Christina Aguilera

Christina María Aguilera (/ˌæɡɪˈlɛərə/ AG-il-AIR-ə, Spanish: [kɾisˈtina maˈɾi.a aɣiˈleɾa]; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as an influential figure in music and having received widespread public interest, she is noted for her four-octave vocal range extending into the whistle register, artistic reinventions, and incorporating controversial themes into her music. Referred to as the "Voice of a Generation", she was also named a Disney Legend, in recognition for her contributions to The Walt Disney Company.

After appearing on The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1993–1994), Aguilera recorded the theme song, "Reflection", for the animated film Mulan (1998) and signed a record deal with RCA Records. She rose to fame in 1999 with her self-titled debut album, which gained three number one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 – "Genie in a Bottle", "What a Girl Wants" and "Come on Over Baby (All I Want is You)". Seeking a departure from her teen idol image, Aguilera took on a more provocative image and released Stripped (2002), which went on to become one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century. After another old-school inspired musical reinvention, she released the critically praised Back to Basics (2006). Throughout these periods, she amassed various worldwide hits, including "Lady Marmalade", "Dirrty", "Beautiful" and "Ain't No Other Man".

During the early 2010s, Aguilera featured on a string of worldwide top ten songs, including "Moves like Jagger", "Feel This Moment" and "Say Something"; the first of these topped the Hot 100, making her one of the few artists to peak over three decades. She also starred in the film Burlesque (2010) and contributed to its soundtrack, earning a Golden Globe Award nomination. Her concurrent ventures included a role in the television series Nashville (2015), roles in films The Emoji Movie (2017) and Zoe (2018), becoming an ambassador for the World Food Programme (WFP), co-founding the company Playground, and serving as a coach on the reality competition show The Voice (2011–2016).

Aguilera is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 100 million records sold worldwide. She has been named one of the most successful artists of the 2000s decade by Billboard and was listed among the greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone. Aguilera has been regarded as one of the most influential Latin artists in the entertainment industry, having helped shape the "Latin explosion" in the early 2000s. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013. Her accolades include five Grammy Awards, two Latin Grammy Awards, six ALMA Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, a Billboard Music Award, a Guinness World Record, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Christina María Aguilera was born on December 18, 1980, in Ocean Breeze, New York, at Staten Island University Hospital, to Shelly Loraine (née Fidler) and Fausto Wagner Xavier Aguilera. Her father is an Ecuadorian emigrant from Guayaquil while her mother has German, Irish, Welsh, and Dutch ancestry. Fausto Aguilera was a United States Army sergeant, and Shelly Loraine was a violinist in the American Youth Symphony before becoming a Spanish translator.

Due to Fausto's military service, Aguilera's family moved frequently. She lived in Grasmere, New York before moving to New Jersey and Texas. In 1983, they moved to Japan and lived in Sagamihara for at least two years. During her youth in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, Aguilera attended North Allegheny Intermediate High School before leaving there to be homeschooled to avoid bullying she experienced at school.

In 1986, the family returned to the United States, and settled in Pennsylvania, where they welcomed her younger sister, Rachel, in 1986. Aguilera has spoken out about her father's physically and emotionally abusive behavior. She noted that this is what made her turn to music, noting that, "growing up in an unstable environment and whatnot, music was my only real escape". In 1987, Shelly filed to divorce Fausto and moved with Aguilera and Rachel to her mother's home in Rochester, a suburb of Pittsburgh. She later married James Kearns and had a son with him named Michael. In 2012, following decades of estrangement, Aguilera expressed interest in reconciling with her biological father.

Aguilera moving to her grandmother's home allowed her to explore her grandmother's records, which featured mostly soul and blues singers and increased her interest in music. She also began to practice singing in public and competing in talent contests. Following numerous contests, she earned a reputation in her neighborhood as the "little girl with a big voice" and received widespread attention from local television and radio programs.

In 1990, she performed the popular song "A Sunday Kind of Love" on the reality competition show Star Search, but was eliminated during the semi-final round. Aguilera was eventually invited to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, Pittsburgh Steelers football, and Pittsburgh Pirates baseball games, and at the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals.

