(PCM) Christina Aguilera has one of the most powerful voices in the music industry, and she’s using her strength as one of America’s biggest stars to stand up for her younger self.
In a recent interview with Billboard, the Voice star takes a trip down memory lane, revealing her struggle to stay thin in the music industry. “During the promotion of my album Stripped [in 2002], I got tired of being a skinny, white girl,” Aguilera says. “I am Ecuadorian but people felt so safe passing me off as a skinny, blue-eyed white girl.”
Gaining weight was not okay for the young pop star, at least in the eyes of her music label. “The next time my label saw me, I was heavier, darker and full of piercings! Let me tell you, that wasn’t an easy pill for them to swallow. I had gained about 15 pounds during promotion and during my Stripped tour. They called this serious emergency meeting about how there was a lot of backlash about my weight. Basically, they told me I would effecta lot of people if I gained weight — the production, musical directors.”
“[They claimed] people I toured with would also miss out if I gained weight because I would sell no records or tickets for my shows. I was young, so I lost the weight quickly and was toothpick thin during Back to Basics promos and touring.”
Now, at 31, Aguilera has a new attitude about her body. “I told them during this Lotus recording, ‘You are working with a fat girl. Know it now and get over it.’ They need a reminder sometimes that I don’t belong to them. It’s my body. My body can’t put anyone in jeopardy of not making money anymore—my body is just not on the table that way anymore.”
She hopes her new album, Lotus – in stores November 13 – will remind fans of her true talent and the real Aguilera. “This album represents a celebration of the new me, and to me the lotus has always represented this unbreakable flower that withstands any harsh weather conditions in its surroundings, that withstands time and remains beautiful and strong throughout the years,” she says.
Credit: Billboard Magazine
