Born To BeBorn on December 18, 1980 as Christina Maria Aguilera in Staten Island, New York, this gorgeous petite is an American pop/R&B singer and songwriter of Irish and Spanish ancestry. Christina lived with her young sister Rachel and both her parents until she was seven, but moved to Rochester, Pennsylvania with her grandmother after her parents divorced.
Christina Aguilera knew what she wanted as a child. She started to compete at local singing competitions and talent shows at an early age, where she was known as “the little girl with a big voice”. Due to her popularity, Christina’s peers bullied her at school and came to a point wherein their house was vandalized and their car’s tires slashed. The family eventually left Rochester and moved to a nearby town in Wexford, where they made Christina’s talent unknown to the public.
In March 1990, Christina entered the Star Search, but lost. When she returned home, Christina was invited to appear on the Wake Up with Larry Richert show to perform Etta James’ “A Sunday Kind of Love”, which she sang in Star Search. Since then, Aguilera became the yearly singer of the Star-Spangled Banner before hockey, football and baseball games in Pittsburgh.
With the help of Mickey Mouse
In 1993, Christina Aguilera joined the Disney Channel’s, “The New Mickey Mouse Club” with Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Keri Russell and Ryan Gosling, but the show was canceled after a year of her stay. By the age of 14 years, Aguilera released her first song, “All I Wanna Do” with Japanese singer Keizo Nakanishi.
1998 was probably the year Christina became a global success when Disney hired her to record a song for Mulan called “Reflection”, which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination and a record deal with RCA Records. A year later, Aguilera’s self-titled debut album was released and topped the Billboard 200, sold 8 million copies in the U.S. alone and reached worldwide fame when over 15 millions copies were sold. The album “Christina Aguilera” included hot singles like “What a Girl Wants”, “Come on Over Baby”, “I Turn to You” and “Genie in a Bottle”. She received an award for Best New Artist at the 2000 Grammys.
By late 2000, Aguilera released her first Spanish album “Mi Reflejo” with translated versions of her songs from the English debut album and new Spanish tracks, which led to a Latin Grammy Award and 3 million copies sold worldwide. Christina also released a Christmas album entitled, “My Kind of Christmas”.
Fame and talent was building up in Christina Aguilera’s life in 2001 when Lil’ Kim, Pink, Mya and Aguilera were handpicked to remake the 1975 single, “Lady Marmalade” for the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. She then experienced a loss – as Christina battled in court to terminate her contract with then-manager Steve Kurtz. She replaced him for Irving Azoff.
She stripps and walk the fame
Christina Aguilera’s second English album “Stripped” was released on October 29, 2002, selling more than 300,000 copies in its first week. The album featured Aguilera’s raunchier side with superb vocals in songs like “Dirrty” and “Beautiful”. By this time, Christina referred to herself as “Xtina” and posed for the Cover of Rolling Stone.
Aguilera joined Justin Timberlake in his 2003 justified tour before she started her own tour, Stripped World Tour the same year. At the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, Aguilera performed “Hollywood” and “Like a Virgin” alongside Madonna and Britney Spears.
By 2004, Aguilera decided to portray a more mature image, dying her hair cherry blonde and losing all the piercings. She collaborated with Missy Elliot for the song “Car Wash” included in the ‘Shark Tale’ soundtrack and with Nelly’s song, “Tilt Ya Head Back”.
In 2006, Aguilera had a third album released. “Back to Basics”, which she is credited for song writing and executive producer, became a worldwide success. After selling 4.5 million copies worldwide, Aguilera began a ‘Back to Basics Tour’ in Europe and then in North America. By 2007, Christina Aguilera was named the 19th richest woman in the entertainment industry with a net worth of $60 million. She received a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008.
Lights, Camera, ACTION!!
Christina auditioned for the Mickey Mouse Club in 1991, but didn’t meet the age requirement. She later became a member of Disney in 1993, but the show was canceled a year later. Aguilera also appeared in Beverly Hills 90210 in 1999 and Saturday Night Live in 2004.
Aguilera is part of the musical number in the animated film, Shark Tale, wherein she played a Rastafarian jellyfish. In 2008, she was cast in the Martin Scorsese documentary, “Shine a Light”.
Christina Aguilera became the face for the make-up line ‘Fetish’ and then endorsed various brands including, Verizon Wireless, Coca-Cola, Sketchers, Pepsi, Sony Ericsson, and Mercedes-Benz. She also became the muse for the 2003 Versace campaign. She released three of her own fragrances in Europe – “Xpose” in 2004, “Simply Christina” in 2007 and “Inspire” in 2008.
Fame and Charity
Christina Aguilera has been involved in dozens of charities throughout her career. She is a supporter of PETA, Defenders of Wildlife, Women’s Cancer Research Fund, Missing Kids, Cedars-Sinai Women’s Cancer Research Institute, Do Something Organization and National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations. Her humanitarian work ranges from breast cancer patients, to victims of Hurricane Katrina and fight against aids to prejudice and discrimination.
Aguilera dated Puerto Rican dancer Jorge Santos in 2000, but was engaged to music marketing executive Jordan Bratman in 2002. They married on November 19, 2005 and gave birth to her son Max Liron (translated to “Our Greatest Song” in Hebrew) in January 12, 2008.
Although the blue-eyed Christina Aguilera has matured and mellowed as she entered motherhood, it’s won’t be the last you’ll see of her. She’s a true talent, one of the best vocals in the industry today and a soulful singer worthy of all the praises and awards she has been credited at such a young age.
