[tyree]

http://www.christina.../new/001_tn.jpg http://www.christina.../new/002_tn.jpg

Christina Aguilera Returns, Her Image Remade

IT'S been three years since Christina Aguilera released her first album, a self-titled disc that sold eight million copies. The album established her as a teen-pop star, a first-rate diva, a sex symbol and, acording to one list, one of the country's worst dressed celebrities. She insists that the long wait for the follow-up album may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. "I wanted to get out
of the spotlight and let people forget a little bit of the old image," she said.

She didn't completely disappear. There was a holiday collection called "My Kind of Christmas," a Spanish-language album called "Mi Reflejo" and a hugely popular single called "Lady Marmalade." Still, Ms. Aguilera says that her new album, "Stripped" (RCA), due out Oct. 29, might surprise her fans — and, for that matter, her detractors. Songs likely to make the final cut include "Can't Hold Us Down," which seems to respond to Eminem's taunts about her sex life, and "I'm O.K.," about wife beating; the first single is "Dirrty," with the rapper Redman.

"The whole vision for this record was to be really raw and real," Ms. Aguilera said, speaking by telephone from Los Angeles. "Just really baring who I really am."

Jane, a mischievous magazine aimed at young women, calls this technique a makeunder — the opposite of a makeover. Every month, the magazine finds a subject and convinces her to wear less makeup and let down her hair. Of course, achieving this new look often requires more sophisticated makeup, a high-maintenance haircut and a battalion of stylists. The subjects learn the same thing Ms. Aguilera is learning: that becoming yourself can be hard work.

Right now, it's makeunder season in pop music. The young singers who rose to fame during the teen-pop boom are scrambling to stay relevant. This fall, 'NSync's lead singer, Justin Timberlake, is to release a solo album that eschews electronic sounds in favor of live instruments. On her most recent album, "Missundaztood," Pink transformed herself into a rock 'n' roll rebel, singing about
family strife and railing against her enemies. Even Britney Spears seems determined to come clean; she recently declared, "Until about a year ago I was trying to fit an image and trying to be someone I wasn't."

Of all these makeunders, Ms. Aguilera's might be the most risky — after such a long absence, she has the most to lose. But Bob Jamieson, chairman of the RCA Music Group, insists he isn't worried. "She has tremendous instinct about who she is," he said. "Artists like Christina are going to be right more than they're going to be wrong."

Ms. Aguilera, 21, spent much of her childhood in Wexford, Pa., a suburb of Pittsburgh. When she was 5, her father, an Ecuador-born Army sergeant named Fausto Aguilera, separated from her mother, Shelly Kearns, a former Spanish translator. (Ms. Kearns remarried in 1992; Ms. Aguilera has a sister, a half-brother, a stepbrother and a stepsister.)

For a time afterward, Ms. Aguilera's life was pretty normal — normal, that is, compared with other teen-pop stars' lives. There were competitions and recitals and auditions; at 12, she earned a spot on "The New Mickey Mouse Club," alongside Ms. Spears and Mr. Timberlake.

Her breakthrough hit was "Reflection," a dreadful ballad from the Disney movie "Mulan," and Ms. Aguilera became a star with "Genie in a Bottle" and "What a Girl Wants," from her debut album — two of the most successful teen-pop singles, and two of the best. The tracks were fast and jittery, and her voice had surprising strength and range; she seemed equally influenced by Ms. Spears, Destiny's Child and Mariah Carey.

With "Mi Reflejo," which consisted largely of Spanish-language versions of songs from her debut album, Ms. Aguilera affiliated herself with the Latin pop upsurge. (She isn't fluent in Spanish, so she learned the lyrics phonetically.) Then, with "Lady Marmalade" — a collaboration with Pink, the R & B singer Mya and the rapper Lil' Kim — Ms. Aguilera received a different kind of makeunder: the video was inspired by "Moulin Rouge," and so were the outfits.

During much of this time, Ms. Aguilera was traveling the world on a marathon tour that she now describes as "hellish." When it was over, she settled in Los Angeles with her boyfriend — "now ex-boyfriend" — and started thinking about a new album. She knew she wanted to move away from her old sound and her "super-clean, cookie-cutter" image.

