(; ) is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music (and/or a music video) using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol or changing color and/or music video images, to guide the singer. In some countries, a karaoke box is called a KTV. It is also a term used by recording engineers translated as "empty track" meaning there is no vocal track.

History

The concept of creating studio recordings that lack the lead vocal has been around for nearly as long as recording itself. Many artists, amateur and professional, perform in situations where a full band/orchestra is either logistically or financially impractical, so they use a "karaoke" recording; they are, however, the original artists. (This is not to be confused with "lip synching," in which a performer mimes to a previously produced studio recording with the lead vocal intact.)

1960s: Development of audio-visual-recording devices

From 1961–1966, the American TV network NBC carried a karaoke-like series, ''Sing Along with Mitch'', featuring host Mitch Miller and a chorus, which superimposed the lyrics to their songs near the bottom of the TV screen for home audience participation. The primary difference between Karaoke and sing-along songs is the absence of the lead vocalist.

Sing-alongs (present since the beginning of singing) fundamentally changed with the introduction of new technology. In the late 1960s and into the 1970s, stored audible materials began to dominate the music recording industry and revolutionized the portability and ease of use of band and instrumental music by musicians and entertainers as the demand for entertainers increased globally. This may have been attributable to the introduction of music cassette tapes, technology that arose from the need to customize music recordings and the desire for a "handy" format that would allow fast and convenient duplication of music and thereby meet the requirements of the entertainers' lifestyles and the 'footloose' character of the entertainment industry.

1971: Development of the karaoke machine

There are various disputes about who first invented the name ''karaoke''. One claim is that the karaoke styled machine was invented by Japanese musician Daisuke Inoue in Kobe, Japan, in 1971. After becoming popular in Japan, karaoke spread by Hideo to East and Southeast Asia during the 1980s and subsequently to other parts of the world.

In Japan, it has long been common to provide musical entertainment at a dinner or a party. Japanese drummer Daisuke Inoue was asked frequently by guests in the Utagoe Kissa, where he performed, to provide a recording of his performance so that they could sing along on a company-sponsored vacation. Realizing the potential for the market, Inoue made a tape recorder that played a song for a 100-yen coin. Instead of giving his karaoke machines away, Inoue leased them out so that stores did not have to buy new songs on their own. Originally, it was considered a somewhat expensive fad, as it lacked the live atmosphere of a real performance and 100 yen in the 1970s was the price of two typical lunches, but it caught on as a popular entertainment. Karaoke machines were initially placed in restaurants and hotel rooms; soon, new businesses called karaoke boxes, with compartmented rooms, became popular. In 2004, Daisuke Inoue was awarded the tongue-in-cheek Ig Nobel Peace Prize for inventing karaoke, "thereby providing an entirely new way for people to learn to tolerate each other."

Filipino patent

Filipino musicians and entertainers immigrating to Japan became a notable trend in 1967, with streams of singers continuing to enter the country well into the 1970s and bringing with them their music. With a knack for improvising gadgets at minimal costs, Filipinos devised solutions that would generate greater revenue at a smaller cost than having a musical band, resulting in the development of 'minus-one music' - a sing-along musical accompaniment recorded on cassette tapes, a singing style that also became prevalent in the Philippines from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. 'Minus-one music' was popular in the Philippines during the first part of this era, where it was synonymously termed 'multiplex music' and recorded on cassette tapes on which both a vocalized and non-vocalized instrumental-only version of the same song were available. Indeed, 'minus-one music' was actually first recorded with the use of cassette tapes and not on the compact disc, which came into existence several years later according to the claims associated with Roberto del Rosario's work.

Roberto del Rosario, a Filipino inventor, who developed a sing along system in 1975 and patented it in the 1980s called his sing-along system "Minus-One", now holds the patent for the device now commonly known as the "karaoke machine". Following a court battle with a Japanese company which claimed to have invented the system, del Rosario's patents were issued in 1983 and 1986, a decade after the device was supposedly invented.

1990s

Karaoke soon spread to the rest of Asia and other countries all over the world. In-home karaoke machines soon followed but lacked success in the US and Canadian markets. When creators became aware of this problem, karaoke machines were no longer being sold strictly for the purpose of karaoke but as home theater systems to enhance television watching to "movie theater like quality". Home theater systems took off, and karaoke went from being the main purpose of the stereo system to a side feature.

As more music became available for karaoke machines, more people within the industry saw karaoke as a profitable form of lounge and nightclub entertainment. It is not uncommon for some bars to have karaoke performances seven nights a week, commonly with high-end sound equipment superior to the small, stand-alone consumer versions. Dance floors and lighting effects are also becoming common sights in karaoke bars. Lyrics are often displayed on multiple TV screens around the bar.

Second patent case

Another company filed a patent infringement case. It was posthumously awarded in favour of Roberto del Rosario under G.R. No. 115106, 15 March 1996 of the Philippine Supreme Court filed on 18 January 1993.

