Liberation (Christina Aguilera Album)

''Liberation'' is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera. The album was released on June 15, 2018, through RCA Records. It is Aguilera's first studio album in six years, following her seventh studio album '' Lotus'' (2012). The singer started recording the album in late 2014, and throughout 2015 and 2017, Aguilera collaborated with a handful of producers and songwriters to reach her desired sound; Pharrell Williams and Linda Perry were in the studio in early stages and ended up not being on the album, while new collaborators such as Anderson .Paak, Kanye West, Che Pope, Mike Dean and Tayla Parx were confirmed to be on the album. It features collaborations with Demi Lovato, Keida, Shenseea, GoldLink, Ty Dolla Sign, 2 Chainz, and XNDA.

''Liberation'' was preceded by the singles "Accelerate", "Fall in Line" and " Like I Do", and the promotional single, "Twice". Critical reception towards the album was generally positive, with music critics complimenting Aguilera's vocals, the album's experimental styles, and the cohesive sound. Commercially, it positioned within the top ten in eight countries, including the United States, peaking at number six on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. It also reached number one in Spain, number three in Switzerland, and number five in Canada.

The album's second and third singles "Fall in Line" featuring Demi Lovato and "Like I Do" featuring GoldLink, earned nominations for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 61st Grammy Awards, respectively. To promote the album, Aguilera embarked on her fifth concert tour, The Liberation Tour, beginning in September 2018. It was her first tour in nearly ten years after the Back to Basics Tour. ''Liberation'' was nominated for the International Album of the Year award at the 2018 ''GAFFA'' Awards ceremony.

Background and development

Following the release of her seventh album '' Lotus'' (2012), Aguilera took a career hiatus to focus on her family. Later in October 2015, Aguilera confirmed that she was recording two albums: one in English and one in Spanish (which was slated to be her second after 2000's ''Mi Reflejo''). During the interview, she also elaborated on the album's working process, saying: "I've been loosely working and sort of accumulating ideas for what my next album will be over the last couple of years. I'm excited for my fans to finally be getting something from me — it's been a while!" In 2016, she returned to ''The Voice'' season ten, winning the series with her contestant Alisan Porter, making Aguilera the first female coach to win the series. During a promotional interview for the TV show, Aguilera stated about the album: "It will be an album of freedom."

On June 16, 2016, Aguilera released the song "Change", dedicated to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting, while on August 23, 2016, she released "Telepathy" for the TV series ''The Get Down'' soundtrack, which topped the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart. In February 2018, media reported that Aguilera was collaborating with Demi Lovato who confirmed a collaboration. In March 2018, a low-quality snippet of a song called "Masochist" leaked online, as well as the full-length demo of the song "Fall in Line", which prompted rumors that the tracks were supposed to be on the album. On May 3, 2018, Aguilera released the first single "Accelerate" featuring American singer Ty Dolla Sign and rapper 2 Chainz, as well as its music video, while also confirming the album's title, ''Liberation'', and its art, track listing and announced the album was available for pre-order online.

Recording

Recording for the album initially took place in early 2014. At early stages, the first producer that was confirmed to be working with Aguilera was Pharrell Williams, which according to the singer, had one song that she loved. In 2015, Aguilera confirmed that she was still writing and gathering songs for the album to eventually record them. In late November 2015, Aguilera confirmed she was working again with long time collaborator Linda Perry. In February 2017, Aguilera claimed she was adding the final touches to the album, however in the same month, Tayla Parx confirmed she had worked with Aguilera, as well as Da Internz, Kanye West and PartyNextDoor. ''Billboard'' would later reveal that Aguilera met West in Rick Rubin's Shangri La studio in Malibu, California, a few months before West released ''The Life of Pablo'' in 2016. About West, she commented: "I've always been a huge fan of Kanye. Outside of, you know, his controversial aspects, I just think he's a great artist and musicmaker and beatmaker. The artists that he chooses to pluck from different walks of life are so interesting." He produced "Accelerate" as well as "Maria", which is Aguilera's personal favorite.

Later in September 2017, Aguilera entered the studio again to work with Mark Ronson and Anderson .Paak. Aguilera also mentioned about working with Paak, which produced two tracks, by saying: "He and I connected big-time. He was like, 'I used to watch you on TRL!' He's a great lyricist, soul singer and rapper. And he murders the drums." ''Billboard'' also revealed that ''Liberation'' would have a collaboration with Demi Lovato, which was in the same song co-written by singer and songwriter Julia Michaels. Commenting about choosing Lovato, Aguilera claimed: "We went through a few names of women. I needed a belty singer, and she took it to the next level. I almost cried when I first heard her on the record." American singer and songwriter Jon Bellion confirmed in a now-deleted tweet that he is the producer behind "Fall in Line". The singer revealed that during the album's working process she regretted not having Cardi B and Childish Gambino on the album; the first "got lost in the shuffle", after being discouraged by a producer to work with her, while the latter was working on the TV series ''Atlanta'' and the two never had the time to materialize the collaboration. It was reported in the media in June 2018 that Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton had performed on the track "Pipe", under the name XNDA. Hamilton did not initially confirm this, but confirmed the rumors in July 2020.

In August 2018, Aguilera revealed that she recorded "a lot more" songs during the ''Liberation'' studio sessions, and they could end up on her follow-up album. A demo of a Spanglish song "Lolita"—recorded in 2017 and co-written by Tayla Parx—leaked in February 2021.

Music and lyrics

''Liberation'' is a pop, R&B and hip hop record, with soul, reggae, trap, Southern rock and dancehall elements. It was described as a "hip-hop and R&B inspired" album by ''Billboard''. Aguilera commented: "To me, there's nothing like an amazing hip-hop beat," while also claiming: "At the end of the day, I am a soul singer. When you strip back the words 'pop star' and the many things that I've done, singing soulfully is where my core, my root and my heart really is. And as you can see, it's what I'm inspired by." ''The New York Timess chief critic Jon Pareles