Synopsis
Singer-songwriter
Christina Maria Aguilera was born on December 18, 1980 in Staten
Island, New York. Aguilera began her career as a cast member on The New Mickey Mouse Club.
She rapidly rose to stardom following the release of her hit single,
"Genie In A Bottle," which earned her a Grammy award for Best New
Artist. Her other hit singles include "What A Girl Wants," "Come on Over
Baby," "Lady Marmalade" and the sexually charged "Dirrty."
Early Life
Christina Maria Aguilera was born on December 18, 1980 in Staten Island, New York, to father Fausto Xavier Aguilera and his wife, Shelly Loraine Fidler. Aguilera's early home life was troubled. Her father, an Ecuadorian immigrant and sergeant in the U.S. Army, was an abusive husband. It wasn't until Aguilera was 6 that her mother managed to end the marriage and move her two daughters (Christina and her younger sister, Rachel) to a new life in Rochester, Pennsylvania.From an early age, Aguilera loved music—a gift she no doubt inherited from her musical mother, an experienced violinist and pianist. By the time she was in elementary school, Aguilera's big voice had swept through a number of local talent shows, causing harsh envy from her schoolmates and even some parents. It became so bad that Aguilera's mother eventually made the decision to home-school her daughter.
Still, Aguilera continued to perform, and in 1990 she earned a spot on the nationally syndicated television program, Star Search. There, the 9-year-old prodigy wowed audiences with a mesmerizing rendition of Etta James's "A Sunday Kind of Love," to take home second place.
Commercial Success
In 1993, Aguilera earned more national attention when she landed a spot as a Mouseketeer on The New Mickey Mouse Club. Her fellow castmates were a collection of future stars, including Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling and Keri Russell. Aguilera's time on the program lasted just two years before the ambitious singer moved with her mother to Japan, to record the hit single "All I Wanna Do" with Japanese pop icon Keizo Nakanishi. More success soon followed.
In 1998 Aguilera was tapped to sing the song "Reflection" on the soundtrack for the Walt Disney film Mulan.
A year later, Aguilera made her concert debut at the all-female concert
festival, Lilith Fair, and signed with RCA Records. She released her
self-titled debut album in 1999, a successful record that would go on to
sell more than 8 million copies, thanks to two big Billboard hits:
"Genie in a Bottle" and the No. 1 single "What a Girl Wants." The album
earned Aguilera Best New Artist honors at the 2000 Grammy Awards.
With her fellow Mouseketeer mates Spears and Timberlake also lighting up the charts with their respective music, Aguilera became one of the leading faces of a group of teen pop stars. But Aguilera was not comfortable maintaining the squeaky clean image this sort of role foisted upon her. After teaming up with Pink, Mya and Lil' Kim for the popular single "Lady Marmalade," Aguilera released her second album, Stripped, in October 2002. As its title suggests, the pop superstar had embarked down a new path. Highly sexualized and more commanding, the album featured a number of hit singles, including "Dirrty," "Beautiful" and "Make Over."
Coupled with a series of new piercings and tattoos, Aguilera and her new music startled some critics, endeared her to others, and sold more than 4 million records. Aguilera, for her part, was unapologetic about the music or her look.
"I knew it was a bold move, and I knew a lot of people would not be ready for it," she told The New York Times.
In 2006, Aguilera changed course again with the release of Back to Basics, a two-disc collection of influential standards from the 1920s through the 1940s. Like she'd done with her previous album, Aguilera used the music to help define her style. For a time, she adopted a classic Jean Harlow look.
With her fellow Mouseketeer mates Spears and Timberlake also lighting up the charts with their respective music, Aguilera became one of the leading faces of a group of teen pop stars. But Aguilera was not comfortable maintaining the squeaky clean image this sort of role foisted upon her. After teaming up with Pink, Mya and Lil' Kim for the popular single "Lady Marmalade," Aguilera released her second album, Stripped, in October 2002. As its title suggests, the pop superstar had embarked down a new path. Highly sexualized and more commanding, the album featured a number of hit singles, including "Dirrty," "Beautiful" and "Make Over."
Coupled with a series of new piercings and tattoos, Aguilera and her new music startled some critics, endeared her to others, and sold more than 4 million records. Aguilera, for her part, was unapologetic about the music or her look.
"I knew it was a bold move, and I knew a lot of people would not be ready for it," she told The New York Times.
In 2006, Aguilera changed course again with the release of Back to Basics, a two-disc collection of influential standards from the 1920s through the 1940s. Like she'd done with her previous album, Aguilera used the music to help define her style. For a time, she adopted a classic Jean Harlow look.
Recent Projects
In 2010, Aguilera returned to record stores with Bionic.
She experimented with more electronic-edged sound with this album,
which featured collaborations with Le Tigre and M.I.A. While the album
nearly reached the top of the charts, it failed to spawn any major hit
singles.
Later that same year, Aguilera made her film debut in the musical Burlesque with Cher. The film was maligned by critics and largely ignored by movie-goers. Aguilera also contributed several songs to the movie's soundtrack, including "How Do You Burlesque"—a minor hit.
Aguilera appeared to be stumbling professionally and personally around this time. At the Super Bowl in February 2011, she seemed to forget some of the lyrics to the National Anthem. Not long after, the pop star was arrested for public intoxication. Both incidents sparked a wave of stories concerning Aguilera's possible alcohol problems.
By spring 2011, however, Aguilera got back on her feet with a new television competition, The Voice, serving as a coach and mentor for singers, and competing against other teams led by fellow musical talents Cee Lo Green, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine. While rumors have circulated about behind-the-scenes drama between Aguilera and the other coaches, she has proved to be a strong supporter of her protégées on the show.
Later that same year, Aguilera made her film debut in the musical Burlesque with Cher. The film was maligned by critics and largely ignored by movie-goers. Aguilera also contributed several songs to the movie's soundtrack, including "How Do You Burlesque"—a minor hit.
Aguilera appeared to be stumbling professionally and personally around this time. At the Super Bowl in February 2011, she seemed to forget some of the lyrics to the National Anthem. Not long after, the pop star was arrested for public intoxication. Both incidents sparked a wave of stories concerning Aguilera's possible alcohol problems.
By spring 2011, however, Aguilera got back on her feet with a new television competition, The Voice, serving as a coach and mentor for singers, and competing against other teams led by fellow musical talents Cee Lo Green, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine. While rumors have circulated about behind-the-scenes drama between Aguilera and the other coaches, she has proved to be a strong supporter of her protégées on the show.
Personal Life
Aguilera became romantically involved with set assistant Matthew Rutler while filming Burlesque.
She has a son, Max, from her previous marriage to record producer
Jordan Bratman. The couple married in 2005, separated in 2010 and
finalized their divorce the following year.
Outside of music, Aguilera has showed her compassionate side, working with AIDS awareness campaigns and affiliating herself with the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. In early 2010, she took on the role of Ambassador Against Hunger for the World Food Program, a responsibility that soon led her to Haiti, where she helped earthquake victims.
Outside of music, Aguilera has showed her compassionate side, working with AIDS awareness campaigns and affiliating herself with the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. In early 2010, she took on the role of Ambassador Against Hunger for the World Food Program, a responsibility that soon led her to Haiti, where she helped earthquake victims.
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