Christina María Aguilera
(born December 18, 1980) is an American
pop musician. Aguilera first appeared on
national television in 1990 as a contestant on the
Star Search program, and went on to star in
Disney Channel's television series
The New Mickey
Mouse Club from 1993–1994. Aguilera signed to RCA Records
after recording "
Reflection" for
the film
Mulan. She came to
prominence following her debut album
Christina Aguilera (1999),
which was a commercial success spawning three number one singles on
the
Billboard Hot 100. A
Latin pop album,
Mi Reflejo
(2001), and several collaborations followed which garnered Aguilera
worldwide success, though she was displeased with her lack of input
in her music and image.
After parting from her management, Aguilera took creative control
over her second studio album,
Stripped (2002),
which received mixed reviews and produced substantial sales. The
second single, "
Beautiful", was a
commercial success and sustained the album's sales amidst
controversy over Aguilera's sexual image. Aguilera's third studio
album,
Back to
Basics (2006), included elements of soul, jazz, and blues
music, and was released to positive critical reception.
Aside from being known for her vocal ability, music videos and
ever-changing image, musically, she includes themes of dealing with
public scrutiny, her childhood, and female empowerment in her
music. Apart from her work in music, she has also dedicated much of
her time as a
philanthropist for
charities, human rights and world issues. Aguilera's work has
earned her numerous awards, including four
Grammy Awards and one
Latin Grammy Award, amongst eighteen
nominations. She has become one of the most successful recording
artists of the decade, selling more than 42 million records
worldwide.
Early life and career
Aguilera
was born in Staten Island, New York
, to Fausto Wagner Xavier Aguilera, a Sergeant in
the U.S. Army at the time, and Shelly Loraine (née Fidler),
a teacher of the Spanish language.
Aguilera's father was born in Guayaquil
, Ecuador
and her
maternal grandmother emigrated from County Clare,
Ireland
. Her father was stationed at Earnest Harmon
Air Force Base
in Stephenville, Newfoundland
and Japan. Aguilera lived with her father
and mother until she was seven years old. Aguilera grew up hearing
Spanish and thus understands the language, although she is more
fluent in English.
When Aguilera's parents divorced, her mother
took her, and her younger sister Rachel, to her grandmother's home
in Rochester,
Pennsylvania
, a town outside of Pittsburgh
. According to both Aguilera and Fidler, her
father was very controlling, as well as physically and emotionally
abusive. She later wrote about her
difficult childhood in the songs "I'm OK" in
Stripped, and
"Oh Mother" in
Back to Basics. Although her father has
written to Aguilera, she has ruled out any chance of reuniting with
him. Since then, Fidler has married a paramedic named Jim Kearns,
and changed her name.
As a child, Aguilera aspired to be a singer. She was known locally
as "the little girl with the big voice", singing in local talent
shows and competitions. According to
VH1's
Driven, whenever competitors learned they would be up
against her in any given week, they would immediately withdraw,
prompting insiders to claim it was "like sending a lamb to the
slaughter." Her peers soon became jealous of her and would
frequently subject her to ridicule,
ostracism, and, in one gym class, attempted
assault. Acts of vandalism around her house included the slashing
of the tires on the family car.
Eventually, the family relocated to another
suburb in the Pittsburgh area (this time, Wexford
) and took to secrecy about Aguilera's talent lest
another backlash occur. She attended Marshall
Middle School
near Wexford and North
Allegheny Intermediate High School
until she was later home schooled.
On March 15, 1990, she appeared on
Star
Search singing "
A Sunday
Kind of Love", but lost the competition at number 2.
Soon after
losing on Star Search, she returned home and appeared on
Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV
's Wake
Up with Larry Richert to perform
the same song. People remarked that the then ten-year-old
"sounded 20."
Throughout her youth in Pittsburgh, Aguilera sang "
The Star-Spangled Banner" before
Pittsburgh Penguins hockey,
Pittsburgh Steelers football and
Pittsburgh Pirates baseball
games. Her first major role in entertainment came in 1993 when she
joined the Disney Channel's variety show
The New Mickey Mouse Club. Her co-stars
included
Justin Timberlake,
Britney Spears,
Ryan Gosling and
Keri
Russell, the show lasted another year until its cancellation.
According to the documentary
Driven, Aguilera's co-stars
called her "the
Diva". One of her most notable
performances was of
Whitney
Houston's "
I Have Nothing".
At the age of fourteen, Aguilera recorded her first song, "All I
Wanna Do", a hit duet with Japanese singer Keizo Nakanishi. In
1997, she represented the United States at the
"Golden Stag" International Festival with a
two-song set.
Music career
1998–2001: Pop music beginnings and Christina
Aguilera
In 1998, Aguilera sang the High "E" in full voice (and again on the
song "
Candyman"
from her
Back To Basics album for a full 8 seconds)
(
E5) on a cover
of Whitney Houston's "
Run to You" which she
recorded with a tape recorder in her bathroom. She was then
selected to record the song "
Reflection" for the
Disney production of
Mulan (1998).
