The Memoir Of Ms. Butterfly

 Christina Aguilera was born in Staten Island, New York City, on December 18, 1980, the eldest of two daughters to musician Shelly Loraine Kearns (née Fidler) and United States Army soldier Fausto Xavier Aguilera. Her father was born in Ecuador, and her mother is of German, Irish, Welsh, and Dutch ancestry. The family frequently moved because of his military service, living in New Jersey, Texas, New York, and Japan, and settling in Pennsylvania. Aguilera said he was physically and emotionally abusive. As a result, she used music to escape her turbulent household. Following her parents’ divorce when she was six years old, Aguilera, her younger sister Rachel, and her mother moved into her grandmother’s home in Rochester, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Her mother later remarried Jim Kearns, with whom she had a son named Michael. In 2012, after years of estrangement, Aguilera expressed interest in reconciling with her father. As a child, she was drawn to soul and blues records her grandmother bought and would practice singing, which earned her a reputation as “the little girl with the big voice” in her neighborhood. Aguilera aspired to be a singer and won her first talent show at age eight with a rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me). At age 10, she performed “A Sunday Kind of Love” on the competition show Star Search and was eliminated during the semi-final round. She performed the song again on KDKA-TV’s Wake Up with Larry Richert. During her youth in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, Aguilera sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, Pittsburgh Steelers football, Pittsburgh Pirates baseball games, and the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals in Pittsburgh.

She attended Marshall Middle School in Wexford, Pennsylvania, and North Allegheny Intermediate High School in McCandless, Pennsylvania, before leaving the school to be homeschooled and avoid the bullying she experienced there. In 1991, Aguilera auditioned for a position on the Disney Channel’s The Mickey Mouse Club, though it did not meet its age requirements. She joined the television series two years later, which featured her performing musical numbers and sketch comedy until its cancellation in 1994. Fellow cast members included Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell, Britney Spears, and Justin Timberlake. After the show ended, Aguilera moved to Japan and recorded her first song, “All I Wanna Do,” a duet with Japanese singer Keizo Nakanishi.

 In 1998, Aguilera returned to the US to seek a recording contract. She approached RCA Records, who told her to contact Walt Disney Records instead because they had financial difficulties. She sent her cover version of Whitney Houston’s “Run to You” to Disney in hopes of being selected to record the theme song “Reflection” for their animated film Mulan (1998). Instead, Aguilera was chosen to sing “Reflection”; the song was released in June 1998 and charted on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart at number 15.

Aguilera made her musical debut in 1998 with a cover of “Reflection,” the theme song for Disney’s Mulan. Consequently, Aguilera signed a multi-album contract with RCA Records and released her self-titled debut album in 1999. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and produced the singles “Genie in a Bottle,” “What a Girl Wants, ““I Turn to You,” and “Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You).” The lead single, “Genie in a Bottle,” became a commercial success, peaking at the top spot of the US Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks and became the biggest hit of the Summer of 1999. Christina Aguilera has sold over 14 million copies worldwide. In addition, Christina Aguilera is reflecting on her journey of “embracing sexuality” and taking ownership of her body within the entertainment industry. The 42-year-old talked to Allure about her early start as a performer in the Mickey Mouse Club, starting when she was 7. Although the beginning of her career was undoubtedly innocent, she’s recognized a lot in hindsight about how she was made to feel about her body and the blurred lines. “In this business, you’re going to have a lot of opinions coming at you about your body, your sexuality, what’s too much, what’s too little,” she told the publication. “Much of it comes from male and older businessmen’s opinions, which should have nothing to do with your body and self-image. Aguilera later recognized that she struggled with bodily autonomy because of the control of external sources — specifically as she was rising to fame with hits like “Genie in a Bottle” and “What a Girl Wants. I wasn’t creatively giving messages that truly embodied who I was,” she explained. “So my sophomore album was called Stripped. People always thought that had a sexual connotation, but if anything, it was me speaking my truth about what it felt like to be me, embracing my body, and being a woman outside of other people’s ideals.

