Christina Aguilera "Candyman (Single & Video)"

"Candyman" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from the second disc of her fifth studio album, Back to Basics (2006). "Candyman" was planned to be released as the second single from Back to Basics; however, RCA Records decided to release "Hurt" instead. Subsequently, the track was released on February 20, 2007, as the third single from the album. "Candyman" is described as a pop and jazz song that imitates swing music whose lyrics are about sexual intercourse.

"Candyman" received praise for its musical style while some criticized its sexual content. Commercially, the single peaked within the top 10 in Australia, Canada, Hungary, New Zealand and Romania, as well as the top 20 in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling one million copies in the country. "Candyman" is also certified Gold in seven additional countries.

A music video for the song was co-directed by Matthew Rolston and Aguilera herself. The video received an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Direction at the 2007 award ceremony. The single achieved a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2008 ceremony. The song was on the setlist of Aguilera's Back to Basics Tour (2006–2008) and has been covered by Alexandra Burke and the Glee cast.

"Candyman" was described as a pop song by Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly; Stylus Magazine's Thomas Inskeep opined that it imitated swing music, while Joan Anderman from The Boston Globe commented that Perry and Aguilera attempted to modernize early 20th century pop and blues "only to end up imitating the Andrews Sisters," and Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani characterized the song as standard jazz and blues. "Candyman" is composed on the key of E major. The song has a moderate tempo of 172 beats per minute. Aguilera's vocals on the song span two octaves from the low-note of G3 to the high-note of G5. The song opens and concludes with the lyrics, "Tarzan and Jane were swingin' on a vine / Sippin' from a bottle of vodka double-wine", which was credited as a sample used from "Tarzan & Jane Swingin' on a Vine" from Run To Cadence With U.S. Marines. Lyrically, "Candyman" talks about sexual intercourse; Jenny Eliscu for Rolling Stone quoted the lyrics "He's a one-stop shop / Makes the panties drop" and deemed it "nasty". Sputnikmusic's Amanda Murray described its lyrics as "dumb and cheekily vulgar".

Jim McMillen played the trombone, while Ray Herrmann and Glen Berger performed the saxophone, and Chris Tedesco played the trumpet. Perry also played the piano, mellotron, bass, and served as the musical director. Nathan Wetherington played the drums. According to Aguilera and Perry, the song was a tribute to the Andrews Sisters' song, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy".

The music video for "Candyman" was filmed on January 28, 2007, in an airport hangar in Southern California. It was directed by Matthew Rolston and co-directed by Aguilera. The video is based on the 1940s World War II theme. In most of the music video, she dances and sings in three different hair colors: red, blonde and brown, as if she were in a singing trio, a tribute to The Andrews Sisters. In other shots she appears as the famous biceps-flexing factory worker from Westinghouse's "We Can Do It!" poster and as pin-up girls Judy Garland, Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth. The video also features product placement for Campari. Benji Schwimmer, 2006 winner of the American dancing competition So You Think You Can Dance, makes a cameo appearance as Aguilera's GI dance partner. Benji's sister Lacey Schwimmer also appears in the video as a jitterbugger. Aguilera asked Rolston to co-direct the video with her after he worked with her for a photo shoot for the cover of Rolling Stone. Shooting the sequences of Aguilera as a singing trio took the longest since they had to be shot for each hair color and camera angle, which was computer-controlled for precision. Choreography was carefully arranged so that none of the versions overlapped and the takes could be spliced together. The clip's color scheme is based on Technicolor films, focusing on primary colors and bright secondary colors.

Sal Cinquemani for Slant Magazine praised it as the best video for a song from Back to Basics. John Montgomery for MTV News commented on Aguilera's "bad girl" image, writing "though Aguilera's mostly going for glam here, she's also plenty bad, too, swinging her way into some servicemen's heart, coyly sipping on a milkshake and shaking it so hard your even your grandpa had to notice." The video brought Aguilera and Rolston an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Direction at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, but lost to Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around... Comes Around".