Recording "Reflection" led to Aguilera earning a contract with
RCA Records the same week. "Reflection"
peaked within the top twenty on the
Adult Contemporary Singles
Chart, and it was nominated for a
Golden Globe Award for "
Best Original
Song" in 1998.Under the exclusive representation of Steve
Kurtz, Aguilera's self-titled debut album
Christina Aguilera was
released on August 24, 1999. It reached the top of the
Billboard 200 and Canadian album
charts, selling eight million copies in the U.S. and over seventeen
million copies worldwide. The album is also included in the Top 100
Albums of All Time list of The
Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA) based on US sales. Her singles
"
Genie in a Bottle", "
What a Girl Wants" and "
Come On Over Baby "
topped the
Billboard Hot 100
during 1999 and 2000, and "
I Turn to You"
reached #3. According to the album's songwriters, Aguilera wanted
to display the range and audacity in her voice during the promotion
of the album, and performed acoustic sets and appeared on
television shows accompanied only by a piano. She ended the year on
MTV's New Year's Special, as she performed and was MTV's first
artist of the millennium. At the
42nd
Grammy Awards Aguilera received a
Best Female Pop Vocal
Performance Grammy nomination for "Genie in a Bottle" and
despite earlier predictions, she won the award Grammy Award for
Best New Artist.
Aguilera's manager Kurtz told MTV that Christina was talking about
recording a Spanish-language album even before she recorded her
debut album.In 2000 Aguilera started recording with producer Rudy
Pérez in Miami.Later in 2000, Aguilera, first emphasized her
Latin heritage by releasing her first Spanish
album,
Mi Reflejo on September
12, 2000. This album contained Spanish versions of songs from her
English debut as well as new Spanish tracks. Though some criticized
Aguilera for trying to cash in on the
Latin
music boom at the time.According to Pérez, Aguilera was only
semi-fluent, while recording. She understood the language, because
she has grown up with her father, who is a native of Ecuador. He
added "Her Latin roots are undeniable".The album peaked at #27 on
the
Billboard 200 and went number one on the
Billboard Latin charts
for a record 20 weeks. In 2001, it won Aguilera a
Latin Grammy Award for
Best Female
Pop Vocal Album. The album went Gold in the US. She also won
the World Music Award as the best selling Latin artist that year.
Aguilera also released a Christmas album on October 24, 2000 called
My Kind of Christmas.
It peaked at #28 on the
Billboard 200, and has been
certified Platinum in the US.
Ricky
Martin asked Aguilera to duet with him on the track "
Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" from
his album
Sound Loaded;
released in 2001 as the album's second single. The single reached
number one on the World Chart.
In 2001, Aguilera,
Lil' Kim,
Mýa, and
Pink were
chosen to remake
Labelle's 1975 single
"
Lady Marmalade" for the film
Moulin Rouge! and its
soundtrack.
The single
Missy Elliott produced hit
number one on the Hot 100 for five weeks and was the most
successful airplay-only single in history. It also reached number
one in eleven other countries amd earned all four performers a
Grammy Award for
Best
Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Aguilera's appearance in the
music video was compared to that of
Twisted Sister frontman
Dee Snider. The video won two MTV Video Music
Awards including
Video of the
Year in 2001, where Aguilera accepted the award saying, "I
guess the big hair paid off."
That year a single emerged into record stores called "Just Be
Free", one of the demos Aguilera recorded when she was around
fifteen years old. When RCA Records discovered the single, they
advised fans not to purchase it. Months later, Warlock Records was
set to release
Just Be Free,
an album which contains the demo tracks. Aguilera filed a
breach of contract and
unfair competition suit against Warlock
and the album's producers to block the release. Instead, the two
parties came to a settlement to release the album. Aguilera lent
out her name, likeness and image for an unspecified amount of
damages. Many of the details of the lawsuit remain confidential.
When the album was released in August 2001, it had a photograph of
Aguilera when she was fifteen years old.
Although Aguilera's debut album was very well received, she was
dissatisfied with the music and image her management had created
for her. Aguilera was marketed as a
bubblegum pop singer because of the genre's
upward financial trend. She mentioned plans of her next album to
have much more depth, both musically and lyrically. Aguilera's
views of Steve Kurtz's influence in matters of the singer's
creative direction, the role of being her exclusive personal
manager and overscheduling had in part caused her to seek legal
means of terminating their management contract. She revealed while
recording her then upcoming album, "I was being overworked. You
find out that someone you thought was a friend is stealing money
behind your back, and it's heartbreaking. I put faith in the people
around me, and unfortunately, it bit me in the butt." Kurtz was
terminated and
Irving Azoff was hired
as her new manager.
2002–2003: Stripped era
On October 29, 2002, after much delay, Aguilera's second
full-length English album,
Stripped, was
released, selling more than 330,000 copies in the first week and
peaking at #2 on the Billboard 200. Unlike previous work, the album
showcased Aguilera's raunchier side. The majority of
Stripped was co-written by Aguilera (who had recently
signed a global music publishing contract with
BMG Music Publishing), and was
influenced by many different subjects and music styles, including
contemporary R&B,
gospel,
soul,
balladry,
pop
rock, and
hip hop. The majority of
the album was produced by
Scott Storch
and singer-songwriter
Linda Perry who
produced her more personal records.
Rockwilder and singer
Alicia Keys also contributed a track each. Upon
initial release, the album was very well-received by critics,
although Aguilera's vocals were overlooked as she began to
cultivate a more sexually provocative image. After the release of
the album, she took part in photoshoots for magazines, many of
these photographs featured her nude or semi-nude. Her cover for
Rolling Stone, featured the
singer only wearing boots and a well-placed
electric guitar. It was during this time
Aguilera referred to herself as "
Xtina", even
getting a
tattoo of her nickname on the back
of her neck and several piercings.
