What a girl wants…it is apparent that 19 year old pop sensation Christina Aguilera has it all right now. In less that one year, Aguilera has sold six million albums with two #1 smash singles, graced magazine covers, headlined the Super Bowl half-time show, and as perhaps her biggest feat, captured the coveted Grammy Award for best new artist.
Aguilera began performing as a youngster appearing on Star Search and in 1993 earned a spot on the TV cast of the Mickey Mouse Club. It was there that she met her most publicized rival, Britney Spears. Aguilera maintains that her relationship with Spears is civil. After two years, the show ended and Aguilera took her musical talents on the road and performed in Japan and Romania while keeping her eye in one goal: having an album recorded and released before her high school graduation. A goal that she accomplished and in a manner that was unexpected by her. Her breakthrough year began with the single “Genie in a Bottle” which stayed atop of musical charts for five weeks while the follow-up single “What a Girl Wants” reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and helped her album reach platinum status six times. Aguilera’s skyrocketing popularity reached a new level at the Grammy Awards when she beat Spears and Macy Gray for best new artist, a feat for which Aguilera maintains she was unprepared.
Aguilera holds more of a bad girl image than her contemporaries. Her idols include Madonna and Janet Jackson (whose reputations as nice girls have long since past).
Aguilera’s strong was evident with a recent war of words with rapper Eminem, whose lyrics included some not so innocent actions of Aguilera with a number of popular males in the entertainment world.
Her label dismissed his words as nonsense and have offered that perhaps he is just a bit jealous of Aguilera’s success.
Aguilera, however, continues to ride high. In July, she held the front cover of Rolling Stone magazine and currently on the road performing to sell-out crowds. A Spanish language album, due for release in the fall, allowed Aguilera to explore her Latin heritage — she has Ecuadoran roots. A holiday album will be ready for Christmas featuring a duet with Etta James and a 70 piece orchestra.
Though still very young, Aguilera has no regret for missing the “normal” stuff of the teenage years. “Everybody has their own path and I just have to follow my heart and love what I do…I simply love the job I’m doing.” It is certain that all her fans love it too.