Track listings and formats

Digital download

1. "Candyman" – 3:14

CD single

1. "Candyman" – 3:14
2. "Hurt" (Snowflake Mix) – 4:05

France maxi single

1. "Candyman" – 3:14
2. "Hurt" (Snowflake Radio Mix) – 4:05

Christina Aguilera "Back To Basics"

Back to Basics is the fifth studio album by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on August 9, 2006, in the United States through RCA Records as a double album. Serving as executive producer, she enlisted a wide range of producers, including DJ Premier, Rich Harrison, Rob Lewis, Mark Ronson, and Linda Perry. Recording sessions took place between 2005 and 2006 at several studios in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Inspired by Aguilera's 1920s–1950s idols, including Billie Holiday, Otis Redding, Etta James, and Ella Fitzgerald, Back to Basics was described by Aguilera herself as a fusion of old-school jazz and soul inspirations with a modernized style. Primarily a pop and R&B record, its first disc juxtaposes rhythm and blues with hip hop and urban elements with most songs employing samples, while the second contains all original tracks with the exception of "Candyman", which samples "Tarzan & Jane Swingin' on a Vine". Lyrically, the album is inspired by Aguilera's previous life events including her marriage with Jordan Bratman in 2005.

To portray a new persona, Aguilera adopted her new alter ego Baby Jane and made several changes to her public appearance, inspired by classic Hollywood actresses. She promoted the album by performing at events like the 2006 MTV Movie Awards, the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards and the 49th Annual Grammy Awards. It was further promoted with Back to Basics Tour, which visited countries in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and Middle East from late 2006 until late 2008. Back to Basics spawned three international singles: "Ain't No Other Man", "Hurt" and "Candyman"; "Slow Down Baby" was only released as a single in Australia, while "Oh Mother" was only released as a single in several European countries.

Back to Basics received favorable reviews from music critics, who complimented its musical diversity from Aguilera's previous albums while there were others who criticized its length. The album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album, and its lead single "Ain't No Other Man" won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards (2007). It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 346,000 copies. Back to Basics achieved similar success internationally, reaching the top of the charts in over fifteen countries including Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and United Kingdom. The album has sold 1.7 million copies in the United States, and over five million worldwide, as of November 2013.

At the 46th Annual Grammy Awards on February 8, 2004, Aguilera announced that she was going to work on a follow-up album to Stripped (2002). She stated her main idea for the project was to "evolve as an artist and a visionary", which was taken from a poem she wrote during The Stripped Tour (2003). In an interview with Billboard magazine, Aguilera expressed dissatisfaction with contemporary music, as technology "has advanced itself so anybody can be a singer". Thus, Aguilera took musical inspirations from old-school jazz, blues and soul records performed by her 1920s–1950s idols, including Billie Holiday, Otis Redding, Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald, which she viewed as "music that really had heart". The singer stated that her love for retro music was born when she was a child—her mother and grandmother took her to the old vinyl stores in Pittsburgh. According to Aguilera, Back to Basics was meant to pay "homage and utmost respect" to some of her favorite musicians.

For Back to Basics, Aguilera decided to portray her different image and persona from her previous stage name Xtina by adopting a new alter ego called Baby Jane, named after a character of the film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). She also changed her public appearance as she removed her piercings, and dyed her hair platinum blonde, inspired by classic Hollywood movie stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, Carole Lombard and Greta Garbo.

The album's cover artwork was taken by German photographer Ellen von Unwerth during three days; on the first and second days, the photos were shot at the Hollywood Dell hotel. Aguilera and von Unwerth moved to Forty Deuce in Hollywood to take images inspired by 1920s burlesque clubs on the last day of the session. The album's cover artwork was revealed in late June 2006, featuring Aguilera with bright red lipstick and curly blonde hair dressed in white and lounging on a bed. Greg Kot from The Baltimore Sun labelled the cover artwork as "a classy retro look, a sign that [Aguilera] is ready for her close-up as the leading lady of the teen brat pack that emerged in the late '90s". It also received criticism for being too similar to the artwork of Madonna's sixth studio album, Bedtime Stories (1994).

In mid-2006, Virgin Media reported that Back to Basics would be released on August 14, 2006. TMZ later reported that Back to Basics was planned to be released on August 15, 2006 in the United States. The album was leaked in full on August 3.

Track listing

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Back to Basics.