While the music she created as her career went on was meant to celebrate “all different emotions of being a woman,” Aguilera didn’t shy away from visual expressions of her womanhood like being extroverted and over-the-top and playing with glam and makeup.”

Despite the seemingly superficial aspects, she explained that her mission was to empower other women. I’ve always wanted women to feel comfortable and safe enough to explore what makes them feel good,” she said. “Embracing sexuality to feel empowered and raw and out there, if that’s the kind of woman you want to be.”

That mission has followed her into her latest role as co-founder and chief brand advisor of Playground — a women-owned lubricant brand focused on sexual health and well-being. I like being a part of something that creates things that are pleasing but good for you and your vagina, which is the epicenter of everything for us,” Aguilera said. “It’s a pleasure, but it can also be painful. But, on the other hand, it can be the birth of life. The vagina goes through a lot, so we got to let it feel good. We got to make sure we pamper and nurture it. It also feels like a step in the right direction for the mother of an eight-year-old daughter, Summer, who Aguilera recognizes is constantly taking cues from her. I try to be conscious about what I put in my body and what my daughter sees me put in my body. So we have conversations like, ‘What’s a tampon? What’s your period?’ She’s eight, but education is everything. And breaking down the conversation in digestible components that are easy to understand helps us take the fear and stigma out of things,” she says. Ultimately, she hopes she’s participating in a more significant movement to erase stigma and shame regarding women’s sexual health. Everything across the board as a female, especially about your body, should be something you feel good about sharing,” she says.

Christina Aguilera is opening up about how she was almost known by another name in her music career. The 41-year-old singer revealed that there was pressure to change her Latin last name into something more English sounding by people in the industry. However, Christina pushed back and kept Aguilera. Something that I really embody and understand is that you know, this is a name that has been tried to be taken away from me on numerous occasions coming up in this business,” she shared. “It’s not the most straightforward name for everyone to pronounce. It’s been butchered a lot. She didn’t reveal the names she could’ve been, calling them the “bad names that I could have been. I was like, no, I’m Aguilera; I’m proud of where I come from. My father is from Ecuador,” Christina explained before saying there is a tribute on her Spanish version of her album. I wanted to] pay nod, and tribute to that,” describing it as “authenticity” and sharing that it was very “important” to her: “Why not come full circle in all of the chapters and close it on a name, my name.

A documentary about pop icon Christina Aguilera is in the works. Produced by TIME Studios and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and directed by Ting Poo of Val acclaim, the film will offer a deep dive into the “Beautiful” artist’s life and career. “Christina Aguilera is one of the most iconic artists of our time, whose music has inspired millions of people around the world,” Poo said in a statement. “I am truly honored to tell the story of the person behind the music because I know it will equally inspire. An intimate look at the early 2000s pop artist, the documentary will dive into her past as a Disney child star, her journey to becoming a celebrated musical voice, and her present as a mother, entertainer, and icon. In addition, never-before-seen footage and exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpses will tell her story. “We are beyond excited to extend our creative partnership with Roc Nation through this film,” added Loren Hammonds, TIME Studios Co-Head of Documentary. “Christina has been such an enduring talent and an inimitable entertainer. Christina Aguilera is one of the great voices of our Time, and this is the perfect moment for her story to be told. We are incredibly honored that she has chosen to work with TIME Studios and Roc Nation to finally share her truth with the world.”

This year, the powerhouse vocalist is celebrating two decades of Stripped, her 2002 sophomore album that marked a distinct shift in her career. My favorite memory was just, I mean, the freedom to finally do what I wanted to do,” Aguilera can be heard in a recent video announcing the celebration. “As an artist, telling my stories, my personal messages for the first time. It was so important to me on the sophomore album that I made music representing my identity.

Second shot at love! Christina Aguilera and Matthew Rutler have been going strong for over a decade. The “Fighter” songstress started dating the MasterClass executive in 2010 amid her divorce from Jordan Bratman. The exes, who share son Max, wed in 2005 and announced their breakup in October 2010, with a source telling Us Weekly that they “have been separated for a few months. Our relationship changed. I’ve grown as a woman, and he’s grown as a person. We were both looking for different things. We just weren’t right for each other. I couldn’t face living another five years together and feeling that I wasted that Time being unhappy,” Aguilera told People then. “Things were so unhealthy and unhappy for Jordan and me, I knew I had to end it. It wasn’t good for us, and it wasn’t good for Max to witness our arguments. Children can feel when things aren’t right in the home. I had bouts of extreme anxiety. I didn’t want to hurt Jordan and felt torn about splitting our family.