Technology

A basic karaoke machine consists of a music player, microphone inputs, a means of altering the pitch of the played music, and an audio output. Some low-end machines attempt to provide vocal suppression so that one can feed regular songs into the machine and remove the voice of the original singer; however, this is rarely effective. Most common machines are CD+G, Laser Disc, VCD or DVD players with microphone inputs and an audio mixer built in. CD+G players use a special track called subcode to encode the lyrics and pictures displayed on the screen while other formats natively display both audio and video.

Most karaoke machines have technology that electronically changes the pitch of the music so that amateur singers can choose a key that is appropriate for their vocal range, while maintaining the original tempo of the song. (Old systems which used cassettes changed the pitch by altering playback speed, but none are still on the market, and their commercial use is virtually nonexistent.)

A popular game using karaoke is to type in a random number and call up a song, which participants attempt to sing. In some machines, this game is pre-programmed and may be limited to a genre so that they cannot call up an obscure national anthem that none of the participants can sing. This game has come to be called "Kamikaze Karaoke" or "Karaoke Roulette" in some parts of the United States and Canada.

Many low-end entertainment systems have a karaoke mode that attempts to remove the vocal track from regular audio CDs. This is done by center channel extraction, which exploits the fact that in most music the vocals are in the center. This means that the voice, as part of the music, has equal volume on both stereo channels and no phase difference. To get the quasi-karaoke (mono) track, the left channel of the original audio is subtracted from the right channel. The Sega Saturn also has a "mute vocals" feature that is based on the same principle and is also able to adjust the pitch of the song to match the singer's vocal range. This crude approach results in the often-poor performance of voice removal. Common effects are hearing the reverberation of the voice track (due to stereo reverb being put on the vocals); also, other instruments (snare/bass drum, solo instruments) that happen to be mixed into the center get removed, degrading this approach to hardly more than a gimmick in those devices. Recent years have seen the development of new techniques based on the Fast Fourier Transform. Although still not perfect, the results are usually much better than the old technique, because the stereo left-right comparison can be done on individual frequencies.

Early age

Early karaoke machines used cassette tapes, but technological advances replaced this with CDs, VCDs, laserdiscs and, currently, DVDs. In the late 1980s and 1990s, Pioneer Electronics dominated the international karaoke music video market, producing high quality karaoke music videos (inspired by the music videos such as those on MTV).

In 1992, Taito introduced the X2000, which fetched music via a dial-up telephone network. Its repertoire of music and graphics was limited, but its smaller size and the advantage of continuous updates saw it gradually replace traditional machines. Karaoke machines which are connected via fiber-optic links enabling them to provide instant high-quality music and video are becoming increasingly popular.

''Karaoke direct'' is an Internet division established in 1997 been serving the public online since 1998. They released the first karaoke player that supports MP3+G and now the KDX2000 model supporting karaoke in DIVX Format.

Karaoke video games

The earliest karaoke-based music video game, called ''Karaoke Studio'', was released for the Nintendo Famicom in 1985, but its limited computing ability made for a short catalog of songs and therefore reduced replay value. As a result, karaoke games were considered little more than collector's items until they saw release in higher-capacity DVD formats.

''Karaoke Revolution'', created for the PlayStation 2 by Harmonix and released by Konami in North America in 2003, is a console game in which a single player sings along with on-screen guidance and receives a score based on his or her pitch, timing, and rhythm. The game soon spawned several follow-ups including ''Karaoke Revolution Vol. 2'', ''Karaoke Revolution Vol. 3'', ''Karaoke Revolution Party Edition'', ''CMT Presents Karaoke Revolution: Country'' and ''Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol''. While the original ''Karaoke Revolution'' was also eventually released for the Microsoft Xbox console in late 2004, the new online-enabled version included the ability to download additional song packs through the console's exclusive Xbox Live service.

A similar series, ''SingStar'', published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, is particularly popular in the European and Australasian markets. Other music video game titles that involve singing by the player include ''Boogie'' and its sequel ''Boogie SuperStar'', ''Disney Sing It'', ''Get On Da Mic'', ''Guitar Hero World Tour'', ''High School Musical: Sing It!'', ''Lips'', the ''Rock Band'' series, ''SingSong'', ''UltraStar'', and ''Xbox Music Mixer''.

Karaoke VCDs

Many VCD players in Southeast Asia have a built-in karaoke function. On stereo recordings, one speaker will play the music with the vocal track, and the other speaker will play the music without the vocal track. So, to sing karaoke, users play the music-only track through both speakers. In the past, there were only pop-song karaoke VCDs. Nowadays, different types of karaoke VCDs are available. Cantonese opera karaoke VCD is now a big hit among the elderly in Hong Kong.

Karaoke on mobile phones

In 2003, several companies started offering a karaoke service on mobile phones, using a Java MIDlet that runs with a text file containing the words and a MIDI file with the music. This is still a budding service, and it is unclear whether it will become popular; however, some mobile karaoke providers, such as Karaokini, have begun to achieve commercial success.

Researchers have also developed karaoke games for cell phones in order to boost music database training. In 2006, the Interactive Audio Lab at Northwestern University released a game called Karaoke Callout for the Nokia Series 60 phone. The project has since then expanded into a web-based game and will be released soon as an iPhone application.