For any pop star, especially a former teen-pop icon, individualism is a team sport. Like her first album, "Stripped" was created by committee; the difference is that this time, she says, she's running the committee. She helped write the songs and choose the producers, and anyone with old-fashioned ideas about what the album should sound like was quickly left behind. "Certain people didn't get it, and that's why they didn't get songs on the record," she said.

To sound more like herself, Ms. Aguilera emulated her favorite singers. She fearlessly turns names into adjectives — one song has "a Jillscotty vibe," while another is "almost Johnlennony." For "Fighter," with the guest guitarist Dave Navarro, she says she tried to evoke the feeling of "November Rain" by Guns 'n' Roses.

The most brazen example of this strategy is "Dirrty," the collaboration with Redman. If it sounds a bit like the recent Redman hit "Let's Get Dirty (I Can't Get in Da Club)," that's no coincidence. Ms. Aguilera says she called Rockwilder, who produced "Let's Get Dirty," and told him how much she liked the beat. "He made me a track that was very similar," she said. "I almost thought it was too
similar." Then she decided to play up the similarity: she brought in Redman, who delivered a rap that made reference to "Let's Get Dirty" — he even recreated the ape sounds he had made on the original track.

It seems that Ms. Aguilera's biggest influence is one of her contemporaries. Pink was never as popular as Ms. Spears or Ms. Aguilera, but with "Missundaztood," she gave herself an appealing new sound and an appealing new persona — and those are the two things that every former teen-pop star wants. Ms. Aguilera admits to being inspired by "Missundaztood." She was particularly impressed by one of Pink's songwriters. "I wasn't a big fan of the Dallas Austin songs, but I really, really loved the Linda Perry songs," she said. "They had a really personal, real sense about them."

So she did what any ambitious singer would do: she called up Ms. Perry
(formerly of the group 4 Non Blondes) and arranged a studio session. "We just clicked," Ms. Aguilera recalled, and Ms. Perry wrote a number of new songs with her.

Ms. Aguilera's collaboration with Redman links her to Eminem, who has mocked her in his songs by speculating recklessly about her sex life. Two years ago, he teamed up with Redman for a song called "Off the Wall," in which Eminem raps, "Causin' terror to Christina Aguilera/ When I grab her by the hair and drag her across the Sahara."

Although Ms. Aguilera says she and Redman never discussed "Off the Wall," she apparently hasn't forgotten Eminem's attacks. Don't be surprised if much of the discussion about "Stripped" centers on "Can't Hold Us Down," a feminist anthem sung to a hip-hop beat. "Should I be quiet just because I'm a woman?" she asks, and then she berates an unnamed man: "It's sad you only get your name through controversy." Soon, the grudge match has escalated into a battle of the sexes. "The guy gets all the glory, the more he can score/ But the girl do the same thing, you call her a @#%$," she sings.

It's a thrill to hear Ms. Aguilera sounding so indignant. The main problem with her first album was that her tough, virtuosic delivery often didn't match the meek songs she was singing — she didn't really seem like a hopeless romantic, searching "for a love to keep me safe and warm." The new material is more promising because she has vowed to keep the vocal theatrics to a minimum — "It's so not a diva kind of record," she said — while singing songs that hint at a more petulant personality.

This new attitude allows her to experiment with different genres: she has recorded a bluesy duet with Alicia Keys and a terrific rock 'n' roll-inspired track in which she runs her voice through a wah-wah pedal. Like her contemporaries, Ms. Aguilera is going to great lengths to reinvent herself — and not a moment too soon.

Of course, Ms. Aguilera is trying to give her listeners a pleasant surprise, not a nasty shock. The goal is to preserve the catchy tunes and the brassy voice while making the songs a little less sugary. It's a difficult task, but not an impossible one. You might even argue that she has already succeeded, on a track called "A Stroke of Genius," although it was created without her knowledge.

"A Stoke of Genius" turned up on the Internet late last year, credited to a producer known as Freelance Hellraiser. It starts with a taut guitar line and a brisk beat from "Hard to Explain" by the Strokes. Then a strong, beseeching voice sings, "I feel like I've been locked up tight for a century of lonely nights" — it's Ms. Aguilera singing "Genie in a Bottle." As the spliced-together song goes on, the Strokes' anxious beat makes a teen-pop classic sound like an ode to
sexual entrapment. It's still sweet, but now you can taste the alcohol, too.