The Grammy winner’s divorce was settled in February 2011 and finalized in April after Aguilera went public with Rutler in late 2010.

“There is a love there. I’m dating, and it’s something I haven’t had in a really long time,” she told the outlet, adding that Rutler is “the kind of person you could spend hours with on the phone talking to. All of a sudden its daylight. By 2012, insiders told Us that their relationship had “turned into something special.” That same year, she gushed about his support amid self-esteem issues.

She has been through many highs, as I’ve been through my lows. I’ve been through the gamut of all things in this business. Being too thin. Being bigger … It’s the noise I block out automatically. I love my body. My boyfriend loooooves my body,” she told Marie Clare. “My son is healthy and happy, which matters to me. Nearly four years into their romance, Aguilera and Rutler engaged on Valentine’s Day in 2014. They welcomed their daughter, Summer Rain, the same year but made it clear they weren’t rushing down the aisle. We discuss it when we’re snuggling in bed, but it’s a casual conversation,” she told Women’s Health of wedding planning in 2016. Aguilera gushed about their baby girl, telling the magazine: “I swear if I hadn’t called her Summer, I would’ve called her Joy because she just lights up a room and illuminates brightness and happiness.

“There are no wedding plans at the moment. [Christina] and Matt are happy the way they are. They’re one of those couples who don’t need a document to prove their love for each other,” the source said in August 2022, adding that they are “very much in love” and “true homebodies. The insider added, “They like to relax at home together like any normal couple but also love going out and having date nights.”

2011

Aguilera was arrested for public intoxication in March while in the car with Rutler, who was booked for DUI. At the time, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore noted that the officers “had no desire to prosecute” the singer, calling her arrest “a public safety issue. So when she could navigate and think on her own and make her own way, she was released. The charges were dropped against Rutler that April.

 2014

He proposed on February 14. “He asked, and I said…….” Aguilera wrote via Twitter alongside a snap of her engagement ring. Summer was born in August. “Our love is secure enough that we don’t need a wedding to prove our commitment,” she told E! News, why they weren’t eager to plan nuptials. “We are enjoying our daughter, family, and work now.”

2019

Aguilera and Rutler brought Max and Summer to The Addams Family premiere in October.

2021

The musician penned a lengthy tribute to her man for his 36th birthday in April.

“You continuously impress me with how devoted, driven, and hardworking you are while being a devoted, loving, and thoughtful parent & partner. You always strive to be better and never settle for anything but. From being an amazing father to an incredible businessman and forward thinker, you innovate and execute ideas daily,” she wrote via Instagram. “I remember when Masterclass was just a little idea tossed around our backyard. Now knowing and seeing first-hand the backstory of how you helped grow it to become the mega success it is, I’m not surprised because I witness the magic behind the machine every day — in every sense of what you do. From helping keep the family glued together to building the successes you do. I’m proud of you and will always be in your corner…cheering you on to keep shining and succeeding in all your wildest dreams. Love you, baby. 

2022

“There are no wedding plans at the moment,” an insider told Us in August. “[Christina] and Matt are happy the way they are. They’re one of those couples who don’t need a document to prove their love for each other.” The couple enjoyed a trip to Vietnam for Aguilera’s 42nd birthday in December.

Aguilera has accumulated several awards and accolades in her career. At nineteen, she won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, recognized by The Recording Academy as one of the youngest singers to receive this award. She has since gone on to win four more Grammys. Furthermore, she has won two Latin Grammy Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, one Billboard Music Award, and one Guinness World Record. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award. In 2010, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in “recognition of her achievements in the recording industry.” In 2019, she was also immortalized as a Disney Legend in “honor for her remarkable contributions to the Walt Disney Company.” In addition to being often cited as one of the most prominent Latin artists in the entertainment industry, Aguilera was elected as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time in 2013.

