Christina Aguilera

Christina María Aguilera, born December 18, 1980, is an American pop singer and songwriter. She was signed to RCA Records after recording "Reflection" for the film Mulan. She came to prominence following her debut album Christina Aguilera (1999), which was a critical and commercial success. A Latin pop album Mi Reflejo, and a Christmas album, My Kind of Christmas, followed during this period and also sold strongly.

Aguilera took creative control over her second studio album Stripped (2002), which received mixed reviews and yet produced good sales. During the album's promotion, her overtly sexual image became the subject of intense criticism and ridicule, although in recent times it has given her respect for promoting independence and female empowerment. Her third studio album Back to Basics (2006) included elements of soul, jazz, and blues music. It was released to substantial sales and positive critical reception. Aguilera's works have earned her numerous awards, most notably five Grammy Awards and sixteen nominations. She has sold over 30 million albums worldwide making her one of the best-selling female singers since 2000.

Aguilera, a spinto soprano, known for her strong vocals and powerful voice, has rivaled many of her other contemporaries and has been referred to as the "voice of her generation." In the MTV special All Eyes on Christina, John Norris said that Aguilera "has a four-octave vocal range." Aguilera has been noted to possess the ability to hit notes in the whistle register. However, she does not use this as much, and prefers to sing more powerful, mid-range notes.Her idols do include Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Billie Holiday and all the rest of the blues ladies. Aguilera also topped COVE's list of 100 Best Pop Vocalist with a score of 50, and came fifth in MTV's 22 Greatest Voices. A review in an Entertainment Weekly article mentions her "tackling that dog-whistle high note" at the 3:20 mark in the song "Soar". The song is track 14 from the album Stripped.

-- Wikipedia