Karaoke is now available for the iPhone and other playback devices at many internet storefronts.

Karaoke on computers and the Internet

Since 2003, much software has been released for hosting karaoke shows and playing karaoke songs on a personal computer. Instead of having to carry around hundreds of CD-Gs or laserdiscs, KJs can "rip" their entire libraries onto their hard drives and play the songs and lyrics from the computer.

Additionally, new software permits singers to sing and listen to one another over the Internet.

There are many sites that offer Karaoke on the internet, such as Youtube, where people can search for karaoke videos of popular songs.

Karaoke in automobiles

South Korea in the 1990s had taxis with karaoke machines, or "caroke."

Chinese automobile maker Geely Automobile received much press in 2003 for being the first to equip a car, their Beauty Leopard, with a karaoke machine as standard equipment. Europe's first commercial "karaokecab" which was a London TX4 taxi with a karaoke machine inside for occupants of the cab to use to sing whilst in the cab. The idea and installation were made by Richard Harfield of karaokeshop.com and was featured on Channel 4's Big Breakfast and several German TV stations featured the karaokecab. Granada TV also featured the cab, which is now in its 4th vehicle and operates in Bolton, Greater Manchester as Clint's Karaoke Cab. Karaoke is often also found as a feature in aftermarket in-car DVD players.

Karaoke is currently available in London, England in the 'Kabeoke' fleet of private hire vehicles.

Alternative playback devices

The CD+G format of a karaoke disc, which contains the lyrics on a specially encoded subcode track, has heretofore required special—and expensive—equipment to play. Commercial players have come down in price, though, and some unexpected devices (including the Sega Saturn video game console and XBMC Media Center on the Xbox 1) can decode the graphics; in fact, karaoke machines, including video and sometimes recording capability, are often popular electronics items for sale in toy stores and electronics stores.

Additionally, there is software for Windows, Pocket PC, Linux, and Macintosh PCs that can decode and display karaoke song tracks, though usually these must be ripped from the CD first, and possibly compressed.

In addition to CD+G and software-based karaoke, microphone-based karaoke players enjoy popularity mainly in North America and some Asian countries such as the Philippines. Microphone-based karaoke players only need to be connected to a TV—and in some cases to a power outlet; in other cases they run on batteries. These devices often support advanced features, such as pitch correction and special sound effects. Some companies offer karaoke content for paid download to extend the song library in microphone-based karaoke systems.

CD+G, DVD, VCD and microphone-based players are most popular for home use. Due to song selection and quality of recordings, CD+G is the most popular format for English and Spanish. It is also important to note that CD+G has limited graphical capabilities, whereas VCD and DVD usually have a moving picture or video background. VCD and DVD are the most common format for Asian singers due to music availability and largely due to the moving picture/video background.

Karaoke terms

;Jūhachiban : (十八番. also ''ohako''). Many karaoke singers have one song which they are especially good at and which they use to show off their singing abilities. In Japan, this is called ''jūhachiban'' in reference to Kabuki Jūhachiban, the 18 best kabuki plays. ;Karamovie or Movioke : Karaoke using scenes from movies. Amateur actors replace their favorite movie stars in popular movies. Usually facilitated by software or remote control muting and screen blanking/freezing. Karamovie originated in 2003. ;Karaoke jockey or KJ :A karaoke jockey plays and manages the music for a venue. The role of the KJ often includes announcing song titles and whose turn it is to use the microphone.

Hitokara

Singing karaoke alone is called hitokara (ヒトカラ, ヒト ''hito'', "one person" or "alone" and カラ ''kara'', "karaoke") in Japan. Recently this trend has become very popular amongst amateur singers in Japan, also India and China.

Karaoke in culture

Public places for karaoke

Asia

In Asia, a karaoke box is the most popular type of karaoke venue. A karaoke box is a small or medium-sized room containing karaoke equipment rented by the hour or half-hour, providing a more intimate atmosphere. Karaoke venues of this type are often dedicated businesses, some with multiple floors and a variety of amenities including food service, but hotels and business facilities sometimes provide karaoke boxes as well.

In some traditional Chinese restaurants, there are so-called "mahjong-karaoke rooms" where the elderly play mahjong while teenagers sing karaoke. The result is fewer complaints about boredom but more noise. Noise regulations can be an issue, especially when karaoke is brought into residential areas.

In the Philippines, karaoke machines are available for rent for use in occasions such as parties.

Violent reactions to karaoke singing have made headlines in Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, with reports of killings by listeners disturbed by the singing. In the Philippines, at least a half dozen killings of people singing "My Way" caused newspapers there to label the phenomenon "My Way killings"; some bars refuse to allow the song, and some singers refrain from vocalizing it among strangers.

Throughout Asia, karaoke establishments are often fronts for gentlemen's clubs, where businessmen go and pay to have female hosts drink, sing, and dance with them. The Chinese call it KTV, the Koreans call it NRB, and the Japanese call it piano bars.

