Christina Aguilera Biography

Singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera is an American Grammy-award winner mostly known for her unique voice and unapologetic image.

Early Life

Christina Maria Aguilera was born in Staten Island, New York on December 18, 1980, loving music early on in her life. She grew up in a home filled with domestic abuse. Christina‘s mother left her violent father and moved to Pennsylvania along with her daughters. As a girl, she had a strong voice showcasing it at talent shows and competitions.

Professional Debut and Breakthrough

Aguilera began her career in show business by joining “The All New Mickey Mouse Club” in 1993. She was joined by future stars Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. She was eventually signed by RCA Records and released the debut album “Christina Aguilera” in 1999. The material gained Aguilera a Grammy win for “Best New Artist”, hit songs such as “Genie in a Bottle” and “What a Girl Wants”.

“Stripped”

Starting the 2000s, Christina wished to have more control over her image, an image that still had the remains of “The Mickey Mouse Club” era. Breaking away from her bubblegum pop persona she opted for a more promiscuous one in her collab with Lil’ Kim, Mýa, and Pink for the cover of Patti Labelle’s single “Lady Marmalade”. The track and music video were a success as they stayed at number 1 for 5 weeks. Dying her hair from blonde to black, showing piercings and tattoos, “Xtina” introduced to the world the provocative R&B inspired album “Stripped” in 2002. The music video for the album’s lead single “Dirrty” was controversial for its sexual content, however, it found success in a number of countries. Other singles were well received such as the empowering ballad “Beautiful”, the rock-inspired “Fighter” and the hip-hop inspired “Can’t Hold Us Down”.

“Back to Basics”

She made a major shift in musical direction with the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s-inspired “Back to Basics” released in 2004. Yet again, she changed her look from brunette to the blonde lush curls of Marilyn Monroe in order to capture the 50s Old Hollywood era. Probably her best album, it won Aguilera 1 Grammy and was number 1 all over the world selling 5 million copies internationally.

“Bionic”, Setback and “The Voice”

After giving birth to her son in 2008, she attempted a comeback with the electronic sound of “Bionic” in 2010, however it failed to deliver as well as its predecessors. At the same time, Christina made her acting debut with the musical “Burlesque” received to mediocre reviews. Her career seemed to take a step back, however, it was revived with her as an addition to the TV singing competition “The Voice”. After 3 successful seasons, she left temporarily to release the album “Lotus” in 2012. The record proved to be her worst-received material to date. Musically, she found more success from collaborations with artists like Pitbull, Adam Levine, and A Great Big World. She returned as a judge and coach on “The Voice” Season 8.

Photo credit: Christinaaguilera.com