We’re saluting one of TGJ’s most popular divas with this week’s From The Vault pick, and we’re taking it back to basics (pun intended).
The year was 1999 and a certain Christina Aguilera was making her grand entrance into the Pop stratosphere; her debut single, the R&B-tinged ‘Genie In A Bottle’, is this week’s selection.
Unleashed as a more mature alternative to then-emerging superstar Britney Spears, Aguilera’s music dealt with themes such as love, lust and sex in a more adventurous and daring manner (albeit still very tongue-in-cheek), as evidenced in this David Frank and Steve Kipner gem.
Managing to hit the Top 10 of every market it’s been released in, ‘Genie’ was Christina’s first of three #1 singles from her eponymous debut on home soil and ended up selling well over 7 million copies worldwide — making it one of the top selling singles of all time.
Director Diane Martel was enlisted to bring the song to life, resulting in a beach-set visual where the vocalist is seen frolicking in the sand, performing the now-classic choreography and attending a bonfire with friends and her love interest.
Still a staple on the music channels that actually play…music , we’re sure we’re not mistaken when we say this one is among the videos that define the “TRL Generation” alongside clips such as ‘Crazy In Love’ by Beyonce, ‘Pop’ by *N’SYNC and Britney’s… Baby One More Time’.
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With Christina sounding as good today as she does on this track (which was released almost 15 years ago), we need her to once again let vocal genie out of the bottle and hit the studio!
Though a super solid effort, the main issue with ‘Lotus’ was timing. Team Xtina -for whichever reason- did not capitalize on the worldwide smash that was ‘Moves Like Jagger’ in the timely way its banner band (Maroon 5) did with cuts such as ‘Payphone’ and ‘One More Night’. Indeed, the campaign for the ‘Your Body’ led set commenced too soon after the success of said song and, depending which reports you believe, was brought to an abrupt halt due to political infighting between respective forces involved with its release.
Now that the ‘Sing For Me’ songstress has her image in check and has returned for a fresh season of ‘The Voice’, the next few months would be the perfect time for “Baby Jane” to give her fans a collection of songs (in a perfect world a LP but why rule out an EP?) that she’ll hopefully promote in earnest. Also, as much as we love seeing her on that spinning chair, we feel she is wasting her time when, with the right setup, sound, and commercial muscle, she could “make the world move” all over again.
Let it out, Christina. Let it out!
SAM PLEASE STOP TRYING TO BRING THESE OLD BASIC B****** BACK TO LIFE!
AUG. 19TH! GODGA COMING TO SLAY!
EVERY KNEE WILL BOW & CONFESS SHE IS POP LORD!
SIPS HENNESSY!
Smh…
I’m XD for gaga too, But there was a life before 2008 you know….. 🙄
Actually Xtina put lady gaga on the f*****’ map if you didn’t know.
LOL what? I’m most definitely not a Gaga fan, but Xtincta didn’t put ANYONE on any map with her barking vocals. Pink is a much better vocalist than Xtincta, and she, unlike Xtincta, still has her voice.
@POP ROYALTY
TRUTH.ORG
@COMMON SENSE
The truth hurts? DEAL WITH IT H**
Oh how the mighty has fallen. Didn’t care for her first album but she slayyed by her second and third. I wish she coulda got better and better but got worse. IMO she should do more collabs on her 6th album if she wants some potential hits. It seems like the only thing keeping the public’s interest in her brand these days. She should also get Sia or Calvin Harris. Her biggest problem lately is poor promotion. Get it together, Chrissy.
She needs to NOT work with Calvin Harris at all.
Bionic > everything Xtina ever recorded
Bionic is in the top 20 of the best albums of the current decade!!!
I think that’s her worst. Too slutty. I liked back to basics and stripped the most.
Too Sluty ?
“Bionic” had more songs beside “Not myself tonight”.
I don’t consider “you Lost me” to be “too sluty” tbh. 🙄
Re-check this album please.
@pop royalty I just didn’t like the music on there. It was bland and songs were stupid and sounded like she thought of majority of them in a day or two.
Back To Basics sounded monotonous, every song sounded like the next!
Bionic had ballads, pop and fun songs.. I still listen to it even today and it still sounds as great… Give it a chance
@Fierce :
Listen to it with a Clear mind and i know you will appreciate it, i know it is too LONG and some songs won’t mix in the first listen, but It is Great.
