Christina Aguilera biography

Страница: 2/3

Christina Aguilera's breakthrough year in '99 began with her first #1 single 'Genie In A Bottle,' which stayed atop the charts for five consecutive weeks and rocketed the album to #1 upon its release in August 1999. The follow-up single 'What A Girl Wants' reached the coveted first Billboard Hot 100 #1 slot of 2000 (the first #1 hit of the new millenium) and helped to push the album into platinum territory many times over ('Come On Over Baby' became the third #1 from the album later in 2000).

Among other honors, along with stars like Jodie Foster and Aretha Franklin, Christina was named one of the most fascinating women of 1999 on the 'Ladies Home Journal' CBS-TV special earlier this year. Christina also won 1999's Best New Artist at this year's ALMA Awards, the annual event honoring the best in entertainment from the Hispanic-American community. She graced the covers of many national magazines, including Entertainment Weekly, Teen People and Latina and performed as a musical guest on 'Saturday Night Live,' 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,' 'The Rosie O'Donnell Show,' and was the only female guest performer on VHI's 'Men Strike Back.' She also performed on other TV specials such as 'The Essence Awards,' 'Disney Summer Jams,' and 'People Magazines's 25 Hottest Stars Under 25.'

Other highlights for Christina over 1999 included a duet with blues legend BB King and a solo performance of 'The Christmas Song' for President Clinton on TNT's 'Christmas at the White House' TV special. This led to the President asking Christina to sing the first song on his televised Millenium special from Washington. Christina had to decline due to a prior commitment to perform from Times Square in New York on MTV's New Year's Eve broadcast.

Christina's amazing new year of 2000 began with a great duet performance with Enrique Iglesias at the Super Bowl Half Time Show which also featured Phil Collins and Toni Braxton.

What made all her commercial success so much sweeter, were Christina's two Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal performance. In February 2000, Christina's incredible ride to the top reached new heights as Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge and Sara McLaughlan announced that the Grammy for Best New Artist goes to - Christina Aguilera! 'It was an incredible shock for me,' Christina recalls of that amazing night. 'I was completely unprepared. My album had been out the least amount of time compared to everyone else, so I thought there was no way I'd win. But I was overwhelmed, shocked and overjoyed all at the same time.'

As for her national summer 2000 tour, co-sponsored by Sears and Levi's, Christina was equally enthusiastic. 'It was exciting to take my full band and my dancers out on the road,' she says, 'and giving the show an edgy, theatrical vibe. I was in on all the creative aspects of planning the show, of covering new ground, doing more blues, soul, and some spectacular choreography.'

Christina recorded a Spanish language album 'Mi Reflejo' released in fall 2000 and a seasonal album ready in time for the holidays. Said Christina, 'I've always been proud of my Ecuadoran heritage. Recording a Spanish album and working with a great producer like Rudy Perez, gave me a chance to explore my Latin side.' As for the Christmas album, Christina was excited about performing with a 70-piece orchestra and the opportunity to record both new and traditional holiday tracks. 'I did a duet with Dr. John on 'Merry Christmas Baby,' she notes, 'and several new pop Christmas songs with a real R&B edge.'

In March 2001, Christina collaborated with Ricky Martin on 'Nobody Wants To Be Lonely' that peaked at number 11 on Billboard charts, and became a worldwide international hit.

Реферат опубликован: 30/07/2006