North America and Europe

A karaoke bar, restaurant, club or lounge is a bar or restaurant that provides karaoke equipment so that people can sing publicly, sometimes on a small stage. Most of these establishments allow patrons to sing for free, with the expectation that sufficient revenue will be made selling food and drink to the singers. Less commonly, the patron wishing to sing must pay a small fee for each song they sing. Both are financially beneficial for the establishment by not having to pay a professional singer or a cabaret tax which is usually applied to any entertainment of more than 1 person.

Many establishments offer karaoke on a weekly schedule, while some have shows every night. Such establishments commonly invest more in both equipment and song discs, and are often extremely popular, with an hour or more wait between a singer's opportunities to take the stage (called the ''rotation'').

Private karaoke rooms, similar to Asia's karaoke boxes, are commonplace in communities such as Toronto, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Throughout much of North America, live band karaoke is also popular. With live band karaoke, singers sing with a live band instead of the prerecorded backing track.

Karaoke in the Philippines

Filipinos are lovers of music and dance moves. Karaoke is one of the most loved activities in the country. Since the Spanish era, evening serenades were a common scene, especially in the provinces, well into the late 1970s. For decades, young people would gather in groups at night singing songs, usually accompanied by a guitar. Nowadays, a karaoke microphone sold as an OEM product has gained popularity. This gadget contains a few hundred built-in songs and can be expanded with extra song chips installed. On certain TV shows, especially variety shows, song lyrics are projected on screen while songs are sung by artists.

Many restaurants and bars in the Philippines, as well as Filipino restaurants and bars abroad, have karaoke machines to allow customers to sing.

Karaoke in South Korea

South Koreans generally use another term - ''노래방'' (Norebang/NRB), which translates into "Song Room". Norebangs typically have a number of private rooms ranging in size from four seats to upwards of thirty.

There are usually two microphones, a book containing the names and artists of the songs, and a remote control for the karaoke machine. The remote controls allow the users to search for songs by name, artist, or country. The song selection available typically includes those from multiple languages.

In South Korea, karaoke is very popular for all ages. According to statistics collected in 2009, there are 35,684 song rooms in Korea with an average of 1.9 million people participating each day.

The pricing varies dependent on the size and location of the room but the average cost ranges from around 10,000￦ to 20,000￦ per hour (1,000￦ = approx. $1 USD).

There are also "Coin Norebang" which translates into "Coin Song Room". The coin norebangs are usually used by teenagers and are usually located in Korean video arcades and can even be found on trains. Instead of paying hourly, the machines allow you to sing one song, upon your selection, with the insertion of a coin (the prices may vary from 200￦ to 500￦).

Most norebangs sell food and alcohol. Also, many adults in South Korea use the norebangs to sober up after drinking.

Karaoke in Taiwan

In Taiwan, karaoke bars similar to those in Japan and Korea are called KTV, short for karaoke television. The biggest KTV chain in Taiwan is Cashbox KTV.

Karaoke in Australia

In Australia, karaoke was gradually popularised in the late 1980s. A number of Filipino migrants brought with them their own 'minus-one' music from cassette music tapes and video tapes purchased mainly in the Philippines. A number of Philippine-imported karaoke units with two cassette drives were used in private households. Video TV tapes, mainly consisted of popular and contemporary songs rendered by Filipino artists, and with a mix of English and Tagalog songs were soon used. Projected lyrics on TV screens became very common as the main source of karaoke renditions. These tapes were soon replaced by CD+Gs, but a plug-n-play karaoke microphone that housed a factory built-in songchip loaded with hundreds of karaoke songs quickly became a favourite. This unit would usually be purchased in the Philippines and brought into Australia, becoming a common household item and is popularly used during gatherings.

In the mid 2000s, a number of karaoke bars sprouted in Sydney with karaoke boxes frequented by Japanese students and tourists and a few locals, especially on Thursday nights and weekends. A number of clubs such as RSL, League Clubs and restaurants and bars mainly feature karaoke nights to entice more customers and to entertain guests.

Karaoke production methods

Karaoke is very popular in Asia, and many artists distribute a karaoke track at the same time the song is released. The most common form of karaoke nowadays is released in MIDI format with on-screen lyrics on a DVD background video.

In Europe and North America, karaoke tracks are almost never done by the original artist, but are re-recorded by other musicians. The world's largest creator of Karaoke tracks, Blank Productions USA, (since 1986), produces between 40 and 60 titles per month, adding to their 25,000 title library, which is licensed to manufacturers and content providers. Karaoke companies like Stingray Digital and Chartbuster select popular songs and release soundalike tracks with lyrics synchronized, most commonly in CD+G format.

Kumyoung and TJ Media, 2 large firms based in South Korea produces digital music (MIDI) contents and manufacture computer music players for the Asian market.

Karaoke contest

Since the rise of karaoke around the world, karaoke contests have been a phenomenon that has entered main stream culture. It gives non-professional singers the opportunity to showcase their talent, win prizes, and at times allow these singers the opportunity to travel around the world. Contest participants are usually rated 50% by customer votes and 50% by judger's votes. Judging may vary depending on the venue and the level of competition. Karaoke World Championship is one of the most popular karaoke contests and has been around since 2003.