Aguilera is one of the world’s best-selling music artists, with an estimated 90 million records sold since 1998. According to Nielsen Soundscan, she has sold over 18.3 million albums in the United States. Her self-titled debut album (1999) was certified 8x platinum and listed as one of the best-selling in the country by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Regarding her digital sales, it is estimated that she sold around 21.4 million tracks in the country until 2014. In the United Kingdom, Aguilera has sold over 9.4 million records as of 2013, which 3.3 million in albums and 6.1 million in singles sales. According to The Official Charts Company, her fourth studio album, Stripped (2002), is one of the few to surpass 2 million copies sold, becoming the second highest-selling album by an American female artist during the 2000s and one of the best-selling albums of the millennium in the country. Furthermore, “Moves like Jagger” (2011) — her collaboration with band Maroon 5 — was cited as one of the best-selling singles in Australia, Canada, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as one of the best-selling digital singles with over 14.4 million copies. The song was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2021.

After being listed as the top female artist of 2000 and 2003, Billboard classified Aguilera as the twentieth most successful artist of the 2000s. Through the same publication, she was considered one of the most successful artists of the decade on Billboard 200 and Mainstream Top 40 charts and the second best-selling singles artist in the United States, behind Madonna. In 2016, she was also nominated. as one of the greatest artists in the history of the Mainstream Top 40 and Dance Club Songs charts. In addition, Aguilera was recognized by the magazine as one of the four female artists in history to have a number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 in three consecutive decades. In 2020, she was cited by Pollstar as one of the top female artists of the 21st century in the concert industry; according to the publication, she sold more than 1.8 million tickets for her performances throughout her career, with earnings exceeding $113.8 million. In Morocco, Aguilera held her largest audience concert, attracting 250,000 people to her performance at Mawazine Festival, becoming the record audience in the event’s history.

Various music journalists and authors have noted Aguilera’s legacy in the entertainment industry and deemed her one of the greatest artists in pop music. In 2004, she was listed as one of the most influential people in the music market, according to The Independent. In addition, she was cited as the eighth most incredible woman in the phonographic industry by VH1. Early in her career, Aguilera was labeled as a teen idol and cited as one of the artists. Who revived teen pop in the late nineties; Time magazine stated that she was a “pioneer [in] a different type of teen stardom,” crediting her vocal ability as responsible for the phenomenon. Since then, she has been named one of the greatest singers in contemporary pop music; by MTV, she was cited as one of the best voices in music since the eighties, while Rolling Stone and Consequence of Sound included her in their lists of greatest singers of all Time. In addition, in 2013, Latina honored her as the best vocalist of Latin origin in history. Recognizing her vocal ability and influence in the music industry, she has been referred to in media as the “Princess of Pop” and “Voice of a Generation.”

Aguilera’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame received in 2010

Upon launching her music career in the late nineties, Aguilera was cited as one of the artists who shaped the “Latin explosion,” contributing to the Latin pop boom in American music in the early century. Considered one of the greatest artists of the 2000s, she has been classified among the primary references of the Millennials; writing for Vice magazine, Wanna Thompson analyzed her impact at the turn of the century, stating that alongside Britney Spears, “Aguilera dominated mainstream pop-related discussions. [Her] perfectly packaged music and looks appealed to tweens and teens who wanted to be like the pretty, chart-topping pop stars plastered everywhere”. The commercial success of her first projects as a bubblegum pop singer caused an effect that influenced record labels to invest in new artists who attracted the same youthful appeal, catapulting names like Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore. Critics also highlighted the impact of her work on popular culture;. At the same Time, Stripped (2002) was cited as “the blueprint for divas making the transition from teen idol to adult pop star,” Aguilera is credited for “paving the way for a generation of pop singers.” Jeff Benjamin from Billboard stated that the album explored a “process of self-identification and declaration still influencing today’s mainstream scene,” in addition to “how of today’s biggest pop stars have followed a similar path, exploring and incorporating these strategies into their careers.” In 2007, her self-titled debut album was added to the definitive list from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, being recognized as one of “history’s most influential and popular albums.” Since then, Aguilera and her work have influenced various recording artists, including Ariana Grande, Ava Max, Becky G, Britney Spears, Camila Cabello, Charli XCX, Demi Lovato, Doja Cat, Dua Lipa, Grimes, Halsey, Hayley Williams, Iggy Azalea, Karol G, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, Lauren Jauregui, Meghan Trainor, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Nicole, Olivia Rodrigo, Rina Sawayama, Rosalía, Sabrina Carpenter, Sam Smith, Selena Gomez, K. Michelle, and Tinashe, and athletes such as figure skater Johnny Weir, ice dancers Zachary Donohue and Madison Hubbell, and swimmer Dana Vollmer.