In 1991, Aguilera auditioned for the television series The All New Mickey Mouse Club (MMC), which aired on the Disney Channel. She ran against 400 candidates, and while she made the shortlist she was ultimately rejected for not meeting the minimum age requirement. One year later, in 1992, Aguilera received a call from one of the show's producers asking if she was still interested in becoming a "Mouseketeer". She once again competed for a spot (this time, against 15,000 candidates) and was selected to join the variety program the following year. Her fellow cast members included Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and JC Chasez. During the show recordings—which included Aguilera performing musical numbers and comedy sketches—she moved with her family to Orlando, Florida. In 1995, it was reported the series would not return for a new season.

Aiming to begin a music career, Aguilera moved to Japan in 1997. She was selected to record a duet with Japanese singer Keizo Nakanishi, with whom she performed in concert shows around the country. Their song, "All I Wanna Do", was released as a single but failed to reach commercial success. In June 1997, Aguilera went on to Romania to represent the United States in a singers contest during the Golden Stag Festival, failing to win over the audience.

Seeking a recording contract, Aguilera recorded numerous demo tapes directed to record labels, including Walt Disney Records, for which she sent a cover of "Run to You" by Whitney Houston. She eventually was chosen to record "Reflection", the theme song from the animated film Mulan (1998), which reached number 15 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Following the attention she received with "Reflection", Aguilera caught the ear of Ron Fair, the A&R executive from RCA Records, who consequently signed Aguilera to the label. In late 1998, she began to record her debut studio album into which producers reportedly invested over $1 million worth of writers, producers and vocal lessons.

In May 1999, Aguilera released "Genie in a Bottle", the lead single off her long-awaited debut album, which topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks and became the second best-selling single of 1999. The song became an international success, increasing Aguilera's popularity worldwide, topping the charts in over 20 countries. The single also attracted the attention of conservatives including celebrities such as Debbie Gibson that spoke out against its lyrical content, and was eventually considered "too provocative" to be sung by a teen idol. Due to the criticism, Radio Disney replaced the song with a censored version. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Aguilera's self-titled debut album, Christina Aguilera, was released on August 24, 1999, to critical praise, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200. It catapulted Aguilera into fame globally and sold over ten million copies in its first year. It was later certified eight times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and it has sold over 17 million copies worldwide. Originally, Aguilera's desire was to create material inspired by R&B and soul, but the label opted for a more teen pop production due the genre's high financial return in the late 1990s. At the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards, Aguilera won the Best New Artist category for which Time credited the award for "[helping] certify her credentials as a real singer".

After the album's release, "What a Girl Wants", topped the Hot 100 and is recognized as the first new number one entry on the chart for the 2000s decade. The song was also nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards. This was followed with "I Turn to You" which reached number 3, and "Come on Over Baby (All I Want is You)" which became Aguilera's third number one song and achieved worldwide success. She also released a cover of "The Christmas Song" in November 1999 which peaked at number 18 and became the second highest charting position of the song after the original in 1944.

In January 2000, Aguilera performed at the Super Bowl XXXIV halftime show alongside Enrique Iglesias, Phil Collins and Toni Braxton. In May, she embarked on her debut concert tour, Christina Aguilera in Concert, which toured North America, Latin America, Europe, and Japan until February 2001. Her success continued to rise with the release of her second studio album, Mi Reflejo, in September 2000 which topped both the Billboard Top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums for nineteen consecutive weeks. The album featured Spanish-language versions of several songs from her debut album along with new songs, and had Latin pop themes. Three singles were release for the album including the Spanish version of "Come on Over Baby (All I Want is You)" titled "Ven Conmigo (Solamente Tú)", "Pero Me Acuerdo de Ti" and "Falsas Esperanzas". The latter two were performed at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards. The album went on to be the best-selling Latin pop album of 2000 and was later certified six times Latin platinum by the RIAA. Mi Reflejo also reached the platinum stats in Argentina, Mexico, and Spain. At the 2nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards, the album won Best Female Pop Vocal Album.