It’s hard to believe that Christina Aguilera turned 40 on 18 December last year. I can clearly remember when Genie in a Bottle was released (and I was totally into it) 21 years ago. Her twenty-something-year career has been punctuated by many highs and lows, though I’d definitely argue there have been more high points. To celebrate her 40th, here are 40 of my personal favourite highlights and memorable moments from her career.
1. Reflection, her debut single from the soundtrack to the Disney film Mulan
2. Genie In A Bottle, the song that catapulted her to stardom
3. What A Girl Wants, a number one single from her debut album
4. Her first Grammy for Best New Artist in 1999
5. Being named the Top Female Pop Act of the Year by Billboard in 2000
6. Her Christmas album, My Kind of Christmas
7. Nobody Wants To Be Lonely, her beautiful ballad with Ricky Martin
8. Lady Marmalade, the massive hit from Moulin Rouge, with Lil’ Kim, Maya and P!nk, which won
a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
9. The Lady Marmalade video which saw Christina embracing her wilder side – and wilder hair, with
her impressively teased tresses
10. Her reinvention and new artistic direction with the Stripped album
11. The controversial Dirrty video, described as “a post-apocalyptic orgy” that included mud
wrestling, boxing, lots of water and what have become the iconic leather chaps
12. The poignant ballad Beautiful which became an anthem championing self-acceptance and love for
the LGBTQ community
13. Receiving a GLAAD Media Award for the Beautiful video
14. The phenomenal video for Fighter, hands down my favourite Christina video, featuring dark
imagery (including Christina in a long black wig and black kimono) and references to the life
cycle of moths
15. The pink flamingo-esque feather dress she wore on the red carpet at the 2003 VMAs
16. Her historic performance of Like a Virgin and Hollywood at the 2003 MTV VMAs in which she
and Britney kissed Her Madgesty, Madonna, during their performance
17. Her 1920s flapper look for the 46th Annual Grammy Awards in 2004
18. The Back to Basics album and her old Hollywood glam look, complete with platinum blonde girls
and red lips
19. Channeling Marilyn Monroe in a white silk gown at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards in 2006
20. Ain’t No Other Man and the appearance of her alter ego "Baby Jane" in the music video
21. Candyman and its World War II-themed music video in which she sports three different hair
colors, red, blonde and brown, and performs as if she were a trio
22. The elegant cream gown with a black bow accent she wore to the 2007 Emmy Awards
23. Not Myself Tonight, a more electronic and experimental track from her underrated album, Bionic
24. The Bionic cover and sleeve art – definitely my favourite album cover in her discography
25. Elastic Love – with its offbeat stationery metaphors
26. I Am, a beautiful and tender ballad from the Bionic album in which she shares her insecurities and
strengths and asks to be loved as she is, flaws and all
27. Her film debut alongside Cher in Burlesque as aspiring dancer, Ali Rose
28. The Burlesque soundtrack
29. Her powerful performance of Ain’t No Way as a tribute to Aretha Franklin at the 53rd Annual
Grammy Awards
30. Her role as a coach on The Voice, which included a win with her protégé Alisan Porter at the end
of season 10
31. Featuring on Moves Like Jagger, Maroon 5’s number one ode to the Rolling Stones frontman
32. Her performance of At Last at Etta James’ funeral in 2012
33. Your Body, an R&B and electropop song in which she expresses her desire to have anonymous sex
34. Just A Fool, a country-tinged duet with another fellow Voice coach Blake Shelton
35. Say Something, the stunning collaboration with A Great Big World (and Christina’s most streamed
song in the UK)
36. The disco banger Telepathy with Nile Rodgers, which featured on the soundtrack of the Netflix
series The Get Down
37. The empowering feminist anthem Fall in Line featuring Demi Lovato
38. The embellished white gown with shoulder pads and attached hood that she wore on the red carpet
at the 2019 American Music Awards
39. Her live performance of Ave Maria at the Kobe & Gigi Bryant Memorial
40. The Xperience residency at Zappos Theater in Las Vegas
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