Putting aside what we all might feel about her personally, Christina Aguilera is just a girl who hit it big. She was born in December 18, 1980 to a military family that moved around to exotic places such as Texas and Japan. Apparently singing from birth, she took first place in many talent shows and eventually made an unsuccessful bid on Star Search. Like some other teen sensations such as Britney and some of the Backstreet Boys, she appeared on the Mickey Mouse Club in Orlando, Florida, before the show ended.
Her big break came as the scoring for the Disney movie Mulan was being tackled, and the producers needed someone to record the single Reflection. Christina later said that they needed someone "who could hit a high E above middle C," which she could. The producers met her in California, where she recorded Reflection and signed a deal with RCA.
Her first album, the self titled Christina Aguilera, debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts, and put out her first single, Genie in a Bottle. She has since released many other singles from this album, including What a Girl Wants, and the seminal classic of our time, Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You). This album, while being 8 times platinum, garnered her the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2000 (I've heard it called the `Kiss of Death' award by another winner of it on a VH1 Behind the Music).
In September of 2000, she released a Spanish language album, titled Mi Reflejo, which peaked at 27 on the Billboard charts. When questioned on the matter, she said "I've always been proud of my Ecuadorian heritage. Recording a Spanish album and working with a great producer like Rudy Perez gives me a chance to explore my Latin side." Continuing on the latin theme that seemed to pervade pop music at the time, she collaborates with Ricky Martin on the single Nobody Wants To Be Lonely. Also around this time she is thrown into that whole Lady Marmalade extravaganza, along with other innocent choir girls Pink, Mya and Lil' Kim. She won her 2nd and 3rd Grammies with Best Latin Female Pop Vocal Album for Mi Reflejo, and Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals for Lady Marmalade. She also appeared in the September 11th induced remake of the Marvin Gaye classic What's Going On, along with almost every other singer in the world.
A new CD is in the works, with several sneak peak song events at the Olympics and other venues. "This new record is extremely personal," Christina told Time magazine. "It's so personal that I feel like people from my past will say `Oh my God, she's singing this to me.' I have a lot of things to say and a lot of things to let out of me. I feel like I was very confined in that first record to be very pop-driven. I want to be a poet and have a chance to explore
that and let people know what's really on my mind."
I know I am looking forward to seeing what exactly is on her mind, along with about 1.2 billion teenage girls and 30 year old guys. One of my buddies was shopping with his mom in a record store and lo and behold, there was Christina Aguilera shopping with HER mom! He asked for her autograph for his sister (the truth), and she happily gave him one, then they parted paths forever. I hope that one of her songs she will sing to him about this obvious emotional moment in at least his life, but I have a feeling it will be another pop and Latin fusion that makes most of us shake our heads thinking "Didn't I hear this already?"
As an update, Christina released her album "Stripped", which is probably the most appropriate title not for the soul searching, but for the fact that she is consistently wearing a lot less clothing. Her first single, "Dirrty", is a perfect example. She also has had her nose pierced on the left nostril, and always wears an elaborate jeweled piece in it.
Sources
The Official Christina Aguilera website, www.christina-a.com
I'd like to thank some random dude in the catbox for bringing this node to my attention.
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