Back to Basics – Standard edition (disc one)

1. "Intro (Back to Basics)" 1:47
2. "Makes Me Wanna Pray" (featuring Steve Winwood) 4:10
3. "Back in the Day" 4:13
4. "Ain't No Other Man" 3:49
5. "Understand" 3:46
6. "Slow Down Baby" 3:29
7. "Oh Mother" 3:47
8. "F.U.S.S." (Interlude) 2:21
9. "On Our Way"   3:37
10. "Without You" 3:57
11. "Still Dirrty" 3:46
12. "Here to Stay"    3:20
13. "Thank You (Dedication to Fans...)" 4:59

Total length: 46:55

Back to Basics – Standard edition (disc two)

1. "Enter the Circus" 1:42
2. "Welcome" 2:43
3. "Candyman" 3:14
4. "Nasty Naughty Boy" 4:45
5. "I Got Trouble" 3:42
6. "Hurt" 4:03
7. "Mercy on Me" 4:33
8. "Save Me from Myself" 3:13
9. "The Right Man" 3:51

Total length: 31:47

Back to Basics – Physical edition (bonus video)

1. "Back to Basics" 10:07

Total length: 41:54

Sampling credits

• "Intro (Back to Basics)" contains a sample of "The Thrill Is Gone (Live)", as performed by B.B. King, The Crusaders and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
• "Makes Me Wanna Pray" contains a sample from "Glad", as performed by Traffic.
• "Back in the Day" contains samples from "Charley", as performed by Don Costa Orchestra, and "Troglodyte", as performed by The Jimmy Castor Bunch.
• "Ain't No Other Man" contains samples from "Happy Skippy Moon Strut", as performed by Moon People, and "The Cissy's Thang", as performed by The Soul Seven.
• "Understand" contains a sample from "Nearer to You", as performed by Betty Harris.
• "Slow Down Baby" contains samples from "Window Raisin' Granny", as performed by Gladys Knight & the Pips and "So Seductive", as performed by Tony Yayo.
• "Oh Mother" contains a sample from "Vois Sur Ton Chemin", written by Bruno Coulais and Christopher Barratler.
• "On Our Way" contains a sample from "Sentimentale", as performed by Claude Bolling.
• "Here to Stay" contains a sample from "The Best Thing You Ever Had", as performed by Candi Staton.
• "Thank You (Dedication to Fans...)" contains samples from "Can't Hold Us Down" and "Genie in a Bottle", as performed by Aguilera, and "Think Big", as performed by Pudgie the Fat Bastard featuring The Notorious B.I.G. The track also features fan club recordings by Shane Burrows, Jessica Cavanaugh, She-Tara Franklin, Michael Holmin, Warren Keller, Antoinette Litte, Gustavo Medina, Sarah Anne Moore, Joshua Pospisil, Cory Steale, Durant Searcy, Samantha Silver, Tammy Simpson and Shanna Nicole Wiles.
• "Candyman" contains a sample from "Tarzan & Jane Swingin' on a Vine" from Run to Cadence with U.S. Marines.

Jordan Laws – mixing assistant

Brian Gardner – mastering

Oscar Ramirez – engineer

Charles Martin Roane – engineer

Kristofer Kaufman – assistant engineer

Alan Mason – assistant engineer

Chris Wonzer – assistant engineer

Kwamé – management of production of sound

Rich Harrison – management of production of sound

Mark Ronson – management of production of sound, engineer

Big Tank – management of production of sound

Q – management of production of sound

Ellen von Unwerth – photography

Christina Aguilera "Mi Reflejo"

Mi Reflejo (English: My Reflection) is the second studio album and first Spanish-language album by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on September 12, 2000, as a joint effort between RCA Records and BMG U.S. Latin. After the commercial success of her debut studio album effort, Christina Aguilera (1999), Aguilera recorded her follow-up project during 2000. It includes five Spanish-language versions of tracks from her previous album, in addition to four original compositions and two cover songs. The tracks were adapted and composed by Rudy Pérez who also produced the album.

In the United States, Mi Reflejo peaked at number-one on the Billboard Top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums charts where it spent 19 weeks at the top of both charts, becoming one of the longest albums to chart at number one. The album was the best-selling Latin pop album of 2000 and was certified 6× Platinum (Latin field) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It reached number two in Argentina and Uruguay, as well as number five in Mexico, and has sold 2.2 million copies worldwide.

Upon its release, Mi Reflejo received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who noted musical similarities to Christina Aguilera. Despite this, the album achieved success, with Aguilera receiving the Latin Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Album and two Billboard Latin Music Awards. Three singles were released from the album: "Ven Conmigo (Solamente Tú)", "Pero Me Acuerdo de Ti" and "Falsas Esperanzas". To promote the album, Aguilera extended her tour, Christina Aguilera in Concert, into 2001 for eight more dates and performed at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards.