Initially, the raunchy image had a negative effect on Aguilera in
the U.S., especially after the release of her controversial
"
Dirrty" music video. She denied that this
change was a matter of publicity, claiming that the image better
reflected her true personality than did the image she cultivated
back in 1999. While the video for "Dirrty" became very popular on
MTV, it disappointed on the U.S. singles chart. However, the single
was a hit worldwide, reaching number one in the UK and Ireland. The
second single, "
Beautiful" received
critical praise. The
classically
influenced ballad reached number one in several countries and
peaked at #2 in the US. "Beautiful" earned Aguilera the Grammy for
Best Female Pop Vocal
Performance. Three more singles ("
Fighter", "
Can't Hold Us Down" featuring
Lil' Kim, "
The Voice
Within") were released in the following two years and were hits
that helped the album stay on the charts for the next two years.
Stripped stayed on the U.S. and UK album charts well into
2004, and went on to be certified four-times platinum in the U.S.
with over thirteen million copies sold worldwide. It appeared at
number ten on
Billboard's
year-end album chart.
Kelly
Clarkson's second single "
Miss Independent" was
co-written by Aguilera, having been half-finished for
Stripped.
Aguilera joined
Justin Timberlake
that June on the final leg of his international
Justified tour, held in the U.S. This
portion of the tour became a co-headliner called the
Justified/Stripped Tour.
In August,
an overhead lighting grid collapsed from the ceiling of the
Boardwalk
Hall
in Atlantic City, New Jersey
, causing major damage to the sound and video
equipment below. Because the collapse occurred hours before
the show, only a few stagehands were injured, but a few shows were
cancelled or postponed. In the fourth quarter of that year,
Aguilera continued to tour internationally without Timberlake, and
changed the name of the tour to the "
Stripped World Tour". She also dyed her
hair black. It was one of the top-grossing tours of that year, and
sold out most of its venues.
Rolling Stone readers named
it the best tour of the year.
That same year she hosted the 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards
and was a special guest performer with the Pussycat Dolls' dance troupe
perfoming at the Roxy Theatre
and Viper
Room
in Los Angeles. She also appeared on a
Maxim spread alongside them,
her second
Maxim cover that year set record sales for the
issue making it the top selling issue to date. By the end of the
year she topped the annual
Hot 100 list later saying, "We
had fun working with certain clothes, or the lack thereof."
After much delay, Aguilera's first
DVD
live-recording from a concert tour,
Stripped Live in the UK, was
released in November 2004. In light of the tour's success, another
U.S. tour was scheduled to begin in mid-2004 with a new theme. The
tour however was scrapped because of the vocal cord injuries
Aguilera suffered shortly before the tour's opening date. In a
tribute to
Madonna's
performance at the inaugural
MTV
Video Music Awards, Aguilera performed a kiss with the
singer-actress at the 2003 edition of the ceremony in August. The
incident occurred during the opening performance of Madonna's songs
"
Like a Virgin" and "
Hollywood" with fellow popstar
Britney Spears.
2004–2007: Artistic development and Back to
Basics
Aguilera later decided to embrace a more mature image; this move
was met with more praise than criticism, with articles using punch
lines such as "From Crass to Class." She eventually dyed her hair
cherry blonde and recorded a jingle, "
Hello", for a
Mercedes-Benz ad. Shortly after, she dyed her
hair flaxen blonde and cut it short, and took on a
Marilyn Monroe look; she is one of the main
proponents (along with
Dita Von
Teese,
Gwen Stefani, and
Ashley Judd) in bringing back the 1920s-1940s
Hollywood glamour look.
In late summer 2004, Aguilera released two singles. The first,
"
Car Wash", was a remake of the
Rose Royce disco
song recorded as a collaboration with rapper
Missy Elliott for the soundtrack to the film
Shark Tale. The second song was
also a collaboration, but this time as a second single from one of
Nelly's double-release albums,
Sweat, titled "
Tilt Ya Head Back". Both singles failed
commercially in the U.S., but did considerably better in other
parts of the world. Aguilera collaborated with
jazz artist
Herbie
Hancock on a cover of
Leon
Russell's "
A
Song for You" recorded for Hancock's album
Possibilities, released in August 2005.
Aguilera and Hancock were later nominated for the Grammy Award for
Best
Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
She helped open the 50th Anniversary for Disneyland
performing "When You Wish upon a Star", and
she also collaborated with Andrea
Bocelli on the song "Somos Novios" for his album
Amore.
Aguilera's third English studio album,
Back to
Basics, released August 15, 2006, debuted at #1 in the
U.S., the U.K. and eleven other countries. Aguilera described the
double CD as "a throwback to the 20s,
30s, and 40s-style jazz,
blues, and feel-good
soul music, but with a modern twist." The album received generally
positive reviews, although many critics commented on the album's
length saying, "At one disc, this would have been nothing short of
masterful." The critically acclaimed lead single "
Ain't No Other Man" was a substantial
success, reaching #2 on the World Chart, #6 in the U.S., and #2 in
U.K. Producers on the album included
DJ
Premier,
Kwamé, Linda Perry,
and
Mark Ronson. One track, "F.U.S.S.",
was written as a response to the animosity between Aguilera and her
former producer
Scott Storch. In an
interview she said, "That's a way of burying my experience with
him. When I tried to work with him again, he made uncalled-for
demands. It was disappointing that someone would get affected like
that." She co-wrote all the album's tracks and was the
executive producer.
