Christina Aguilera Says She ‘Played it Safe’ for Debut Album

It’s hard to believe that Christina Aguilera has been in the business since she was a child. The Mickey Mouse Club alum’s style and sound have become iconic, but the version of Aguilera fans see today is not who she was introduced as. Fans first met the “Dirrty” singer when she had a squeaky clean girl next door image, which she says she practically hated. But Aguilera says because she was so new to the music industry, she had to play it safe.

Christina Aguilera reveals why her look for her debut album was safe

Aguilera released her self-titled debut album in 1999. The album featured bubble gum pop hits like “Genie In a Bottle,” “What a Girl Wants,” and “Come on Over.” She was immediately put in the ranks of fellow teen pop stars Birtney Spears, Mandy Moore, and Jessica Simpson. But deep down, Aguilera says her image and music were not a reflection of her true self.

While reminiscing about some of her most groundbreaking looks with Vogue Magazine, she said of her debut look: “I was really green and fresh-faced, I call her ‘Baby Christina.’” Though she says she was “excited and grateful” to be recording her first album, she says she didn’t have input on the creative process. 

“I had all of these creative ideas, and I just wanted to be very expressive and over the top, and so this was very playing it safe,” she explained. “I didn’t really have any mobility to have a say yet. So I felt very plain, I remember, on this photoshoot [for the debut album cover]. But thankfully, looking back, that wouldn’t last very long.”

Her debut album was a massive hit, despite her unhappiness with her image

Christina Aguilera debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 in its first week. To date, it remains the singer’s best-selling album, selling over 14 million copies globally. She even took home the coveted Best New Artist award at the Grammys. 

Luckily, her first Spanish album, Mi Reflejo, would be released within a year, and she told Vogue that she was able to be a bit more expressive in her look and unleash her Spanish identity. 

“I had just released ‘Mi Reflejo,’ my first Spanish-Latin album, and I was starting to be able to step out of my shell a little bit,” she said.

Of the creative process for Mi Reflejo, Aguilera says she was “having a little bit of fun and not feeling so boxed in.” Aguilera’s father is from Ecuador. 

The singer broke free with her aesthetic for her sophomore album, Stripped

As she continued to promote her debut albums and other projects, Aguilera began to experiment more with her fashion. She donned a few looks that were considered risque on the red carpet, and she says it was intentional. So when it came time to begin recording her second album, she didn’t hold back.

Stripped was released in 2002. By that time, Aguilera was 22, and debuted a sexier look with dyed hair, darker makeup, bare skin, and body piercings. She admits the moral police were knocking on her front door. But she says it was the freest she’d been thus far in her career. The music reflected such as well, with Aguilera celebrating her womanhood and sexuality on her own terms.