When asked what she thought of "A Stroke of Genius," Ms. Aguilera paused for a moment and then laughed. "I really, really loved it," she said. "I thought it was #####." And then, only half-joking: "That should have been how I came out with it in the first place!"

[T]

I have a feeling that I won't be liking this new Christina too much. Especially after her VMA's outfit.

[tyree]

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 09-09-02 AT 02:56 PM (EST)]>I have a feeling that I won't be liking this new Christina
>too much. Especially after her VMA's outfit.

What does clothes have to do with anything...............i get sick and tired of people calling me a................um u know for wearing the clothes i wear..................oops i'm getting off track.......um where was i.......uh i think this new cd is going to rock. :7

[T]

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 09-09-02 AT 08:20 PM (EST)]>>I have a feeling that I won't be liking this new Christina
>>too much. Especially after her VMA's outfit.
>
>What does clothes have to do with anything...............i
>get sick and tired of people calling me a................um
>u know for wearing the clothes i wear..................

Defensive aren't we now. Wasn't nobody referring to your stank behind

>oops i'm getting off track.......

Very

um where was i.......uh i think
>this new cd is going to rock. :7

Thats your opinion. I didn't say anything about her voice, just her choice in clothes.

[LilStevieW]

>>>I have a feeling that I won't be liking this new Christina
>>>too much. Especially after her VMA's outfit.
>>
>>What does clothes have to do with anything...............i
>>get sick and tired of people calling me a................um
>>u know for wearing the clothes i wear..................
>
>Defensive aren't we now. Wasn't nobody referring to your
>stank behind
>
>>oops i'm getting off track.......
>
>Very
>
>um where was i.......uh i think
>>this new cd is going to rock. :7
>
>Thats your opinion. I didn't say anything about her voice,
>just her choice in clothes.

LMAO! Get 'em, T! :7

<-- rotfl

[T]

>>>>I have a feeling that I won't be liking this new Christina
>>>>too much. Especially after her VMA's outfit.
>>>
>>>What does clothes have to do with anything...............i
>>>get sick and tired of people calling me a................um
>>>u know for wearing the clothes i wear..................
>>
>>Defensive aren't we now. Wasn't nobody referring to your
>>stank behind
>>
>>>oops i'm getting off track.......
>>
>>Very
>>
>>um where was i.......uh i think
>>>this new cd is going to rock. :7
>>
>>Thats your opinion. I didn't say anything about her voice,
>>just her choice in clothes.
>
>LMAO! Get 'em, T! :7
>
><-- rotfl

tree-heat thinks that he is the only one who can have an opinion. Little does he know that he is the only one whose opinion doesn't mean crap.

[LilStevieW]

>>>>>I have a feeling that I won't be liking this new Christina
>>>>>too much. Especially after her VMA's outfit.
>>>>
>>>>What does clothes have to do with anything...............i
>>>>get sick and tired of people calling me a................um
>>>>u know for wearing the clothes i wear..................
>>>
>>>Defensive aren't we now. Wasn't nobody referring to your
>>>stank behind
>>>
>>>>oops i'm getting off track.......
>>>
>>>Very
>>>
>>>um where was i.......uh i think
>>>>this new cd is going to rock. :7
>>>
>>>Thats your opinion. I didn't say anything about her voice,
>>>just her choice in clothes.
>>
>>LMAO! Get 'em, T! :7
>>
>><-- rotfl
>
>tree-heat thinks that he is the only one who can have an
>opinion. Little does he know that he is the only one whose
>opinion doesn't mean crap.

ROTFLMAO!!

[hey]

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 09-09-02 AT 09:05 PM (EST)]I thought that Christina Uglylera made a bad impression of what to come of her after her appearance at this years VMAs. Her clothes, hair and the way she was talking was just not working for her....next!

[smann87]

>I thought that Christina Uglylera made a bad impression of
>what to come of her after her appearance at this years VMAs.
> Her clothes, hair and the way she was talking was just not
>working for her....next!


I'll pick up her album. I am just feeling the "it".....it sounds goot to me but I can't describe it.

