|
 I
don't know how many of you remember the old Star Search talent-contest
program, but most of us who were subjected to it back then
(channel-surfing wasn't what it is today) spent most of our time trying
to figure out which was worse: the "talent" or Ed McMahon. At the age of
8, future teen sensation Christina Aguilera appeared on the program (you
can be sure VH1 wasted no time in digging up the clip to air on Before
They Were Rock Stars). But that was just the beginning: At age 10, she
sang the national anthem for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and from ages 12
to 14 she appeared on the new Mickey Mouse Club show alongside other
future stars Britney Spears and J.C. and Justin of *NSYNC. Her duet with
Japanese pop star Keizo Nakanishi on "All I Wanna Do" also allowed her
video exposure and even a tour of Japan.
Aguilera returned to the U.S. in 1998 in time to audition for the
singing part of "Reflection" in the Disney film Mulan; her living room
boombox demo of Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Run To You" was Fed-Exed by
her manager to Disney, and within a week she had the Disney job and a
solo deal with RCA Records. Talk about timing!
Christina Aguilera Links
 Aguilera's 1999 self-titled debut
was recorded with a variety of hot-shot producers, including Carl
Sturken and Evan Rogers (*NSYNC), Travon Potts (Monica), and Guy Roche
(Brandy). Hit-songwriter-for-hire Diane Warren gave her the ballad "I
Turn To You," while "Genie In A Bottle" was produced by ex-System David
Frank and Steve Kipner. Not surprisingly, Christina Aguilera shot all
the way to number one in its first week of release and maintained a spot
in the upper reaches of the Billboard charts for weeks. That same year,
Aguilera took home a Grammy for Best New Artist.
After appearing on a number of teen award programs, releasing Christmas
and Spanish-language albums, and being compared countless times to her
less vocally gifted ex-MMC castmate Britney Spears, Aguilera seemed to
go to great pains to refashion herself as a sort of R&B/street baby
diva, starting with her often bizarre fashion sense: Gone were the cute
CosmoGirl outfits and straight flaxen locks, replaced by bizarre
shredded getups that barely covered her private parts and cornrows or
Dee Snider perms. This landed her on many worst-dressed lists, but she
was merely young artist trying to find herself, and that meant growing
up--and making mistakes--in public. One career move that certainly
wasn't a mistake was her participation in the Moulin Rouge soundtrack's
remake of LaBelle's "Lady Marmalade" with Pink, Mya, Lil' Kim, and Missy
Elliott: The superstar collaboration showcased her powerful vocals and
was one of the biggest singles of 2001.
Now, at age 21, Aguilera is
continuing do her own thing with her long-awaited sophomore album,
Stripped, much of which she co-wrote. The album's first single, "Dirrty,"
features a rap by Redman. Whether this new direction will widen her
audience or alienate her existing fanbase remains to be seen, but it's
certain that Stripped will help her stand out from the teen-pop pack. |