The follow-up singles
did very well in different regions, "Hurt" in Europe and "Candyman" in the Pacific
. She
co-directed both music videos, the
former with
Floria Sigismondi who
directed her "Fighter" video, and the latter, "Candyman", with
director/photographer
Matthew
Rolston which was inspired by
The Andrews Sisters. According to
Sony BMG,
Back to Basics has sold
over five million units worldwide.
In late 2006 Aguilera collaborated with
Sean
"Diddy" Combs on a track, titled "
Tell Me", from his album
Press Play. She also began the "
Back to Basics Tour" in Europe followed
by a 41-date North American tour in early 2007.
After this, she
toured Asia and Australia, where it was supposed to end on August
3, however she canceled her dates in Melbourne
and her final two in Auckland
due to an illness. Her extravagant arena
tour included
cabaret,
three-ring circus and
juke
joint sets and 10 piece costumes designed by
Roberto Cavalli. The tour grossed nearly $50
million by the end of the year in North America and several
millions worldwide in her Europe and Australia dates. It was the
most successful US tour by a female in 2007. In early 2008, she
released her concert DVD
Back to Basics: Live and
Down Under.
At the
49th Grammy Awards,
Aguilera again won the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Ain't
No Other Man". She made a noteworthy performance at the ceremony
paying tribute to
James Brown with her
rendition of his song "
It's a Man's Man's Man's
World". In January 2007, she was named the 19th richest woman
in entertainment by
Forbes, with a
net worth of US$60 million.
Aguilera performed "
Steppin'
Out With My Baby" with
Tony Bennett
on his
NBC special
Tony Bennett: An American
Classic and on
Saturday
Night Live. They performed at the
59th Primetime Emmy Awards where
both specials received Emmys. "Steppin' Out" was nominated for Best
Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the
50th Annual Grammy Awards.
2008–present: Keeps Gettin' Better and forthcoming
album
In 2008 Aguilera was featured on the soundtrack to the film,
Shine a Light, from a
live recording of the song "
Live With
Me" with the
Rolling Stones. The
film's
soundtrack was released on April 1, 2008. To commemorate
Aguilera's ten years in the music industry, RCA Records released,
Keeps Gettin'
Better: A Decade of Hits on November 11, 2008 exclusively
at
Target stores in the US. The
greatest hits included her first three
number one singles, and other songs released from her previous
three albums. "Lady Marmalade" and several Spanish singles from
Mi Reflejo were included in the worldwide releases. The
album's lead single, "
Keeps Gettin'
Better" was premiered at the
2008 MTV Video Music Awards and
was her highest debut peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Australian singer-songwriter
Sia, was one
of the first of confirmed producers for her forthcoming album. The
following year she launched her online radio station which is part
of
Clear Channel's
iheartradio revealing details about her upcoming projects.
There she revealed that she worked with
M.I.A.,
Santigold
and
Ladytron adding, "The overall
versatility of this record is truly something special for me. The
result was just crazy magic. There truly is something for everyone
to enjoy on the record." She will also be working with
Goldfrapp and
Tricky
Stewart who revealed that the album is finished adding, “She’s
mixing it up again. She’s singing R&B again, she’s doing pop.
She’s doing it all, but she’s found a way to make it all meet in
the middle because she’s so many different things. She’s a real
serious musician.” He also revealed that the album is set for
release next year due to her upcoming
musical film,
Burlesque set for filming this year.
He and producer
Danja will also
contribute to the film's soundtrack.
Artistry
Vocal ability
Aguilera who is a
soprano, has rivaled many
of her other contemporaries and has been referred to as the "voice
of her generation" and a
blue eyed
soul singer. In the
MTV special
All Eyes
on Christina,
John
Norris said that Aguilera "has a
four-octave vocal range". Aguilera also topped
COVE's list of the 100 Best Pop Vocalists with a score of 50/50 and
came fifth in MTV's 22 Greatest Voices in Music. Aguilera has also
been known to sing in the high
whistle
register, high
Belt and
Alto voice. A review in an
Entertainment Weekly article
mentions her "tackling that dog-whistle high note" at the 3:20 mark
in the song "Soar" from her album
Stripped. Her
rendition of "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" at the
49th Grammy Awards ranked third in the
Grammy's Greatest Moments List behind
Celine
Dion's performance of "
My Heart
Will Go On" and
Green Day's
performance of "
American
Idiot". In an interview, Dion described Aguilera as "probably
the best vocalist in the world." During the work on
Back to
Basics, DJ Premier explained, "She really represents true
music and true singing. She can belt out notes. She has true
lungs."
Rolling Stone ranked
Aguilera at 58 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All
Time, the youngest singer on the list.
