Artisi Of The Month (Nov'04) - Christina Aguilera



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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!



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.



At age 21, Aguilera continued do her own thing with her long-awaited sophomore
album, Stripped, much of which she co-wrote. The album's first single, "Dirrty,"
featured a rap by Redman and a scandalous, envelope-pushing video. Whether this
new direction will ultimately widen her audience or alienate her fanbase still
remains to be seen, but it's certain that Stripped is helping her stand out from
the teen-pop pack.



This Biography was written by Rob O'Connor



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Latest news: Christina will be featured in the upcoming DreamWorks film Shark
Tale, in theaters October 1. Also, Christina and Missy Elliot remade the Rose
Royce classic Car Wash for the Shark Tale soundtrack, in stores September 21.
www.sharktale.com











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