At least this is My take on it.
GaGa fan talking about slutty when she sang about riding a disco stick? Your favs generic dance tunes don’t come close to Bionic. It is an iconic flop album 🙂 You Lost Me and Lift Me Up >>> GaGa’ entire discography
EACH ALBUM OF XTINA IS A MASTERPIECE!
EACH ONE REPRESENT AN EPIC SOUND.
#PERIOD
Hell no. The GREAT thing about B2B was that it tributed a great classic era in music (the jazz era of the 40’s) and still threw in contemporary modern beats in the sound also. There were a lot of good songs on there. And none of them sounded the same. you would definitely have to have a mature taste to like B2B tho. Bionic was definitely basic and a downgrade. Everything on there sound like she was trying too hard to have a futuristic slutty type of sound that just ended up an annoying pile of mess. Wasn’t my cup of tea. Also I was confused about the specific theme of bionic so it was just a big NO for me. If there were good songs on that album, there would have been more official singles from it. None sounded radio friendly tho.
K.
She needs to do more fun pop music that has depth to it. She needs to learn how to sing in her new voice and know what it can/can’t do. Then, of course, PROMOTE. And move onto the next single and promote that 1. Can’t stand a singer who lives off 1 song and follows up with the next too late (or Kelly with motivation).
Put this Genie back in her bottle. thanks!
Oh and she makes good pop/urban music (dirrty and countless rappers features) that can be the sound but also pop ballads and adult contemporary music. But over all a POP album with rappers and duets with other singers is needed. A cover album would be fun since she’s always be honoring other singers since mmc days or a duets album would be fun. Surprise she hasn’t made a song with justin t or with Britney or beyonce or Kelly k.
She’s amazing…
Give me a deep Aretha/Etta inspired Soulful album then you’ve won me again because you have the potential and the voice tbh
I believe that was Back To Basics circa 2006…
I don’t Like this Song, But I Loooooooove her.
I want her to Just release “Let there be love” with a Killer music video about freedom and well…. she’s allowed to go with the whole “gay marriage/equality” flow in it and cook some controversy and s***, They need to hire me for her as a 2nd job. 😀
I Love her, But just like many of my fav girls now, Is Lost.
IDC though, She’s s***, A Gifted Vocalist, confident and Just awesome. *Plays Back to basics*
I don’t think she ever is gonna release LTBL. She seems like she wants to forget this era all together. She just needs to be dropped by a label to learn a lesson.
Dropped by the label ?
do you know how labels work ? do you know how a contract look like ? Ofc they won’t drop her.
She just need to promote more and to remember she released an album, maybe she released it for the fans, IDK.
I still hope she release “LTBL” because I want this song As a single.
Well, I do know that when you don’t meet a satisfactory sales profit, it could happen. And her first weeks sales were not the business…
It is not all about the first Week sales Buddy, because if this was the case, then gaga could have been dropped After seeing The fame’s first week sales. 😉
Not about the 1st week sales.
But gaga always does well long term.
yeah. b**** can sing alotta genres. mmh… what sells most and fits best image wise? i dunno *shrugs*
Throw this s*** back in the Disney vault and don’t ever try it again
Its sad how people SLEEP on this woman’s talent… TRUST ME: She will be back, very soon and i guarantee you she gets it right this time around…
I hope So, ppl just LOVE to hate on her, But she don’t care.
IDC either, I want new music from her or for her to and Take care of her “Lotus” .
keep dreamin desperate b******, queen ci is in the house runnin that s***
Christina is one of those rare gems who has touched on every genre of music and constantly reinvented herself. All Christina did was grow up. Her music matured everytime time along with her image. How many of your faves can say the same thing?
Aww back when people actually gave a f*** about her.
Too bad people outside of the USA never cared about Taylor and they probably will never do it.
B**** have a f****** seat your fav can bearly push 3 million worldwide Rihanna album sells in the US are horrible gurl
@#Hive stop trolling pretending to be a Hive member when you were exposed calling her floppyonce. We all know you a Nicki stan.
Not a Dicki Garbaj stan coming for someone when that plastic trash h** is a flop and disgrace to music industry. Go buy PF and its 12342345324 reloaded versions and 124434343 singles because she’s been struggling for a while to cross 1.5 million.
