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Profile GeneratorFrom the moment you first place Christina Aguilera's new album Stripped in your CD player, the transformation she has gone through, both as an artist and a person, is evident.Nowadays, Christina Aguilera adorns a collection of slender gold chains around her neck; a Playboy bunny logo charm dangles off one, while another bears a flashy b-girl nameplate reading "X-tina," her nickname. A tiny barbell pierces the skin just below her lower lip - a recent companion to the stud in her left nostril. Gone is the "green and inexperienced" fresh-faced former mouseketeer who sang the readymade ballads and spunky, safe pop of her self-titled debut.True to its title, Stripped, strips away the last remnants of her previous teen idol persona. What's left is a highly personal proclamation of independence and adulthood. The Stripped collection is a melting pot of soul, R&B, rock, hip-hop and Latin influences; a tapestry of songs that are raw, reflective and personal.Yet at the same time, Stripped isn't simply a reaction to the past. "I wanted to explore some of the music that had inspired me coming up," she explains. "I've always been a huge fan of soul. I love real rock & roll and hip-hop, of course, is one of my biggest influences. I wanted it all."The album is the first step of Christina Aguilera's comeback after an eighteen-month hiatus. Initially, Christina Aguilera spent much of her time at her Los Angeles home where she could catch her breath, and reconnect with herself in the process. "So much had happened in such a short time, and not only in my career. I'd gone through a breakup with my first real love and I began realizing that I should be experiencing a bit more of life than TV and recording studios, hotels and green rooms."Christina Aguilera steadily began to fearlessly break free from the mass media mask that hid her true self, and the full scope of her talent. "I felt trapped," she admits. "I was under the thumb of people who were mostly interested in keeping me doing exactly the same thing".However well-intended (and arguably well-deserved) her hiatus was, Christina Aguilera soon found herself unable to resist the lure of a promising creative collaboration. I'm driven," is Christina Aguilera's frank admission. "Even in the midst of touring, I was thinking about what my next album would be, writing bits and pieces of songs in journals and scrapbooks." She soon joined forces with Pink, Mya and Lil' Kim on the smash Lady Marmalade single and video, something which kept her front and centre in the international spotlight even as she began, slowly and steadily, to lay the groundwork for a musical manifesto that would change all the rules. "For a long time, I'd been uncomfortable with the image that had been built around me and my music. It felt like I was pretending, trying to hide the real me, and hurting inside because of it. This time I was determined to step beyond the hype and glitter, to take it back down to the bare necessities. It was like starting all over again."Christina Aguilera set about to achieve what she wanted with a relentless determination and a willingness to stretch her creative boundaries. "I've always thought recording was about attaining perfection," she reveals. "What I discovered making this album is that getting across real feelings is what's important". As much as possible, Christina Aguilera wanted to have the listener right there in the studio with her, sharing what everything that she was really going through.And the first and most formidable challenge for Christina Aguilera was to assemble a supporting cast that, in her words, "weren't influenced by my old image." Recorded over an eighteen-month stretch, with Christina firmly at the helm every step of the way, Stripped slowly but surely took shape, not only as an exercise in breathtaking stylistic diversity but as a resonant and revealing look into the mind and emotions of a young woman on the verge of personal and professional liberation.The twenty new tracks that comprise Stripped, including her sensational first single, Dirrty, showcases an unadorned, unfettered and fearlessly outspoken artist who has liberated herself, her soul and her music on an album that is as much a declaration of independence as it is a convincing demonstration of her fierce and original talent. Says Christina Aguilera of her first single, "I loved 'Let's Get Dirty', so I asked Rockwilder to put something together kind of like that for me." She laughs. "What I got was a little too close, but then I figured, 'Why not?' The track is like an answer song to the original, only from a female point of view."While Dirrty and Get Mine, Get Yours make no bones about celebrating one's libido, Stripped is by no means just a party record. Can't Hold Us Down, featuring Lil' Kim, is a hip-pop feminist anthem about sexual hypocrisy and double standards, a subject that hits closer to home now that she's been taken to task for her in-your-face sexualised imagery. "Can't Hold Us Down" also can be read as an answer to past detractors such as Fred Durst and Eminem, though she said to do so would be "misconstruing the point.""I'm more interested in helping girls stand up for themselves. That's what the song is about - double standards and how we're supposed to look and act a certain way just to please men. If I have any influence as an entertainer, I want to be optimistic and uplifting, to make this world a little better place to live."For Christina Aguilera, it all begins by getting real. "I'm completely excited and I'm not really scared, because this is me," she confidently asserts. "I can't hide. I'm not a puppet. I can't just sit up there and keep doing the same kind of music. It's time for me to explore." And explore she will; up next is a tour with former fellow mouseketeer Justin Timberlake, and a movie if she has her way. If the content of her album is anything to go by, she almost certainly will. And that is by no means a bad thing.A January 2004, ZOO magazine (a Danish men's tabloid magazine) article reported that Aguilera is possibly bisexual. The article quotes her stating in an interview: "I find it hornier looking at women than men. Sorry, I love experimenting with my sexuality. If that means girls, then so be it." The article also reports that Christina enjoys casual sex: "I have casual sex, I love casual sex. But that doesn't mean I'm incapable of keeping my legs together", Aguilera was quoted as saying.Aguilera later decided to embrace a more mature image; this move was met with more praise than criticism, with articles using punch lines such as "From Crass to Class". She eventually dyed her hair cherry-blonde and recorded a jingle, Hello, for a Mercedes-Benz ad, becoming the new face of Mercedes-Benz. Shortly after, she dyed her hair blonde and cut it short, and took on a Marilyn Monroe look; she is believed by many of her fans to be one of the main proponents (along with Gwen Stefani and Ashley Judd) in bringing back the 1920s-1940s Hollywood glamour look.In late summer 2004, Aguilera released two singles. The first, "Car Wash", was a cover of the Rose Royce disco song recorded as a collaboration with rapper Missy Elliott for the soundtrack to the film Shark Tale. The second song is also a collaboration, but this time as a second single from one of Nelly's double-release albums, Sweat, titled "Tilt Ya Head Back". Aguilera copied another legendary look for the video: Marilyn Monroe's. Both singles failed commercially in the U.S., but did considerably better in other parts of the world.She dated Latin dancer Jorge Santos for two years until the relationship ended in September 2001. She began dating music executive Jordan Bratman in late 2002 (Christina has said he is not in the music business, despite what many think). After dating him for almost three years, their engagement was announced in February 2005. They were married on November 19, 2005, in the Napa Valley.She has also shown an interest in becoming an actress throughout her career. Although Aguilera has been offered many projects over the years, she continues to insist that she is looking for a particular role. She is said to prefer ones similar to those played by Angelina Jolie. She still avoids roles that portray herself, or any character resembling her.Aguilera collaborated with Andrea Bocelli on the song "Somos Novios (It's Impossible)" for his album Amore, released in early 2006. The song leaked to the Internet on January 21, 2006.In the March issue of Rolling Stone magazine, it was confirmed that the album title is Back to Basics and she's considering a double-disc album. She also revealed that the album will be released in late-spring. She graced the cover of ELLE UK magazine, confirming her work with Mark Ronson, and P. Diddy. Christina also revealed that she is still looking into movie roles and she plans on getting pregnant within the next 18 months. "I've always wanted to be a young mother", gushed Christina.Promosquad recently released a one minute preview of Christina's new single, "Ain't No Other Man", in their promotional phone survey. No confirmation on the single's release date, however Billboard Magazine confirmed a June release date for Back to Basics via RCA Records.
