BIOGRAPHY

Christina Maria Aguilera was born on December 18, 1980, in Staten Island, New York. Her parents are Fausto Wagner Xavier Aguilera, from Ecuador, and Shelly Loraine Fidler, Spanish with Irish heritage. At an early age, she moved with her mother and her younger sister Rachel to Wexford, Pennsylvania.

She started performing in talent shows when she turned six years old. The musical The Sound of Music was one the inspirations of little Christina, who was described as “the little girl with the big voice.”
In 1988 she appeared in Star Search singing Etta James’ “A Sunday Kind of Love”, but she lost the contest. Her big break began in 1993 when she joined the cast of Disney Channel’s The New Mickey Mouse Club, where also participated other soon-to-be famous artists such as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling and Keri Russell.

Then Christina moved to Japan, where she recorded the smashing hit duet “All I Wanna Do” with pop star Keizo Nakanishi. In 1998, back in the US, she recorded the song “Reflection” for Disney’s Mulan, helping her land an agreement with recording label RCA. She gained a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song for a Motion Picture and was also nominated for an ALMA Award for Outstanding Performance of a Song for a Feature Film.

In 1999, she released her self-titled debut album “Christina Aguilera”, which soon climbed on the top charts. The album, which included the popular single “Genie in a Bottle,” sold 8 million copies in the US and over 12 million copies overseas.

In 2000, she honored her Latin roots, recording her first Spanish album, “Mi Reflejo”. The album included Spanish versions from her English debut and new Spanish tunes as well.
That same year Christina released “What a Girl Wants,” which was the first number one single of the year; leading her to perform at the White House Christmas gala and the Super Bowl halftime show, and won a Grammy for Best New Artist. “I Turn to You” and “Come on Over Baby (All I Want Is You)” also became hits.

In 2001, Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, and Pink recorded Patti LaBelle’s 1975 version of the single “Lady Marmalade,” included on the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. The song was an instant hit, and its video was named MTV’s Video of the Year in 2001. All four performers won Grammy Award for “Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals”. In addition, she released the album “Just Be Free”, which featured tracks of Aguilera when she was around fifteen years old.

In early 2002, she started a relationship with music marketing executive Jordan Bratman. The couple announced their engagement in February 2005, and tied the knot on November 19, 2005, in the Napa Valley.

In 2002, she released the album “Stripped,” which remarked Christina’s sexiest side. Although it reaped good critics, it generated controversy, particularly after the release of the music video for “Dirrty”. She appeared topless on the cover of the album and was featured naked for a fall issue of Rolling Stone.
Her second single titled ”Beautiful” showed a sweet side of the songstress, and became a big success on the radio and made her win another Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

In May 2003, Aguilera acted in the Wango Tango concert series where she played a number of chat-toppers, including “Beautiful”, “Fighter” and a “Dirrty” remake, especially produced for her forthcoming tour with Justin Timberlake

In 2004, she explored new ventures and officially released a perfume called, Xpose, which has only been available in some parts of Europe. In the same year, she released two singles: “Car Wash” and “Tilt Ya Head Back”.

In late 2005, Christina played at “Unite of the Stars”, a charity gala in aid of Unite Against Hunger in Johannesburg, South Africa, with artists such as Diana Ross and Westlife. She also performed at the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund at the Coca-Cola Dome in November

In 2006, she appeared in a Pepsi ad together with Lebanese singer Elissa and Korean pop singer Rain. The commercial aired during the 2006 World Cup. In May of that year, she went nude in GQ magazine with a Marilyn Monroe stylish.

Her third album entitled, “Back to Basics”, arrived retailers on August 15. The lead single “Ain’t No Other Man” quickly became a big hit, reaching #2 on the United World Chart, #6 in the U.S., and the top 5 in Europe. She called the double CD as “a throwback to the 20s, 30s, and 40s-style jazz, blues, and feel-good soul music, but with a modern twist.”

In January 2007, she was voted the 19th wealthiest woman in entertainment by Forbes, with earnings of $60 million dollars. That same year, She played Steppin’ Out With My Baby with Tony Bennett live on the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 16. Moreover, the Saturday Night Live episode in which Aguilera appeared as musical guest won an Emmy.