Like this song so much!!!! Tbh even more than Bbay One More Time. 🙂 Legend X is amazing. Back To Basics and Stripped are great albums and my fav from her. I don’t care if she flops or not, she has already made her legacy/impact on pop culture and she’s a legend in my heart.
that basic b**** is so done !!! back to basic my foot!!! she’s so fat n basic!!
PS: PIGTINA; T*********, screaming aint singing !
awww shes used to be so adorable now she looks like a chunky drag queen.
She fell off after Back To Basics. It’s pretty unfortunate how she let borderline unknown artists outsell Lotus worldwide tbh.
Even Keyshia cole sells more than xtina these days..
I know. Even The XX sold more (worldwide specifically) and they have no US hits. I don’t even think they had a charting single, mess.
She had potential… Oh well she joins Ciara in the hall of fame for flops now
No matter what anyone says X-Tina. Voice has ALWAYS GOT ME TOGETHER!! She’s a Vocal BEAST!
I don’t get why she is hated by on this , She’s clearly talented , How many times will yall bring up lotus sales ? She clearly didn’t bother with the album.
I DON’T CARE ABOUT WHAT OTHER PPL SAY ABOUT X
Like it or not .. Bionic and Lotus are flops #fact
BUT these two albums are MASTERPIECES and CLASSICS
It’s just about the “promotion” with Xtina
+ the huge competition with the new generation of all these pop corn gimmick attention whores ..
Xtina is one of a kind
She is the only artist of the last two decades that inspires vocally, musically, creatively and imagery
She’s done it all .. y’all know it and have to deal
Period.
She’s already working on a song for her next album with iggy azael..
Gonna be the album that is gonna prove she’s the baddest birch that everybody loves or hate s.
She was so lovely back then, sang so well, her music was cool. Now; trashy whorey looks, wrecked voice from years of abuse and oversinging, music is cheap and tacky.
What a contradiction. She sang so well but now her voice is wrecked?
You obviously don’t speak english.
“Sang” is the past tense of “sing”, PAST, understand?
Her voice is wrecked NOW, it has been wrecked for a couple of years now, actually, but in the late 90’s it was full of potential that she never realized.
Just all you haters wait. All of you Rih, Bey, and Gaga stans think your faves are invincible but pretty soon their “cute” act will be old and they’re going to be the next generation of artists struggling for relevancy. It’s happened to the best of them. Mariah, Janet, Michael, Cher, Aretha, Madonna, Christina, Britney, Usher, the list goes on…The music industry constantly changes every 5 years and all of your faves are getting very close to the beginning of their struggle. It’s not their music gets old, it falls back on the ever changing music industry. Why do you think Rih releases music every year? It’s to keep people interested in her so she can keep on selling. Because we all know the second Rih steps away people will move on and lose interest in her. Taylor Swift’s lil “cute/innocent” act is wearing off quickly and her s*** won’t last forever. All of your faves will eventually be limited to just touring every few years. Nobody will care much for them anymore.
Christina may never re-gain success 100% again but she will always be remember for her voice and versatility in music, image, and endorsements. She has racked up countless accolades and currently sits as a mentor/coach on the #1 rated music competition show. Even if Christina only scores one more successful album as long as she remains in the public eye, her talent will always be the goods to back her up.
All the haters are just mad because when this industry looks back on the career of all their faves, there will be nothing but s** selling gimmicks with no talent who relied solely on controversy for publicity and have no masterpieces to solidify their influence in this industry.
And what “masterpiece” does Christina have? who has she influenced? Danity Kane and Cheetah Girls! LMAO.
And what voice do you speak off? the p**-like grunting and growling does not a voice make. To mentor anybody, one has to be able to do BETTER, and yet many of the people in her team can easily outsing her, and by outsing her I don’t mean screaming louder and oversinging, I mean actually singing well.
“S** selling gimmicks”? LMAO, need I bring up the whole “Stripped” era and her numerous n*** magazine covers talking about her c****** piercings?
Her masterpiece album is Stripped. I re-listened to that album recently and 11 years later it’s still flawless from start to finish.
Oh, and Beautful is her masterpiece.
Genie In A Bottle is a classik 4 sure!!