According to her manager Steve Kurtz, Aguilera expressed interest in recording a Spanish-language album before she recorded her debut studio album Christina Aguilera.[6] At the time, Aguilera was simultaneously touring to promote her debut album and recording a Christmas album My Kind of Christmas, released later in 2000. Mi Reflejo was intended to be titled Latin Lover Girl; the title's origin came from the Spanish version of the song "Reflection", which Aguilera recorded for the soundtrack to Mulan.

"My message, as in all my music, stands for being fearless to explore who you are. It's never too late to open a new door. Although it's scary to dive into territory that isn't your first language, it still doesn't erase who I am and how I want to express myself in all aspects of what intrigues and inspires me."

— Aguilera about embracing her Ecuadorian roots with Mi Reflejo

In 1999, she began recording in Miami with Cuban-American producer Rudy Pérez. He co-wrote the songs "Si No Te Hubiera Conocido", "Cuando No es Contigo", and "El Beso Del Final". He also composed the Spanish versions of "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" ("Ven Conmigo (Solamente Tú)"), "Genie in a Bottle" ("Genio Atrapado"), "I Turn to You" ("Por Siempre Tú"), "What a Girl Wants" ("Una Mujer"), and "Reflection" ("Mi Reflejo"). Aguilera covers Perez's song "Pero Me Acuerdo de Ti", which was originally performed by Puerto Rican singer Lourdes Robles on her album Definitivamente (1991). Pérez stated that Aguilera did not know any Spanish while recording; he remedied the problem by phonetically writing out lyrics and included a system that allowed Aguilera to pronounce the "r's" in the songs. Mi Reflejo features a cover of César Portillo de la Luz's bolero "Contigo En La Distancia". Additionally, Aguilera made a duet with Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi on the ballad "Si No Te Hubiera Conocido". Aguilera wanted Fonsi to perform a duet with her because she felt that she could relate to him as they "grew up listening to the same things". "Cuando No es Contigo" is an uptempo salsa song which was arranged by Sergio George. "Falsas Esperanzas" is another uptempo song in the album which features Cuban musician Paquito Hechevarria performing the piano.

Track listing

1. "Genio Atrapado" 3:37
2. "Falsas Esperanzas" 2:57
3. "El Beso del Final" 4:41
4. "Pero Me Acuerdo de Ti" 4:26
5. "Ven Conmigo (Solamente Tú)" 3:11
6. "Si No Te Hubiera Conocido" (duet with Luis Fonsi) 4:50
7. "Contigo en la Distancia" 3:44
8. "Cuando No es Contigo"  4:10
9. "Por Siempre Tú" 4:05
10. "Una Mujer" 3:14
11. "Mi Reflejo" 3:33

Total length: 42:35

Producer: Rudy Pérez

Executive producers: Ron Fair, Diane Warren

Engineers: Paul Arnold, Bob Brockman, Mario DeJesús, Mike Greene, Mario Lucy, Joel Numa, Paul Rein, Michael C. Ross, Bruce Weeden

Assistant engineers: Tom Bender, Michael Huff

Mixing: Mike Couzzi, Mick Guzauski, Peter Mokran, Dave Way, Bruce Weeden

Programming: Rudy Perez, Guy Roche, Michael C. Ross

Drum programming: Rudy Perez

Percussion programming: Rudy Pérez

Arrangers: Rudy Perez, Ed Calle, David Frank, Sergio George, Ron Harris

vocal arrangement: Ron Fair

String arrangements: Gary Lindsay, Rudy Pérez

Vocal arrangement: Rudy Pérez

Orchestration: Matthew Wilder, Aaron Zigman

Christina Aguilera "Genie In A Bottle (Single & Video)"

"Genie in a Bottle" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her self-titled debut studio album (1999). It was written by Pam Sheyne, Steve Kipner and David Frank, and produced by Kipner and Frank. The song was released on May 11, 1999, by RCA Records as the album's lead single. It is a teen pop and dance-pop song which incorporates elements from R&B. Lyrically, "Genie in a Bottle" uses sexual references to talk about the theme of self-respect.

"Genie in a Bottle" received generally favorable reviews from contemporary music critics, most of whom praised the song's lyrics and Aguilera's vocals on the track. It was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards. The single achieved commercial success, peaking atop the record charts of 21 countries. In the United States, the song peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having sold more than 2 million copies in the country.