Since her debut in 1999 Aguilera has been compared to the likes of
Mariah Carey and
Whitney Houston. A review in the
Los Angeles Times
compared Aguilera's vocal stylings to
Barbra Streisand,
Gladys Knight, and
Aretha Franklin adding, "Aguilera's
Streisand-esque tendencies are a good thing; they’re helping her
figure out how to become the "great singer" she's been dubbed since
she released her first single, the wise-beyond-its-years "
Genie in a Bottle", at 18." Although
praised for her vocals, Aguilera has been labeled for
oversinging in her songs and concerts. Longtime
producer and writer, Linda Perry, commented on working on the
record, "
Beautiful", saying, "I
tried to keep it straight. I told her to get rid of the finger
waves. Every time she'd start going into "hoo-ha", I'd stop the
tape. I'm like, 'You're doing it again.'" Perry ended up using the
first take saying, "She had a hard time accepting that as the final
track. It's not a perfect vocal -- it's very raw. She knows her
voice really well, and she knows what's going on. She can hear
things that nobody else would catch."
Themes and musical style
The constant theme in Aguilera's music and lyrics is
love, although she has written on other subjects
including
spirituality,
female empowerment, and
grief.
Aguilera has also written about her childhood in two of her records
which dealt with
domestic abuse. In
an interview Aguilera admitted she feels responsible to reveal her
most vulnerable feelings and to share the darker sides of her life
adding "People that can relate might not feel as alone in the
circumstance." She has been noted to constantly changing her sound
in her music and lyrical content. Originally marketed as a
bubblegum pop singer during the
late 90's pop scene, she quickly departed into
a broad range of musical genres for her follow-up album
Stripped. A review states, "Clearly afflicted with
Premature Serious Artist Syndrome, Aguilera wants to demonstrate
the range of her interests - vampy soul,
quasi-metal,
piano-bar intimacy,
quiet-storm
R&B, bounce-bounce
hip-hop,
and semi-exotic rock, all of it dutifully accomplished." Although
by many she is still considered a pop and
contemporary R&B singer despite her
range of genres. A review in
Allmusic states, "no other teen-pop singer of
her era has a better track record than Christina." The majority of
the songs are characterized by Aguilera's loud vocals, though she
has used breathy and soft vocals. Aguilera has often cited that she
prefers working with
producers that
other artists haven't approached, saying "I don't necessarily go to
the main people that are the No. 1 chart-toppers in music." Her
2006 release,
Back to Basics included producer DJ Premier
known for his work with
Gang Starr.
The New York Times
exclaims, "Her decision to work with the low-key DJ Premier was
also a decision to snub some of the big-name producers on whom pop
stars often rely."
Influences
One of Aguilera's major influences and idol is blues singer
Etta James, whose classic song "
At Last" has been covered by Aguilera throughout her
career. Aguilera says, "Etta is my all-time favorite singer. I've
said it for the last seven years — since I had my first debut
record out — in every interview. I mean, all of Etta's old songs,
countless songs I could name, I grew up listening to." The majority
of her album,
Back to Basics, pays tribute to James and
other
pop standard singers who
many originated from the
1950s. In her
early years she listened to
vintage jazz,
blues, and soul music. The album included an unreleased song,
"
Slow Down Baby", which sampled a
Gladys Knight & the
Pips song. A review in
The
Guardian declared, "Practically everything recorded before
Aguilera was born blurs into one amorphous genre, which she
categorises, somewhat inadequately, as "fun music". Aguilera has
also named
Madonna and
Janet Jackson as two of her biggest
influences "for being re-inventive and being brave as strong
females, to explore whatever, even if they do get bad press. It's
just like they were fearless." Her other musical influences include
Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and
Nina
Simone.
Aguilera cites the musical
The Sound of Music and its
lead actress,
Julie Andrews as an
early inspiration for singing and performing.
She mentioned the
"Golden age of Hollywood
" as another inspiration in which she says, "I'm
referencing Marlene Dietrich,
Marilyn Monroe, Carole Lombard, Greta
Garbo, Veronica Lake". In
her music video for "
Ain't No Other
Man" she plays her
alter ego,
"
Baby Jane" in reference to the
film
Whatever Happened to
Baby Jane? The film's stars included actresses
Bette Davis and
Joan
Crawford. The third single off
Back to Basics,
"
Candyman" was
inspired by the 1941 song, "
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" by The
Andrews Sisters which was played during
World War II. She was also inspired by
pin-up girls and several paintings by
Alberto Vargas. Aguilera has expressed
interest in cultural icons
Nico,
Blondie and artists
Roy Lichtenstein and
Andy Warhol. She has often worked with
photographer and close friend,
David
LaChapelle who once worked with Warhol. Chapelle has shot many
of Aguilera's music videos, magazine shoots and advertisements. She
is also a fan of
graffiti artist Banksy. In 2006
she purchased three of Banksy's works during a private art
exhibition, one of them included a pornographic picture of
Queen Victoria in a lesbian
pose with a
prostitute.
Fashion has also been a part of Aguilera's music
career and image which she has used as a form of expression during
performances and music videos. In 2003 she became the muse and
inspiration for
Donatella
Versace's 2003 fall line.
Versace also
designed pieces her tour the following year. Aguilera is also a fan
of Roberto Cavalli,
John Galliano,
Marc Jacobs, and
Alexander McQueen whose designs she has
worn throughout her career.
Film and television
In 1991 Aguilera auditioned for a role on
The New Mickey Mouse Club,
however she did not meet the age requirements. Two years later she
joined the cast performing musical numbers and
sketch comedy until the show's cancellation in
1994. Since then Aguilera has done numerous television appearances,
in 1999 she made a cameo appearance performing on an episode of
Beverly Hills, 90210.