The 2011 Karaoke World Championships will take place in Killarney, Ireland in September.

Karaoke in film

Karaoke has been depicted in numerous movies and television shows, including:

Films:

* 1989 film ''When Harry Met Sally'' features a scene where Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan's characters sing "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" from Oklahoma!

* 1989 film ''Black Rain''

* At the start of the 1994 film ''Ladybird, Ladybird''

* 1996 comedy ''The Cable Guy''

* 1997 romantic comedy ''My Best Friend's Wedding''

* 1997 Korean gangster comedy ''No. 3''

* 1998 film ''Orgazmo'' A man is depicted singing karaoke in a sushi bar while no one else is listening, three goons come in and vandalise the bar, in the process knocking over the karaoke machine, the singer then picks it all back up and continues singing.

* Karaoke is central to the 2000 movie ''Duets'', which features a father and daughter competing in karaoke contests

* In the 2001 film ''Jackpot'', an aspiring singer tours karaoke bars hoping to catch his big break as a country star

* 2001 film ''Rush Hour 2'' includes a karaoke performance by Chris Tucker, where he upstages a tone-deaf local in Hong Kong by singing Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"

* 2003 film ''Lost in Translation'' features Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson singing in a Tokyo karaoke box

* Karaoke is the central theme of ''The Karaoke King'', a 2006 independent film

* Karaoke 2009 Malaysian indie film starring Zahiril Adzim

* 2006 film ''High School Musical''

*2009 film (500) Days of Summer

Television shows:

*American television show How I Met Your Mother

*American television show Doogie Howser, M.D.

*American television show Friends Monica sings karaoke at Mike's piano bar. She mistakenly thinks they admire her singing skills, but in fact, they are staring at her very see-through shirt.

* American television show Desperate Housewives

Charmed episode Sense and Sense Ability, from the fifth season of the series, featured Rose McGowan (as Paige) singing "Fever" at Paige's latest boyfriend's piano bar. (Earlier in the show, she lost her voice when she was up on stage.)

* Several episodes of American television series ''Angel'' feature the demonic karaoke bar Caritas, whose proprietor Lorne (Andy Hallett) can read the destiny of the person singing.

All of American actor David Boreanaz's major television roles have involved his character being assaulted (in particular, being shot at) in a karaoke bar.

* ''Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps'' featured Donna singing "Chick Chick Chicken", which was made for the BBC by Zoom Entertainments, a karaoke producer based in Hull, UK.

* One episode of the American show Heroes.

* Don't Forget the Lyrics, a game show in which contestants have to sing 10 songs correctly to win $1,000,000.

*Mai HiME, the titular character Mai Tokiha is a huge fan and the series features an episode with some of the various characters singing as well.

*Azumanga Daioh, during the episode where the characters celebrate Christmas, there is a part where they go to a karaoke club. Osaka sings Time Pavement and Sakaki sings Shin wa Shoujo parashuuto.

*In the second season episode of Beverly Hills 90210, called Cardio Funk, the Peach Pit unsuccessfully ventured into karaoke, when Jim Walsh convinced Peach Pit owner Nat to buy a karaoke machine.

*Glee had an episode whereby the main character Will Shuster sings karaoke with April Rhodes. Karaoke versions of the Glee soundtrack are available on digital downloads.

*In episode 7 of Dream High, Pilsuk and Jason go to a noraebang (Korean karaoke room).

Music Videos:

*The video for Tenacious D's ''Tribute'' features Jack Black and Kyle Gass recording the song inside a karaoke box, though Black rigs the box to put in his own background music.

*Selena Gomez And The Scene's music video for their sixth single, "Love You Like A Love Song" takes place in a Japanese karaoke bar.

World records

Finland holds the record for the largest number of people singing karaoke at one time, for over 80,000 people singing "Hard Rock Hallelujah" on 26 May 2006 in Helsinki after Lordi won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006.

The United Kingdom holds the record for the longest Karaoke marathon with multiple participants for an event organised at The Castle Hotel Tamworth by Tim Wedgwood. It lasted for 781 hours, 31 minutes, between 30 December 2009, and 1 February 2010. Each song was over 3 minutes long and the gap between songs was no longer than 30 seconds. No song was repeated in any 2 hour period.