A music video for "Genie in a Bottle" was directed by Diane Martel and shot in Malibu, California. The video was well received by media outlets and gained a lot of play on music channels including VH1, BET and was featured heavily on the MTV program Total Request Live. "Genie in a Bottle" has been widely recognized as one of Aguilera's signature songs, and was credited with establishing her name in the music industry as well as playing a huge part in teen pop culture. A Spanish version of the song titled "Genio Atrapado" was included on Mi Reflejo (2000), and the electropop remake "Genie 2.0" was included on Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits (2008).

After receiving notification that the final season of The New Mickey Mouse Club (1993–94) would air, cast member Aguilera became determined to release her debut studio album during her senior year in high school. She began recording sessions with producers Roberts Alleca and Michael Brown, but was displeased with the pace of her developing career. Despite being offered free studio time with Alleca and Brown, Aguilera ventured to Japan in an effort to boost her career. While there, the pair offered her the opportunity to collaborate with Japanese pop star Keizo Nakanishi on the track "All I Wanna Do" (1994), though the project failed to achieve commercial success. As her international successes broadened, Aguilera caught the attention of future manager Steve Kurtz; she had previously had a verbal agreement with Ruth Inniss, which was never later formalized.

Kurtz spent much of his time devoted to finding Aguilera a record deal, sending demos to multiple companies. Just as communications with RCA Records began, she was offered the chance to record "Reflection", the theme song for the 1998 Disney film Mulan. Its success landed her a multi-album recording contract. RCA's financial state prevented them from contending with major labels at the time. In an attempt to encourage Aguilera to sign with them and maintain the hype surrounding "Reflection", they offered to record and release her debut studio album by January 1999, though such an arrangement ultimately failed to happen. Originally, Aguilera "wasn't too crazy" about the demo recording for "Genie in a Bottle", though she eventually became "proud" of the end result. RCA executive Ron Fair sympathized with her reaction to the release and inclusion of the track, finding that the marketing decision would be to release a "sugar candy" number one single, something that was not necessarily a "great song" so that her career could strengthen.

EMI executive Carla Ondrasik introduced two of her most prominent songwriters, David Frank and Steve Kipner. They began working together, and later collaborated with writer Pamela Sheyne. The evening before their songwriting appointment, Frank awoke with an idea for a song which consisted of an eight-bar loop with "a lot of different changes". When presenting the track to Sheyne, she performed the lyrics "If you want to be with me", which Frank liked. The three writers continued adding lyrics to a "really fast" writing session; they agreed that intellect was an afterthought, with the main intention to create a "hit song". They agreed a female should serve as the lead singer, at which point Frank recommended that Aguilera record the track.

Aguilera contributed a spoken hook for the song, commenting that there "wasn't enough time" between the Mulan soundtrack and Christina Aguilera recording sessions for her to provide lyrical offerings. She later claimed that she had a substantial role in the track's production, stating that she adjusted instruments and lyrics after being displeased with its "rough beginnings". Originally presented as "If You Want to Be With Me", Aguilera's management suggested the final name "Genie in a Bottle". The title was conceived to present an Arabian theme, which the label felt they could market with beaded jewelry and clothing to develop the record's theme. Prior to being recorded by Aguilera, the track received much interest from the writers of the up-and-coming girl group Innosense, who felt that the band was more likely to make the song a hit. However, after RCA Records executive Ron Fair pushed for the track, the writers allowed Aguilera to record the track, and had "no doubt" she was the right performer after she completed the recording.

The music video accompanying the track was directed by Diane Martel in April 1999, who had previously worked on Mariah Carey's "Dreamlover", and was shot in Malibu with surroundings of a beach and a wooden beach house. "I was out on the sand, greased up in, like, baby oil in shorts and a little cut-off top" she recalled, during the video, scenes saw her and others surrounding a campfire and despite this Aguilera recalled the video shoot was "freezing" with crew members all wearing large coats to keep them warm from the cold which Aguilera was struggling with. In most scenes of the video, Aguilera sings and performs a "genie" inspired choreography with her male dancers in front of the beach. As the video advances, the guys (with Christina's love interest in there) join the beach party. Near the end of the video, all the teens go outside and hang out around a bonfire.

Analyzing the video, A Star Is Made author Pier Dominquez said:

The lighting of the video prominently featured Christina's golden tresses as her best feature, although the singer herself was rather obscured by the dark shadows, suggesting that the record company still did not know what to do with the singer's image. The choreography featured Christina, wearing orange pants and a beaded blouse, with her dance troop behind her, simulating a genie coming out of the bottle. It was filled with symbolism and her dancing was incredible.