Her dress/looks didn't bug me much at all. But one thing did and I LMAO when watching Comedy Central one week to see someone else notice it and mock it too. They re-aired the Conan show with Janeane Garofalo on it a few days after it's original airing (which I missed) so I caught the re-airing.....and she was FUNNY! She just ranted on the VMAs and then brought up Christina and Justin.....she said "And what was with Christina and Justin? (picks up her two fists and prepares to talk in a New Yorker-accent meets ghetto voice) "The nominees for Best Male Video are...."....."I am so tired...." What is with them? Is this hardware for the Mickey Mouse Club" ROTFLMAO! That just sent me laughing.....





Sean

[hey]

>>I thought that Christina Uglylera made a bad impression of
>>what to come of her after her appearance at this years VMAs.
>> Her clothes, hair and the way she was talking was just not
>>working for her....next!
>
>
>I'll pick up her album. I am just feeling the "it".....it
>sounds goot to me but I can't describe it.
>
>Her dress/looks didn't bug me much at all. But one thing did
>and I LMAO when watching Comedy Central one week to see
>someone else notice it and mock it too. They re-aired the
>Conan show with Janeane Garofalo on it a few days after it's
>original airing (which I missed) so I caught the
>re-airing.....and she was FUNNY! She just ranted on the VMAs
>and then brought up Christina and Justin.....she said "And
>what was with Christina and Justin? (picks up her two fists
>and prepares to talk in a New Yorker-accent meets ghetto
>voice) "The nominees for Best Male Video are...."....."I am
>so tired...." What is with them? Is this hardware for the
>Mickey Mouse Club" ROTFLMAO! That just sent me laughing.....
>
>
>
>
>
> Sean


LMAO, I wanna see that.

I will probably also be picking up her album if and only if (lol sounds like a geometry problem) I like what I hear...I'll have a sneak peak at them listening booths....

[smeckles]

>>I have a feeling that I won't be liking this new Christina
>>too much. Especially after her VMA's outfit.
>
>What does clothes have to do with anything...............

A whole lot....do you remember what Whitney had on during the MJ Special the criticize her for that...How about what Aretha dressed up with when she did that Diva special...she was and still is being joked about that....What you wear and how you carry yourself means a great deal when you have celebrity status.....now if your working at a local merchant what you wear is like who cares.....




http://latinosearch2001.homestead.com/file...les/whitney.jpg

freedom of speech should not be dictated by authority....!

[whfan007]

>"The whole vision for this record was to be really raw and
>real," Ms. Aguilera said, speaking by telephone from Los
>Angeles. "Just really baring who I really am."

A slut? It reminds me of things that Mariah said at one point and then she started taking off her clothes. Looking at Christina's last appearance, it seems to me that she's heading in the same direction. They always say that "now I'm being who I really am" and then they take off their clothes. They could just be more honest and say that they are sluts.

[tyree]

>
>>"The whole vision for this record was to be really raw and
>>real," Ms. Aguilera said, speaking by telephone from Los
>>Angeles. "Just really baring who I really am."
>
>A slut? It reminds me of things that Mariah said at one
>point and then she started taking off her clothes. Looking
>at Christina's last appearance, it seems to me that she's
>heading in the same direction. They always say that "now
>I'm being who I really am" and then they take off their
>clothes. They could just be more honest and say that they
>are sluts.

Shut the hell up, that was a dumb ##### comment. x(

[tyree]

>>>I have a feeling that I won't be liking this new Christina
>>>too much. Especially after her VMA's outfit.
>>
>>What does clothes have to do with anything...............
>
>A whole lot....do you remember what Whitney had on during
>the MJ Special the criticize her for that...How about what
>Aretha dressed up with when she did that Diva special...she
>was and still is being joked about that....What you wear and
>how you carry yourself means a great deal when you have
>celebrity status.....now if your working at a local merchant
>what you wear is like who cares.....

Like i said, what does her clothes have to do with her music?

[whfan007]

>>
>>>"The whole vision for this record was to be really raw and
>>>real," Ms. Aguilera said, speaking by telephone from Los
>>>Angeles. "Just really baring who I really am."
>>
>>A slut? It reminds me of things that Mariah said at one
>>point and then she started taking off her clothes. Looking
>>at Christina's last appearance, it seems to me that she's
>>heading in the same direction. They always say that "now
>>I'm being who I really am" and then they take off their
>>clothes. They could just be more honest and say that they
>>are sluts.
>
>Shut the hell up, that was a dumb ##### comment. x(

? It's not a dumb comment. It's the truth.