CHRISTINA AGUILERA
Born: December 18, 1980 Height: 5' 1"
Christina María Aguilera is an American singer. She first became known to the public as a child upon appearing on television series,
The Mickey Mouse Club. Aguilera's first charting song was Walt Disney Pictures' 1998 film Mulan's theme song
Reflection. She rose to fame with her 1999 teen pop self-titled debut album, which produced three US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles:
Genie in a Bottle,
What a Girl Wants, and
Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You).
Christina first began performing at age six in school talent shows. At age eight, she appeared on the nationally syndicated
Star Search, at ten she sang the National Anthem for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Penguins, and then, at twelve, she joined the cast of
The New Mickey Mouse Club, appearing on the Orlando-based show along with future stars
Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, J.C. and Justin of 'N Sync, and Keri Russell of
Felicity.
In early 1998, Christina auditioned to sing
Reflection for Disney's animated film
Mulan. The filmmakers needed someone "who could hit a high E above middle C," according to Christina, who cut a one-take demo in her living room singing to a karaoke tape of
Whitney Houston's "Run To You." That same week, RCA Records signed her to a record contract.
Mulan premiered in 1998, and
Reflection turned into a Top 15 A/C single.
Christina Aguilera's breakthrough year began with her first #1 single "Genie In A Bottle," which stayed atop the charts for five consecutive weeks and rocketed the album to #1 in 1999. Her follow-up Spanish album
Mi Reflejo and holiday-theme album
My Kind of Christmas were released in 2000 and entered the top thirty of the Billboard 200. Aguilera, Lil' Kim,
Mýa, and
Pink covered Labelle's 1974 single "Lady Marmalade" for the soundtrack of
Moulin Rouge!. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks.
In 2012, VH1 named Aguilera the eighth greatest woman in the music industry. Aguilera has also been recognized as "The Voice of a Generation". Aguilera has reinvented her public image numerous occasions throughout her career. In the later 1990s, she was a bubblegum pop entertainer which made her a teen idol. Aguilera introduced her alter ego "Xtina" during 2002 and 2003, which presented an increasingly provocative persona. During this time, she dyed her hair black, debuted several piercings, and participated in several nude pictorials. In 2004, Aguilera embraced a more "mature" image with retro-styled hair and makeup, inspired by classic movie stars Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich and Mary Pickford. This reinvention was named "Baby Jane", taken from the film
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?. Aguilera received widespread criticism over her "curvy" figure from gaining weight in 2012. She later received favorable media attention after significant weight loss in 2013.
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