It received heavy rotation on VH1 and BET and reached top position on the MTV's chart of most played videos.

Track listings

US CD and cassette single

1. "Genie in a Bottle" – 3:36
2. "Blessed" – 3:06

German maxi single

1. "Genie in a Bottle" – 3:36
2. "We're a Miracle" – 4:09
3. "Don't Make Me Love You" – 4:15

Christina Aguilera "Christina Aguilera"

Christina Aguilera is the debut studio album by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on August 24, 1999, by RCA Records. After recording "Reflection", the theme song for the 1998 Disney film Mulan, RCA laid the foundation for the album immediately and started presenting Aguilera with tracks for her debut album, which they originally decided would have a January 1999 release. Its music incorporates dance-pop and teen pop genres, with a few songs featuring strong elements from soul and contemporary R&B. Contributions to the album's production came from a wide range of producers, including David Frank, Ron Fair, Guy Roche, Robin Thicke, Diane Warren, Matthew Wilder and Aaron Zigman.

The album received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising Aguilera's vocal performance, technique and comparisons towards Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. It was later included on the List of 200 Definitive Albums in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 253,000 copies. The album was certified octuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold over nine million copies in the US and is one of the best-selling female albums. It remains Aguilera's best-selling album, with sales of over 14 million copies worldwide. The album earned Aguilera the Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards.

The album spawned four hit singles; "Genie in a Bottle" peaked atop the record charts in 21 countries, including the US Billboard Hot 100, while two subsequent singles, "What a Girl Wants" and "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)", also topped the chart and "I Turn to You" reached number three. Furthermore, Aguilera embarked on her debut headlining concert tour in 2000.

Christina Aguilera approached record label RCA Records, then having financial difficulties, and was told to contact Disney. After being given the opportunity to record the theme to the 1998 film Mulan named "Reflection" it was reported she had gained a record deal with RCA with Aguilera saying "I landed a record deal simultaneously as I landed the Mulan soundtrack. I had just turned seventeen years old, and during the same week, I just landed both. I recorded the Mulan soundtrack first and then a few months later I was out in L.A. recording the record for about six months". When asked about the song and Aguilera, RCA executive Ron Fair commented,

She is a badass genius of singing. She was put on this earth to sing, and I've worked with a lot of singers. ... When Aguilera met with us, she didn't care that she was auditioning for a record deal; she got into a performance zone that you see in artist much more mature than she is.

After she was asked to hit a musical note required for "Reflection", she thought that the song could be the gateway into an album deal. Aguilera spent hours recording a cover of Whitney Houston's "Run to You", which included the note she was asked to hit. After successfully hitting the note, which she called "the note that changed my life", she was given the opportunity to record the song. To record the song, she flew to Los Angeles for roughly a week. Despite growing increasingly exhausted during the recording sessions, when she heard that a 90-piece orchestra would be arriving to record the instrumental she begged to stay and witness the event. She later called the experience "amazing". Due to the success around the recording of "Reflection", RCA wished for Aguilera to record and release an album by September 1998 to maintain the "hype" surrounding her at that time. The label laid the foundation for the album immediately and started presenting Aguilera with tracks for her debut album, which they later decided would have a January 1999 release. "Reflection" was written and produced by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel, whom later co-wrote with Aguilera "We're a Miracle".

Christina Aguilera was released on August 24, 1999, in the United States by RCA Records. Aguilera made many appearances on television shows in order to promote the album, such as The Rosie O'Donnell Show and TRL. Additionally, she performed "Genie in a Bottle" at the 1999 Teen Choice Awards. In December 1999, a full-length home video titled Genie Gets Her Wish was released. The video includes interviews with her from backstage, in the studio and on the road, also featuring Aguilera's rendition of Mel Torme's Yuletide classic "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)". Later on, in 2000, Aguilera performed at the Super Bowl XXXIV as a halftime performer. Aguilera also attended the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, where she and Fred Durst performed together. Aguilera performed "Come on Over Baby (All I Want Is You)", wearing a tight ruby red outfit with black and red streaks in her hair, and near the end, Durst walked onstage and performed part of his band Limp Bizkit's song "Livin' It Up" with Aguilera. After eliciting charged reactions from his fans, Durst stated: "I already told you guys before, I did it all for the nookie, man." Aguilera denied Durst's statement, saying Durst "got no nookie". During late 2000, Aguilera traveled to Brazil to promote the album, where she did many interviews and performances on Brazilian television, including Domingão do Faustão, Programa Raul Gil and Planeta Xuxa.

