
Dance-pop musicians
Dancers from New York (state)
Feminist musicians
Grammy Award winners
Hispanic and Latino American actresses
Hispanic and Latino American feminists
Hispanic and Latino American musicians
Hispanic and Latino American women singers
HIV/AIDS activists
Judges in American reality television series
Latin Grammy Award winners
LGBT rights activists from the United States
Mouseketeers
MTV Europe Music Award winners
Music video codirectors
Musicians from Pittsburgh
People from Rochester, Pennsylvania
People from Staten Island
RCA Records artists
Record producers from California
Record producers from Los Angeles
Record producers from New York (state)
Record producers from Pennsylvania
Sex-positive feminists
Singers from Los Angeles
Singers from New York City
Singers with a four-octave vocal range
Singer-songwriters from California
Singer-songwriters from New York (state)
Singer-songwriters from Pennsylvania
Sony BMG artists
Sony Music Latin artists
Spanish-language singers of the United States
Television personalities from California
Television personalities from New York City
Television personalities from Pittsburgh
Women in Latin music
World Food Programme people
World Music Awards winners