She hosted a
Saturday Night
Live episode in 2004 prior which included a
Sex & The City skit where she
portrayed
Samantha
Jones revealing to everyone she was a man the entire time.
Prior to this she appeared as a musical guest for episodes hosted
by
Christopher Walken in 2000,
Salma Hayek in 2003 and then again in
2006 with
Alec Baldwin. In regards to
acting in film, she's mentioned in several interviews that she
intends to pursue edgy acting roles similar to
Angelina Jolie. She voiced a small singing
part in the animated film
Shark
Tale playing a
rastafarian
jellyfish in the film's closing musical
number. The film's stars included, among others, Jolie
herself.
In 2008
she appeared in the Martin Scorsese
documentary Shine A
Light which chronicles a two day Rolling Stones concert in New York City's
Beacon
Theatre
. The film features Aguilera performing
"
Live With Me" alongside
Mick Jagger.
Shine A Light premiered at
the
Berlin Film Festival and
was released worldwide on April 4, 2008. Aguilera appeared as a
guest judge on the sixth season of
Project Runway on
Lifetime Television. She and designer
Bob Mackie were the inspiration for the
challenge in which they had to design a stage outfit for Aguilera.
She will appear as herself in the upcoming
Judd Apatow film,
Get Him to the Greek.
Burlesque
In 2009,
Variety
confirmed that she will be working in her first feature film, a
musical, titled
Burlesque, scheduled to begin shooting
in late 2009. Aguilera will portray a small town girl who "finds
love, family and success in a Los Angeles neo-burlesque club". The
film, distributed by
Screen Gems, will
be directed by actor and director
Steve
Antin who also wrote the script, which was revised by
Susannah Grant. The film will co-star fellow
singer
Cher as the club's owner. The film will
also feature
Twilight
star
Cam Gigandet as her love interest,
Stanley Tucci, and
Kirsten Bell.
Burlesque is set for a
Thanksgiving release next year and is currently in production in
Los Angeles.
Products and endorsement
In 2000, Aguilera was the face for make-up line
Fetish
where she worked in choosing colors and packaging for the line. She
ended her contract the following year. Throughout her career
Aguilera has endorsed several brands, including
Skechers,
Mercedes-Benz,
Verizon Wireless, and soft drink giants
Coca-Cola in 2001, and
Pepsi in 2006. She became the
muse
and model for fashion house
Versace appearing in a campaign for
the 2003 fall line.
In 2004 Aguilera earned £200,000GBP (about $500,000USD) for opening the summer sale at
London's Harrods
store which took in record breaking profits during
the four week period.Aguilera signed a contract with
European
cell phone operator
Orange to promote the new
Sony Ericsson Walkman
phone during the
2006 World
Cup.
In 2008
jewelry designer Stephen Webster and close friend of Aguilera
released "Shattered", a collection of sterling silver pieces, through Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman
. Aguilera, who inspired the collection, was
featured as a
Hitchcock heroine
saying, "Working together on this campaign and collection has been
an incredible experience. I am honored to be a part of it all."
They reprised their work together for Webster's 2009 spring
line.
Aguilera released two fragrances throughout Europe, the first one
Xpose, was released in late 2004 and sold relatively well.
Through
Procter and Gamble
Aguilera released her signature fragrance,
Simply
Christina in 2007. In Christmas 2007, the fragrance became the
number one perfume in the UK, and Germany where it topped sales for
the year. The perfume won as the people's choice for favorite
celebrity fragrance at the annual UK
Fifi Awards 2008. She released her
third fragrance,
Inspire, accompanied with a body care
collection, on September 1, 2008. The perfume hit shelves in the
US, Canada,
Latin America, Asia and
Northern and Eastern Europe. It is Aguilera's first fragrance
released outside of Europe.
Her worldwide ad campaign included a
television ad shot by David
LaChapelle and was released in the US through Macy's
department
stores. The release coincided with Macy's 150th anniversary
which featured Aguilera in commemorative photos. She released her
fourth fragrance
By Night in October.
Philanthropy
Throughout her career, Aguilera has been involved with certain
charities.
She signed a letter
from PETA to the
South
Korean
government asking that the country stop its alleged
killing of dogs for food. She also supports
Defenders of Wildlife,
Missing Kids,
National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations, Women's Cancer
Research Fund, and Cedars-Sinai Women's Cancer Research Institute.
She has also worked alongside nonprofit organization
Do Something
saying, "Every individual has the power to inspire young people
across the country." She was featured in the campaign for
photographer, Brie Childers with the goal of helping women of all
ages, races and lifestyles feel beautiful and confident about
themselves and the body and skin they were born with. Proceeds from
benefit several women's charities nationwide.
Aguilera is still a major contributor in her hometown of Pittsburgh
contributing regularly to the
Women's
Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. According to her
official website, she toured the center and donated $200,000 to the
shelter. She also has auctioned off front row seats and back stage
passes for the Pittsburgh-based charity. She has continued her
donations and visits to the shelter, and plans to open an
additional one. She also supports the
National Coalition Against
Domestic Violence and
Refuge UK. Since then she has worked with
Lifetime Television's 'End
violence against women' campaign. Her work there included a
public service
announcement which aired on the network and during her
2007 tour.
Aguilera is a supporter of the
LGBT community.