On April 28, 2000, Aguilera announced her first tour, titled Christina Aguilera in Concert, which commenced on July 31, 2000, and went on to visit 37 cities, with a total of 81 shows. The tour was sponsored by Sears and Levi's. Aguilera released a statement about the tour, saying: "Headlining my own tour means creative control and a high-energy, let-loose show. It's designed with my band and dancers to be a visually exciting mix of my big hits and some special surprises", adding: "Plus, my sponsors, Sears and Levi's, are giving fans lots of ways to get involved with the tour, like exclusive CDs and posters, a chance to win a backstage pass to hang with me and a cause-related program called 'Come On Over and Do Something' that was created specifically for the tour." About the tour's setlist, she claimed: "I'll be doing songs from my debut album. But I've changed so much from doing that at 17, so we'll put a whole new twist on things from my album. ... There will be a lot of blues and soul inflections, which is what I've wanted to do more of for a long time." One feature of the shows she described involved getting the crowd excited with her hit "What a Girl Wants" and then switching to a piano-and-vocal-only song by her idol, blues legend Etta James.

In August 2019, Aguilera announced the re-release of Christina Aguilera in order to commemorate its 20th anniversary. The album was reissued on cassette and picture disc on October 4, while its double-disc special edition (originally released in October 2000) had been made available for digital download and streaming on August 23. Furthermore, the orange-colored vinyl edition was released exclusively at Urban Outfitters on August 23.

Track listing

Christina Aguilera – Standard edition

1. "Genie in a Bottle" 3:36
2. "What a Girl Wants" 3:52
3. "I Turn to You"  4:33
4. "So Emotional" 4:00
5. "Come On Over (All I Want Is You)" 3:09
6. "Reflection" 3:33
7. "Love for All Seasons" 3:59
8. "Somebody's Somebody" 5:02
9. "When You Put Your Hands on Me" 3:35
10. "Blessed" 3:05
11. "Love Will Find a Way" 3:55
12. "Obvious" 4:00

Total length: 46:27

Note: Pressings after the single release of "What a Girl Wants" replace the original 3:52 album version with the 3:35 remix from the music video. The insert does not reflect these changes, with the original lyrics and 3:52 track time still listed. When the album was officially re-released in 2000 to include the new radio version of "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)", the "What a Girl Wants" lyrics and track time remained unchanged in the booklet, despite still using the newer video mix.

Producers: Johan Aberg, David Frank, Ron Harris, Robert Hoffman, Khris Kellow, Steve Kipner, Travon Potts, Paul Rein, Guy Roche, Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken, Robin Thicke, Diane Warren, Matthew Wilder, Aaron Zigman

Executive producer: Ron Fair, Diane Warren

Associate producer: Doreen Dorian

Engineers: Johan Aberg, Paul Arnold, Ali Boudris, David Frank, Dan Garcia, Ron Harris, Mike Hatzinger, Al Hemberger, Phil Kaffel, Steve Kipner, Doc Little, Mario Lucy, Michael C. Ross, Robin Thicke, Aaron Zigman,

Assistant engineers: Tom Bender, Joe Brown, Terri Wong, Christina Aguilera

Mixing: Rob Chiarelli, Jeff Griffin, Mick Guzauski, Tim Lauber, Peter Mokran, Dave Pensado, Robin Thicke, Tommy Vicari, Dave Way

Mixing assistants: Tony Flores, Jeff Griffin, Michael Huff, Tim Lauber

Digital editing: Jeff Griffin, Bill Malina

Mastering: Eddy Schreyer

A&R: Ron Fair, Elisa Yastic

Creative director: Jack Rovner

Programming: Johan Aberg, Airiq Anest, Ron Harris, Khris Kellow, Paul Rein, Guy Roche

Drum programming: Airiq Anest, Robert Hoffman, Khris Kellow

Synthesizer programming: Steve Porcaro

Arrangers: Ron Fair, Sherree Ford-Payne, David Frank, Khris Kellow, Steve Kipner, Travon Potts, Guy Roche, Brock Walsh, Matthew Wilder, Aaron Zigman

Vocal arrangements: Christina Aguilera, David Frank, Steve Kipner, Brock Walsh

Orchestral arrangements: Aaron Zigman