See also

Same Language Subtitling

Subtitling

Closed Captioning

Surtitles

Powerpoint-Karaoke

Utagoe Kissa

List of English words of Japanese origin

References

External links

Category:Karaoke Category:Japanese culture Category:Japanese entertainment terms Category:Party games Category:Singing Category:Lyrics Category:1970s establishments Category:Japanese inventions

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Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Jessie J
alt	f
background	solo_singer
birth name	Jessica Ellen Cornish
alias	Jessie J
birth date	March 27, 1988
birth place	Chadwell Heath, London, England
genre	R&B;, pop, hip hop, soul
years active	2006–present
label	Lava, Universal Republic, Island, Gut
website
notable instruments	}}

Jessica Ellen Cornish (born on 27 March 1988), better known by her stage name Jessie J, is an English singer-songwriter, currently signed to Island Records. She began her career as a songwriter for artists including Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus. Her debut single, "Do It Like a Dude", was released in November 2010 and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Charts. Follow-up single "Price Tag" reached number one in the United Kingdom, France, Ireland and New Zealand, and reached the top 10 in nineteen other countries. Her debut album, ''Who You Are'', was released in February 2011 and charted at number two on the UK Albums Chart. In February 2011 Jessie J won a BRIT Award, Critics' Choice. It was revealed in October 2011 that Jessie J will be a coach and a mentor on the television show, ''The Voice UK''.

Early life

Jessie J was born Jessica Ellen Cornish in Chadwell Heath, London and was educated at Mayfield High School in the London Borough of Redbridge. She attended Colin's Performing Arts School and as an eleven year old was cast in Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End production of ''Whistle Down the Wind''. Jessie has two sisters, who are five and seven years older than her, who were both head girls at school.

Unlike her academic sisters, Cornish has stated she was "never really that good at anything". She said, "At school they were like 'oh, you're a Cornish girl' and they kind of expected me to be the same as my sisters. Give me something to draw or an outfit to pick for someone, or hair, make-up, acting, write a song, I'm fine with it, but anything to do with sums – it was never my thing." She also said she never based her intelligence on her exam results. She also said she was always good at singing and it was her "thing".

At the age of 16 she began studying at the BRIT School and at 17 she joined a girl group named "Soul Deep". She graduated in the class of 2006 along with singers Adele and Leona Lewis. At 18 she suffered a stroke.

Music career

2006–2009: Career beginnings

Jessie J was signed to Gut Records, recording an album for the label, but the company went bankrupt before any material was released. She then found success as a songwriter, gaining a Sony ATV publishing contract. She was also the support act for Cyndi Lauper during Lauper's UK dates of her 2008 Bring Ya To The Brink tour (Lauper invited J to join her on stage for the performances of Girls Just Want To Have Fun). Jessie has also written lyrics for artists such as Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus, including "Party in the U.S.A.".

Jessie J was also part of a girl band, called 'Soul Deep', for two years, however she left due to thoughts that "it wasn't going anywhere". Despite people thinking that her first notoriety was through YouTube, Jessie was signed for four years before her first video was posted.

Jessie first came to the attention of Lava Records when her publisher at Sony/ATV, Rich Christina, sent Lava president Jason Flom a link to her MySpace page, which the record executive loved. After seeing an impressive U.S. showcase, Lava was, along with several other labels, keen to sign the artist but progress was hampered by her management's insistence on, what Flom called, a "crazy deal", and their refusal to let Jessie speak to any labels directly. Despite this, Senior Director of A&R; at Lava, Harinder Rana, made surreptitious efforts to meet Jessie on her own in winter of 2008. Later in the year a change in management to Sarah Stennett and Nadia Khan of Crown Music allowed record deal negotiations to take place. Jessie eventually signed with Lava as part of a joint venture with Universal Republic.

2010–present: ''Who You Are''

Jessie J began recording her debut studio album in 2006 and it was completed on 19 January 2011. She revealed that "Big White Room" would be on the album and was written from an experience she had when she was 11 years old, although she wrote the song at age 17, in hospital, where a ward mate, a little boy, died. Jessie J says the album's title track, "Who You Are", is one of her proudest creations, she said the song is a "positive role model for young people" and "I always say that I'm half-artist, half-therapist"

In late 2010 Jessie J released her first single, "Do It Like a Dude" which was co-written with George Astasio, Tj Normandin, Jason Pebworth, Jon Shave, Kyle Abrahams and Peter Ighile. Originally, she wrote the song with Rihanna in mind because "Rude Boy" was released at the time, partly inspiring the song. She then sent the song to her label, Island Records, before sending it to Rihanna's management. Island insisted the song become Jessie J's first single. She wishes to perform the song with Rihanna at one point. The single gained positive reception from critics. The single charted at number two on the UK Singles Charts. Her follow-up single "Price Tag" was released in late January 2011. This was written by Jessie J, Lukasz Gottwald, Claude Kelly, and Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr. and charted at number one in the top of the charts. "Price Tag" was released in the United States on 1 February 2011 and peaked at 23 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "Price Tag" also charted at number-one in New Zealand and Ireland and is the most successful online video J has released. As of October 2011, the video has generated over 148 million views on Youtube and Vevo, making it the 22nd most viewed music video of all time. Her first American television appearance was as the musical guest on the 12 March 2011 episode of NBC's ''Saturday Night Live''.

On 25 February 2011 her debut album, ''Who You Are'', was released. The album first entered the charts on 6 March 2011 where it charted on the UK Album Charts at number two. The album charted into the top ten in a number of countries and number 11 in the United States.After the release she went on to release a third single from the album, "Nobody's Perfect". MTV reported that the single is, so far, only confirmed for release in the United Kingdom. The album's fourth single was "Who's Laughing Now". "Domino" was her second US single. The Dr. Luke-produced track was sent to mainstream radio on 6 September 2011. With the success of ''Who You Are'' in North America, Jessie was chosen to tour as the opening act for American pop artist Katy Perry's ''California Dreams Tour'' in 2011 but after she was unable to fully recover from her injuries during rehearsals she was forced to pull out under the doctor's orders.