She was honored at the
GLAAD Awards
for using gay and transgender images in her music video for
"Beautiful". When accepting the award Aguilera said, "My video
captures the reality that gay and transgender people are beautiful,
even though prejudice and discrimination against them still
exists." In 2005 she appeared on a compilation album titled,
Love Rocks, proceeds benefit the
Human Rights Campaign, an
organization dedicated to fighting for equal rights for gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people.
In 2008 she publicly
spoke out against California
's Proposition 8 which
eliminates same-sex
marriage in California saying, "Why you would put so much money
behind something [aimed at] stopping from people loving each other
and bonding together? I just don't understand it. It's hard
for me to grasp. But I would've been out there with my rally sign
as well."
Aguilera contributes in the fight against
AIDS,
by participating in AIDS Project Los Angeles' Artists Against AIDS
"
What's Going On?" cover
project. In 2004, Aguilera became the new face for cosmetic company
M·A·C and spokesperson for M·A·C
AIDS Fund. Aguilera appeared in advertisements of the M·A·C's Viva
Glam V lipstick and lipgloss, and was featured on
Vanity Fair in recognition of
her campaign work. In addition, Aguilera contributed to YouthAIDS
by posing for a joint YouthAIDS and Aldo Shoes campaign for
"Empowerment Tags" in Canada, the U.S. and the UK. She was featured
with one of three ubiquitous slogans, "Speak No Evil?" and stated,
"HIV is something that people don’t want to talk about, hear about,
or face." Singer
Elton John featured
Aguilera in his charity book titled "Four Inches" benefiting the
Elton John AIDS
Foundation. Elton also hand-picked Aguilera, for his annual "
Fashion
Rocks" charity concert which accompanies music and fashion to
benefit the fight against AIDS/
HIV.
In the run-up to the
2004 United States
presidential election, Aguilera was featured on billboards for
the "Only You Can Silence Yourself" online voter registration drive
run by the
nonpartisan, non-profit
campaign "
Declare Yourself". In
these political advertisements, shot by
David LaChapelle, Aguilera was shown with
her mouth sewn shut, to symbolize the effects of not voting. She
appeared on
The Oprah Winfrey
Show to discuss the importance of voting. In late 2007
Aguilera became the spokesperson for "
Rock
the Vote" where she urged young people to vote in the
2008 presidential
election. In partnership with "Rock the Vote", she appeared in
a public service announcement which aired in summer 2008. The
advert showed Aguilera with her son, Max Bratman, wrapped in an
American flag, while
singing "
America the
Beautiful".
In November 2005, all of her wedding gifts were submitted to
various charities around the nation in support of
Hurricane Katrina victims.
That year she also
performed at "Unite of the Stars" concert in aid of Unite Against
Hunger in Johannesburg
, South Africa and at
the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund at
the Coca-Cola Dome. In March 2007 Aguilera took part in a
charity album (remaking Lennon's
"Mother"), proceeds
benefit Amnesty
International's efforts to end genocide
in Darfur
. The
album titled,
Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save
Darfur, was released June 12, 2007 and featured various
artists.
In 2008 she headlined London's Africa Rising
charity concert at Royal Albert Hall
which raises awareness for finding substantial
issues facing the continent. Later that year she appeared on the
Turkish
version of Deal or
No Deal "Var
mısın? Yok
musun?" , where she won $180,000. Proceeds were donated to a
charity program for
orphans.
In 2009 Aguilera became the global spokesperson for
World Hunger
Relief appearing in advertisements, online campaigns and a
public service announcement.
Aguilera and her husband traveled to
Guatemala
with the World Food
Programme to bring awareness to issues such as the high
malnutrition rate in that
country. She met with families of the villages and some of
the beneficiaries of WFP's nutrition programmes. Aguilera adds,
"The people of WFP do such a great job helping hungry children and
mothers. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be part of such a
wonderful project. She was honored at
Variety's annual
"Power of Women" luncheon in late 2009 alongside other women in
entertainment for her contribution to philanthropic and charitable
causes.
Public image and personal life
1999–2003
In late 1999, Aguilera was rumored to have dated MTV
VJ Carson Daly. The
relationship was the subject of much discussion after the release
of
Eminem's song "
The Real Slim Shady", in which Eminem
satirically suggests that Aguilera had performed
fellatio on both Daly and
Fred Durst, the lead singer of
Limp Bizkit, and had given the
rapper himself a
venereal
disease. Aguilera called the song's innuendo "disgusting" and
"untrue." Aguilera and Eminem reportedly resolved the issue three
years later backstage at the
MTV
Video Music Awards.
In October 2000, Aguilera filed a breach of
fiduciary duty lawsuit
against Steve Kurtz for improper, undue and inappropriate influence
over her professional activities, as well as
fraud. According to legal documents, Kurtz did not
protect her rights and interests. Instead, he took action that was
for his own interest, at the cost of hers. The lawsuit came about
when Aguilera discovered Kurtz used more of her
commissionable income than he was
allotted, and had paid other managers to assist him. She also
petitioned the California State Labor Commission to nullify the
contract. After terminating Kurtz's services,
Irving Azoff was hired as her new
manager.
Kurtz countersued later that month for breach of contract, claiming
that the singer violated the same agreement she had sued to void.
In the lawsuit, he included others close to Aguilera, alleging
their intent to sabotage his business relationship with her. He
also singled out Azoff for being in violation of the terms of
Kurtz's contract.
