Christina Aguilera

Christina María Aguilera (born December 18, 1980) is an American singer,

songwriter, actress, dancer, and record producer. Born in Staten Island, New York and raised in Rochester and Wexford, Pennsylvania, she appeared on the television series Star Search and The Mickey Mouse Club in her early years. After recording "Reflection" the theme for Disney's 1998 film Mulan, Aguilera signed with RCA Records. She rose to prominence with her 1999 number one self-titled debut album that spawned the Billboard Hot 100 number one singles; "Genie in a Bottle", "What a Girl Wants", and "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)". The following year Aguilera released two studio albums; the Spanish-language album Mi Reflejo and the holiday album My Kind of Christmas. She assumed creative control for her fourth studio album Stripped (2002) which produced five successful singles including; "Dirrty", "Beautiful" and "Fighter". Aguilera's fifth studio album Back to Basics (2006) debuted at number one on the album charts of ten countries and spawned the major hit singles; "Ain't No Other Man" and "Hurt". During 2010 Aguilera released her sixth studio album Bionic and starred alongside Cher in the film Burlesque. In 2011 she became an original coach on the US television series The Voice and has since appeared on six of its 10 seasons. Her seventh studio album Lotus was released in 2012. Aguilera has also been featured on several successful collaborations during her career including; "Lady Marmalade", "Moves Like Jagger" and "Say Something".

Aguilera has been recognized as a pop icon and earned the title "Princess of Pop" in her early years. Her work has earned her five Grammy Awards, one Latin Grammy Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She has sold over 17.9 million albums in the United States as of 2014 and 50 million albums worldwide as of 2011. In 2009, she ranked at number 58 on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, thereby becoming the youngest and the only artist under 30 to be named. Billboard recognized her as the 20th most successful artist of the 2000s, and Time listed Aguilera among the top 100 Most Influential People in the World of 2013. Aside from her work in the entertainment industry, Aguilera is involved in charitable activities through human rights, world issues, and her work as a UN ambassador for the World Food Programme.

Aguilera announced that her sixth studio album would be "a very futuristic approach to music", drawing inspirations from electronic genres. The final product, Bionic, was released in June 2010. The release struggled to match the chart impact and sales of her previous albums, peaking at number three on the Billboard 200, and has sold 315,000 copies in the United States. The lead single, "Not Myself Tonight", charted at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has sold 368,000 copies in the United States. "Woohoo" featuring rapper Nicki Minaj was released as a single in the United States and several European countries, while "You Lost Me" was the second single internationally, The last song serviced from Bionic was "I Hate Boys", which was sent to Australian contemporary hit radio in July 2010. That year, Aguilera made a cameo appearance in the comedy film Get Him to the Greek.

In November 2010, Aguilera starred alongside Cher in the film Burlesque.The film was written and directed by Steve Antin, and grossed $90 million. It was met with mixed reviews from critics, who criticized it for being "campy and clichéd", yet praised Aguilera's acting Aguilera contributed eight tracks to the film's accompanying soundtrack, while Cher performed the other two. The soundtrack reached number 18 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA. It has since sold 707,000 copies in the US. At the 68th Golden Globe Awards in 2011, Burlesque received a nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, while "Bound to You", a song performed by Aguilera, earned Aguilera a nomination for Best Original Song, which lost to Cher's "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me", which also appeared on the Burlesque soundtrack. In December 2010, Aguilera appeared on T.I.'s song "Castle Walls" from his album No Mercy.

Aguilera has reinvented her public image on numerous occasions throughout her career. In the later 1990s, her then-manager Steve Kurtz marketed her as a bubblegum pop entertainer to capitalize on the genre's financial lure, which earned her recognition as a teen idol. Aguilera introduced her alter ego "Xtina" during 2002 and 2003, which presented an increasingly provocative person. During this time, she dyed her hair black, debuted several piercings, and participated in several nude pictorials for publications. In 2004, Aguilera embraced a more "mature" image with retro-styled hair and makeup, which was inspired by classic movie stars including Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich and Mary Pickford.This reinvention was named "Baby Jane" in 2006, an alter ego which was taken from the 1962 film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?. Aguilera received widespread criticism over her "curvy" figure from gaining weight in 2012. She later received favorable media attention after a significant weight loss in 2013.