Christina María Aguilera 

(/æɡɪˈlɛərə/; Spanish: [aɣiˈleɾa];[1] born December 18, 1980) is an American

singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and
ability to sustain high notes,[2] she has been referred to as the "Voice of a Generation".[3][4] Aguilera
rose to stardom with her eponymous debut album, for which she is credited with influencing the
revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Her works, which incorporate feminism,
sexuality, and domestic violence, have generated both critical praise and controversy, for which she
is often cited as an influence by other artists.
After appearing in television programs, Aguilera signed with RCA Records in 1998. Her debut album
spawned three Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles — "Genie in a Bottle", "What a Girl Wants" and
"Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" — and earned her the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
Established as a bubblegum pop artist, she released her first Spanish record, Mi Reflejo (2000),
which topped the Billboard Top Latin Albums for nineteen consecutive weeks. Aguilera assumed
artistic control of her fourth studio album Stripped (2002). In the music video for its song "Dirrty", she
sparked controversy for exploring her sexuality, leading to the departure of her teen idol image.
However, further singles "Beautiful", "Fighter" and "Can't Hold Us Down" became top-ten singles in
many countries, and she was named the most successful female artist of 2003.
Her fifth album, Back to Basics (2006), was met with favorable reviews and became the second of
her career to debut atop of the Billboard 200. Its singles "Ain't No Other Man" and "Hurt" reached the
top-ten positions in most countries. In 2010, Aguilera starred in Burlesque and contributed to its
soundtrack. In subsequent years, she featured on the successful singles "Feel This Moment", "Say
Something", and "Moves Like Jagger". The latter reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100
making Aguilera one of the few artists to reach the top spot over three decades. Outside of her
music, she was named a spokesperson for the World Food Program (WFP), served as a coach
on reality competition show The Voice (2011–2016), and acted in the drama series Nashville (2015).
In 2019, she headlined Christina Aguilera: The Xperience, her first residency show at the Planet
Hollywood Las Vegas.
Aguilera is considered a pop culture icon and is generally described as a triple threat entertainer.[5]
[6]
 With estimated sales over 90 million records, she is recognized as one of the world's best-selling
music artists.[7] In 2009, she was classified as the twentieth most successful artist of the 2000s
by Billboard. Throughout her career, she has accumulated numerous awards and accolades,
including five Grammy Awards, one Latin Grammy Award, two MTV Video Music Awards (VMA),
one Billboard Music Awards, one Guinness World Record, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,
and was named a Disney Legend. Aguilera is regarded as one of the most influential Latin artists in
the entertainment industry;[8][9] in 2013, Time listed her among the 100 most influential people in the
world, and was ranked as the eighth greatest woman in music by VH1. Furthermore, she has been
deemed one of the greatest singers in contemporary pop music, ranked among the greatest of all
time by magazines such as Rolling Stone and Consequence of Sound.

Contents

 1Life and career

o 1.11980–1998: Early life and career beginnings
o 1.21999–2001: Christina Aguilera, Mi Reflejo, and My Kind of Christmas
o 1.32002–2003: Stripped
o 1.42004–2009: Marriage, Back to Basics, and first child
o 1.52010–2011: Bionic, Burlesque, and The Voice
o 1.62012–2017: Lotus, second child, and television projects
o 1.72018–2021: Liberation and Christina Aguilera: The Xperience
 o 1.82022–present: Aguilera
 2Artistry
o 2.1Voice
o 2.2Influences
o 2.3Musical style and themes
 3Image
 4Legacy
 5Achievements
 6Other activities
o 6.1Investments and endorsements
o 6.2Philanthropy
 7Discography
 8Filmography
 9Tours and residencies
 10See also
 11References
o 11.1Sources
o 11.2Further reading
 12External links