Aguilera appeared twice on
Mr.
Blackwell's Ten Worst Dressed Women's list in 2000 and 2002. It
was during this time Aguilera's image was ridiculed for her heavy
make-up and outfits during award shows and public events. Aguilera
insisted she doesn't mind the criticism and was merely making a
statement. While seeing one of her music videos, Aguilera's grandma
was disappointed saying, "I nearly died when I saw she was wearing
so little. I rang her mom and said, 'Oh my God, what is Christina
doing?' I feel sad for her really -- she is so young. I totally
understand why people criticize her."
She dated
Puerto Rican dancer
Jorge Santos, he appeared on her tour and music
videos throughout 2000. They dated for nearly two years until the
relationship ended on
September 11,
2001. He remained her dancer well into 2002.
In 2003, Aguilera was in several public feuds with other musicians
including
Pink who had worked with her
on "Lady Marmalade", the singer mocked Aguilera on stage by using a
blow-up doll during her tour.
Kelly
Osbourne also remarked that Aguilera was, "one of the most
disgusting human beings in the world." Later that year at the
MTV Europe Awards where
Aguilera was hosting, Osbourne commented on the red carpet calling
her a "cow", Aguilera was later seen throwing
darts at a picture of Kelly during the telecast.
Several years later however Aguilera purchased
The
Osbourne house from
Sharon and
Ozzy which seemed to have ended their
feud.
2004–2008
Aguilera began dating music marketing executive
Jordan Bratman in 2002.
Their engagement was
announced in February 2005, and they married on November 19, 2005,
in a Napa
Valley
estate. In an interview with
Ellen DeGeneres, Aguilera revealed that she
and Bratman enjoy being
nude on Sundays,
saying, "You have to keep marriage alive, spice it up". The story
received so much attention that following the news supermodel
Heidi Klum told Degeneres that she and
her husband
Seal would consider
doing the same ritual.
In May 2006, she posed nude for a Marilyn Monroe-inspired
photoshoot in
GQ magazine
where she re-created several photographs done by Monroe and spoke
about her marriage to Bratman. In the issue she also expressed
disappointment in fellow singer
Mariah
Carey, saying that Carey "was never cool to me", and that "one
time we were at a party, I think she got really drunk, and had
really derogatory things to say to me." Carey then released a
statement saying, "It is sad yet predictable that she would use my
name at this time to reinvent past incidents for promotional gain."
Aguilera responded saying, "My intentions were not to upset Mariah
with any statements published or taken out of context. I have all
the respect in the world for her."
On September 9, 2007, at a birthday party for a mutual friend,
Paris Hilton publicly congratulated the
singer on her pregnancy. Aguilera, however, had not yet confirmed
her pregnancy at the time. Aguilera later confirmed this on
November 4 in an interview with
Glamour magazine. On January 12,
2008, Aguilera gave birth to her son, Max Liron Bratman, at
Cedars-Sinai Medical
Center in Los Angeles, California. His
Latin first name and
Hebrew
middle name roughly translate into “My Greatest Song”. Aguilera was
reportedly paid $1.5 million by
People magazine for her
baby pictures, which according to
Forbes places fifth on
the list of the
most expensive celebrity
baby photos.
Discography
- Studio albums
- Other albums
- DVDs
- Tours
Filmography
Awards
| Year |
Category |
Genre |
Recording |
Result |
| Grammy Awards |
|
| 2000 |
Best New Artist |
General |
Christina Aguilera |
|
|
| Best Female Pop
Vocal Performance |
Pop |
"Genie In A Bottle" |
|
|
| 2001 |
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |
Pop |
"What A Girl Wants" |
|
|
| Best Latin Pop
Album |
Latin |
Mi Reflejo |
|
|
| 2002 |
Best Pop
Collaboration with Vocals |
Pop |
"Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" (with Ricky
Martin) |
|
|
| Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals |
Pop |
"Lady Marmalade" (with Lil' Kim,
Mýa and P!nk) |
|
|
| 2003 |
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals |
Pop |
"Dirrty" (featuring Redman) |
|
|
| 2004 |
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals |
Pop |
"Can't Hold Us Down" (featuring Lil'
Kim) |
|
|
| Best Pop Vocal Album |
Pop |
Stripped |
|
|
| Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |
Pop |
"Beautiful" |
|
|
| 2006 |
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals |
Pop |
"A Song For You" (with Herbie
Hancock) |
|
|
| 2007 |
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |
Pop |
"Ain't No Other Man" |
|
|
| Best Pop Vocal Album |
Pop |
Back to Basics |
|
|
| 2008 |
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |
Pop |
"Candyman" |
|
|
| Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals |
Pop |
"Steppin' Out" (with Tony
Bennett) |
|
| Latin Grammy
Awards |
|
| 2000 |
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |
Pop |
"Genio Atrapado" |
|
|
| 2001 |
Record of
the Year |
General |
"Pero Me Acuerdo De Ti" |
|
|
| Best Female
Pop Vocal Album |
Pop |
Mi Reflejo |
|
|
See also
References
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The Blues MTV Online Retrieved on October 31, 2008.
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Inspire Fragantica news Retrieved (May 24, 2008).
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on August 22, 2008.
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Commemorative 150th Birthday Images Macy's press release
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External links