American pop singer
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- Christina Aguilera - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
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Also known as: Christina Maria Aguilera
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: •Article History
- In full:
- Christina Maria Aguilera
- Born:
- December 18, 1980, Staten Island, New York, U.S. (age 43)
- Awards And Honors:
- Grammy Award (2006)
- Grammy Award (2003)
- Grammy Award (2001)
- Grammy Award (1999)
See all related content →
Christina Aguilera (born December 18, 1980, Staten Island, New York, U.S.) is an American pop singer who emerged during the teen pop explosion of the late 1990s and experienced almost instant commercial success.
Along with Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, Aguilera got her musical start on the Disney Channel’s The New Mickey Mouse Club. After recording the song “Reflection” for the Disney movie Mulan (1998), Aguilera signed a recording deal and released a self-titled debut album of dance-oriented pop music in 1999. Both the album and Aguilera’s first single, “Genie in a Bottle,” quickly climbed to the top of the Billboard pop charts, and she won the Grammy Award for best new artist in 1999.
Britannica QuizPop Culture QuizAguilera’s next albums took varying paths but revolved around her powerful voice and exploited her looks and charisma. Emphasizing her Ecuadoran ethnic heritage, she capitalized on the Latin pop music boom by mastering enough Spanish to release Mi reflejo (2000). My Kind of Christmas (2000) followed. In 2001 Aguilera collaborated with fellow singers Pink, Mya, and Lil’ Kim on a popular cover version of LaBelle’s 1974 funk classic “Lady Marmalade.” Soon after, Aguilera released Stripped (2002), on which she cast off her ingenue image and took on a more provocative sexualized persona, epitomized by her hit single “Dirrty.” Reminiscent of the work of Etta James and Billie Holiday, Back to Basics (2006) paid tribute to Aguilera’s jazz and blues influences.
Aguilera returned to dance pop with Bionic (2010), though the album was considered a commercial disappointment, as was its follow-up, Lotus (2012). Her 2018 release, Liberation, earned glowing reviews. She later contributed the songs “Haunted Heart” and “Loyal Brave True” to the soundtracks for Addams Family (2019) and Mulan (2020), respectively. In 2019 she began a residency show titled Xperience at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Aguilera received numerous accolades and awards for her music, including several Grammy Awards.
In 2010, after appearing in various cameo roles on film, Aguilera starred opposite Cher in the musical drama Burlesque, as a young small-town woman with dreams of becoming an entertainer. The following year she became a judge on the television singing competition The Voice; she remained with the show until 2016. During this time Aguilera continued to act. Her notable TV credits included a guest role (2015) on Nashville. She also appeared in such films as Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) and Life of the Party (2018) and voiced the character of Akiko Glitter in The Emoji Movie (2017).
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