Life and career

1980–1998: Early life and career beginnings
Christina María Aguilera was born in Staten Island, New York City on December 18, 1980, the eldest
of two daughters to musician Shelly Loraine Kearns (née Fidler) and United States Army soldier
Fausto Xavier Aguilera.[10] Her father was born in Ecuador, and her mother has German, Irish, Welsh,
and Dutch ancestry.[11][12] The family moved frequently because of his military service, and lived in
places including New Jersey, Texas, New York, and Japan.[13] Aguilera said he was physically and
emotionally abusive.[14] She used music to escape her turbulent household.[15] Following her parents'
divorce when she was six years old, Aguilera, her younger sister Rachel, and her mother moved into
her grandmother's home in Rochester, a suburb in the Pittsburgh area.[12] Her mother later remarried
to Jim Kearns and had a son with him named Michael.[16] After years of estrangement, Aguilera
expressed interest in reconciling with her father in 2012.[17]
As a child, she was drawn to soul and blues records her grandmother bought and would practice
singing, which earned her a reputation as "the little girl with the big voice" in her neighborhood.
[18]
 Aguilera aspired to be a singer, and won her first talent show at age eight with a rendition
of Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)".[13] At age 10, she
performed "A Sunday Kind of Love" on the competition show Star Search, and was eliminated during
the semi-final round.[15] She performed the song again on KDKA-TV's Wake Up with Larry Richert.
[19]
 During her youth in the Pittsburgh area, Aguilera sang "The Star-Spangled Banner"
before Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, Pittsburgh Steelers football, and Pittsburgh Pirates baseball
games, and the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals.[20] She attended Rochester Area School District in
Rochester and Marshall Middle School near Wexford, and briefly attended North Allegheny
Intermediate High School before being homeschooled to avoid being bullied.[21]
In 1991, Aguilera auditioned for a position on the Disney Channel's The Mickey Mouse Club, though
did not meet its age requirements. She joined the television series two years later, which featured
her performing musical numbers and sketch comedy until its cancellation in 1994.[22] Fellow cast
members included Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell, Britney Spears, and Justin Timberlake.[23] After the
show ended, Aguilera moved to Japan and recorded her first song, "All I Wanna Do", a duet with
Japanese singer Keizo Nakanishi.[24] In 1998, Aguilera returned to the US to seek a recording
contract. She approached RCA Records, who told her to contact Walt Disney Records instead
because they were having financial difficulties.[25] She sent her cover version of Whitney Houston's
"Run to You" to Disney in hopes of being selected to record the theme song "Reflection" for their
animated film Mulan (1998).[26] Aguilera was ultimately selected to sing "Reflection"; the song was
released in June 1998 and charted on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart at number 15.[27]

1999–2001: Christina Aguilera, Mi Reflejo, and My Kind of

Christmas
After "Reflection", Aguilera attracted the attention of RCA's A&R Ron Fair and was signed with the
label quickly afterwards.[28][29] RCA was pressured by the contemporary teen pop craze evoked by
Aguilera's peer Britney Spears, leading to the label rushing production of the album and aligning
Aguilera to be part of the teen pop trend.[30] They released the lead single from the album, "Genie in a
Bottle", a trendy pop and R&B track, in June 1999.[30] The single rose Aguilera to stardom, peaking
atop the US Billboard Hot 100 and charts of 20 other countries.[31] It has sold over seven million
copies as of 2014.[32] Aguilera's eponymous debut album followed in August 1999 and peaked at
number one on the US Billboard 200.[13] It was certified eight times platinum by the Recording
Industry Association of America (RIAA),[33] and had moved 17 million copies worldwide by 2010.
[34]
 The album produced three other singles: two US number-one singles "What a Girl Wants" and
"Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)", and one US top-five single "I Turn to You", a cover of All-
4-One's song.[35] At the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards in February 2000, Aguilera won Best New
Artist.[36]
Aguilera's two following studio albums, Mi Reflejo and My Kind of Christmas, were released in
September and October 2000, respectively.[37] The former, a Spanish-language album consisting of
re-recorded versions of tracks on Aguilera's debut album and several original songs, topped
the Billboard Top Latin Albums for 19 consecutive weeks and was certified six times platinum in
the Latin field by the RIAA.[33][38] It won Best Female Pop Vocal Album at the 2nd Annual Latin
Grammy Awards in 2001.[39] The latter contains covers of Christmas popular songs and a few
original dance-pop tunes,[40] and was certified platinum by the RIAA.[33] In support of her albums,
Aguilera embarked on her first concert tour, Christina Aguilera in Concert, from mid-2000 to early
2001. The tour visited North America, Europe, South America, and Japan.[41][42] Billboard in 2000
recognized Aguilera as the Top Female Pop Act of the Year.[43] Despite the successes, Aguilera was
displeased with the music and image her manager Steve Kurtz had aligned her to, feeling unable to
control her own image.[44] In October 2000, she filed a fiduciary duty lawsuit against Kurtz for
improper, undue, and inappropriate influence over her professional activities. After terminating
Kurtz's services, RCA hired Irving Azoff as Aguilera's new manager.[45]
Aguilera took her first steps in artistic control with a cover of Labelle's "Lady Marmalade" (1974)
with Pink, Mýa, and Lil' Kim for the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack.[18] RCA executives initially opposed to
Aguilera recording "Lady Marmalade" because it was "too urban", but Aguilera ultimately managed
to record the song of her own accord.[44] The collaboration topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five
weeks based on airplay alone, becoming the first airplay-only track in history to remain on the chart's
top spot for more than one week.[46][47] It won Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 44th Annual
Grammy Awards.[48] In mid-2001, Warlock Records released Just Be Free, a compilation
of demo tracks Aguilera recorded in 1994 and 1995, when she was looking forward to an album
release after the end of The Mickey Mouse Club. Aguilera filed a suit against Warlock Records and
the album's producers to stop the release.[49] The two parties came to a confidential settlement to
release the album, in which Aguilera lent out her name, likeness, and image for an unspecified
amount of damages.[50]