Aguilera has also been praised for emphasizing the importance of feminism in pop music; several journalists agree that her use of sexual imagery has helped catalyze public discourse on the topic. For example, Lamar Dawson, the columnist from The Huffington Post, praised her feminist efforts in the music industry and recognized that “while Christina isn’t the first pop star to place feminist rhetoric into pop culture. At the beginning of the 21st century, she led the charge of influencing the next generation of impressionable teens who were too young for Janet [Jackson] and Madonna’s curriculum. Gerrick D. Kennedy from Los Angeles Times shared the same point of view and stated that “for a generation who hit puberty during the great 2000 pop explosion, Aguilera was an essential voice with music that tackled self-empowerment, feminism, sex, and domestic violence — subject matter her contemporaries were shying away from”. Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, co-founder of The Vagenda, opined that the provocative dance routines in Aguilera’s music videos were “empowering,” as she has been referred to as the forerunner of the slutdrop dance style.

Aguilera’s videography impact was also analyzed by music critics. While “Dirrty” (2002) has been described as “one of the most controversial videos in pop music history” and one of the most incredible music videos of all time, Issy Beech from i-D recognized that the audiovisual work “paved a path for videos like “Anaconda” and “Wrecking Ball” […] paved the way for open sexuality from women in pop”. In the video for “Beautiful” (2002), the highlight scene of a gay kiss has been considered one of the most critical moments for LGBT culture, in addition to starting Aguilera’s image as a gay icon. Both works were elected as one of the most incredible music videos of the 21st century by editors from Billboard. At the same time, she was named one of the most remarkable women of the video era, according to VH1. In 2012, her video graphics collection and some looks used throughout her career were part of an exhibition by the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Aimed at illustrating “the essential roles women have played in moving rock and roll and American culture forward.” Jon Caramanica from The New York Times also commented about her contributions to television, observing an expressive number of artists signing with television networks to act as coaches of singing reality competitions after she participates in the American version of The Voice franchise.

Christina Aguilera came out with a fresh-faced look!

Christina and Matthew Rutler posed together at the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday night (March 12) at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif. Christina recently partnered with Xeomin and Merz Aesthetics and opened up about getting injectables. When I’m on stage, authenticity on my face comes first. I have a very expressive face, and I know the emotion there has to go through when I sing. I don’t have time to have a stoic, still face. So for me, it’s about bringing that realness to the stage and my daily life while still doing what I can to feel and look my best. So Xeomin felt like the safest choice for me,” Christina said in a new interview. At the Oscars party, Christina and Matthew hung out with Sophie Turner, Joe Jonas, and Diplo.

Christina Aguilera has spent the last two years honoring her roots with her Latin GRAMMY Award-winning Spanish project. Christened ‘Aguilera,’ the set arrived in multiple EPs and has earned praise from fans and critics alike. Now, Xtina is looking ahead to her follow-up effort. And it appears the successor to 2018’s ‘Liberation’ is next on the agenda. First, however, we’re officially excited. Xtina spent too long being musically dormant on The Voice, so her finally cannonballing back into the mix was well appreciated. However, while her Time Post, the spinning chairs, has been action-packed with tours and residencies, it’s defined by only one album in the traditional sense. Hence, we’re ready for the diva to pair her renewed visibility with fresh material. It’s Time; it’s Time.