Jessie J served as the house artist at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, performing several of her original songs along with covers around commercial breaks.

In early 2011 she suffered a panic attack on stage after she was forced to perform in the dark. "I did a gig recently and had a panic attack on stage," she told ''NOW''. "The night was called 'Black Out' and I had to perform in the dark. I asked them to turn on the lights and they didn't. I was onstage in pitch black and, because I couldn't see anything, I started to panic. It was awful." James Morrison's third studio album, ''The Awakening'' features a collaboration with Jessie J called "Up", the song was released as a single on 4 December 2011. On 4 October Jessie announced that she will be one of four coaches for new BBC program, ''The Voice UK''.Jessie J re-released "Who You Are" on 9 November 2011, featuring the regular tracks plus "Domino" and two new songs. "Domino" became her second top 30 hit in the U.S., following the success of "Price Tag". The song also peaked at number 1 in January 2012 in the UK, before it was even officially released there.

Personal life

On 12 June 2011 at the Capital Radio Summertime Ball, Jessie ruptured several tendons in her foot during rehearsals, and performed her set the following day while sitting on a gilded throne. For her appearance at Glastonbury Festival 2011 on 25 June 2011, she performed on the throne again, claiming her physician had told her not to perform with her broken foot which would take six weeks to heal. Jessie J was scheduled to play at several festivals throughout the summer, however it was reported on 1 July 2011 that she would not be able to attend T in the Park, T4 On The Beach, Wembley:Orange, iTunes Festival, Lovebox and Oxegen due to the injuries to her foot. Jessie J personally tweeted before surgery; "Keep making nervous jokes with the doctor and he keeps looking at me blankly. Which is making me laugh even more. It's getting serious. I just took my nose stud out." Tweeting after the surgery, she wrote: "Can't keep tweeting. Still very dizzy and being sick. But I'm OK, I got through it." Her record label released an official statement on 30 June 2011 that under strict orders from her doctor, she will not be able to perform for a number of weeks so she can heal and recuperate properly. She returned to the concert circuit in late August, including sets at the V Festival and The Big Chill. For the 2011 VMA's she was still in a cast and using the throne to keep off of it.

Jessie J confirmed on 2 August 2011 that she would be shaving her hair off for charity in 2012. Speaking via her official Twitter account she said: “It’s hair, It will grow back. Even if it takes 2 years, if it saves lives it’s worth it. Even if its 1 life that’s something.”

Jessie J is openly bisexual and stated in an interview on the "In Demand" radio show on March 3, 2011, "I've never denied it. Whoopie doo guys, yes, I've dated girls and I've dated boys – get over it."

Music and voice

Although she was first identified as a soul singer, she primarily records songs of contemporary R&B; and pop music with hip-hop influences.

Music critic Matthew Perpetua of Pitchfork Media compared Jessie J to her peers Adele and Amy Winehouse, but admitted she was missing something: "Whereas Adele and Winehouse also have powerhouse voices, they fit into clear aesthetic niches and invest their songs with depth and humanity. Jessie J doesn't have even a fraction of their restraint." Perpetua added: "Her idea of showcasing her gift is to shoot for a blaring melisma on "Mamma Knows Best" that makes Christina Aguilera seem as subtle as Joni Mitchell by comparison." Ailbhe Malone of the music magazine NME also recognized Cornish's "undeniably potent voice". However, she pointed out the possible "identity crisis" that might have been caused by Jessie's songwriter past: "This is an album of singles for other artists. There’s Rihanna Jessie (‘Do It...’), Perry Jessie (‘Abracadabra’), Pixie Jessie (‘Mamma Knows Best’), Ellie Jessie ('Big White Room')."

Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian shared her positive opinion about the singer, saying that "if any singer has the potential to be the British Katy Perry or Pink, with the accompanying millions of sales, it's her". Sullivan also complimented Cornish's attitude: "[Her songs] are delivered with a confidence that money can't buy." Entertainment Weekly's music critic Adam Markovitz said of Jessie: "The 23-year-old Brit has all the tools, from a monster voice to an ear for hooks — she co-wrote Miley Cyrus' Party in the U.S.A. — and a manic persona that's equal parts Katy Perry, Kristin Chenoweth, and Alice Cooper.

Discography

''Who You Are'' (2011)

Filmography

+Television	Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2012	''The Voice UK''	Herself

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Category:1988 births Category:Living people Category:Bisexual musicians Category:Electronica musicians Category:English female singers Category:English mezzo-sopranos Category:English pop singers Category:English rhythm and blues singers Category:English singer-songwriters Category:English-language singers Category:LGBT musicians from the United Kingdom Category:LGBT people from the United Kingdom Category:People educated at the BRIT School Category:Singers from London Category:Stroke survivors Category:The Voice judges Category:People from Chadwell Heath

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Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Christina Aguilera
background	solo_singer
birth name	Christina María Aguilera
alias	Xtina
birth date	December 18, 1980
birth place
origin
genre	Pop, R&B;, soul, dance
occupation	Singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, television personality, actress
instrument	Vocals
years active	1993–present
label	RCA
website	}}

Christina María Aguilera (born December 18, 1980) is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the ''Star Search'' program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' from 1993–1994. Aguilera signed to RCA Records after recording "Reflection", the theme song for the animated film ''Mulan'' (1998).

In 1999, Aguilera came to prominence following her debut album ''Christina Aguilera'', which was a commercial success spawning three number one singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100—"Genie in a Bottle", "What a Girl Wants", and "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)." Her sophomore and her debut Latin-pop album, ''Mi Reflejo'' (2000), a Christmas third studio album, ''My Kind of Christmas'' (2000), and several collaborations followed which garnered Aguilera worldwide success, though she was displeased with her lack of input in her music and image. After parting from her management, Aguilera took creative control over her fourth studio album, ''Stripped'' (2002). The album's second single, "Beautiful," was a commercial success and helped the album's commercial performance amidst controversy over Aguilera's image. Aguilera followed up ''Stripped'' with the soul, jazz and blues inspired, ''Back to Basics'' (2006), released to positive critical acclaim. Four years later Aguilera released her sixth studio album, ''Bionic'' (2010), which incorporated aspects of R&B;, electropop, and synthpop and was met with mixed reviews and poor sales.

Aside from being known for her vocal ability, music videos and image, musically, she includes themes of dealing with public scrutiny, her childhood, and female empowerment in her music. Apart from her work in music, she has also dedicated much of her time as a philanthropist for charities, human rights and world issues which include her work as a UN ambassador for the World Food Programme. She made her feature film debut in the musical ''Burlesque'' (2010), earning Aguilera a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song. Aguilera's work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, four Grammy Awards and a Latin Grammy Award, amongst fifteen and three nominations respectively. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked her number fifty-eight on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, ranking as the youngest and only artist on the list under the age of thirty. She was ranked the 20th Artist of the 2000–09 decade by ''Billboard'' and is the second top selling single artist of the 2000s behind Madonna. Christina Aguilera has sold 50 million records worldwide making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

Life and career

1980–98: Early life and career beginnings

Aguilera was born in Staten Island, New York, to Fausto Wagner Xavier Aguilera, a sergeant in the US Army at the time, and Shelly Loraine (née Fidler), a Spanish teacher. Aguilera's father was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and her mother is of German, Irish, Welsh, and Dutch ancestry. Her father was stationed at Earnest Harmon Air Force Base in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador and Japan. Aguilera lived with both her father and mother, up until their divorce when she was seven years old. Aguilera then lived with her mother, and her younger sister Rachel, at her grandmother's home in Rochester, Pennsylvania, a town outside Pittsburgh. According to both Aguilera and her mother, her father was very controlling, as well as physically and emotionally abusive. In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'' Aguilera revealed, "there was so much domestic violence going on when I grew up with my dad travelling in the military. I think the reason that my drive was so strong and I was so passionate about music was because I grew up in an environment of domestic violence." She later sang about her difficult childhood in the songs "I'm OK" on ''Stripped'', and "Oh Mother" on ''Back to Basics''. Even though he has made several attempts to reconnect with her, Aguilera ruled out any chance of a reunion. Since then, her mother has married a paramedic named Jim Kearns, and has changed her name.

As a child, Aguilera aspired to be a singer. She was known locally as "the little girl with the big voice", singing in local talent shows and competitions. She attended Marshall Middle School near Wexford and North Allegheny Intermediate High School. On March 15, 1990, she appeared on ''Star Search'' singing "A Sunday Kind of Love", but lost the competition at number 2. Soon after losing on ''Star Search'', she returned home and appeared on Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV's ''Wake Up With Larry Richert'' to perform the same song. Throughout her youth in Pittsburgh, Aguilera sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, Pittsburgh Steelers football and Pittsburgh Pirates baseball games, including during the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals. Her talent was kept a secret to avoid bullying of other children. Following her television appearances Aguilera experienced resentment and bullying including an incident in which her peers slashed the tires on her family's car. Following several incidents Aguilera was later home schooled. Aguilera recalls, "doing what I did and maybe being a little smaller, I was definitely picked on and bullied for the attention that I got. It was definitely unwanted attention and there was a lot of unfairness about it."

In 1991 Aguilera auditioned for a role on ''The Mickey Mouse Club''; however, she did not meet the age requirements. Two years later, she joined the cast, performing musical numbers and sketch comedy, until the show's cancellation in 1994. Her co-stars included Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling and Keri Russell where they nicknamed her "the Diva" for her performance style and voice. At the age of fourteen, Aguilera recorded her first song, "All I Wanna Do", a hit duet with Japanese singer Keizo Nakanishi. In 1997, she represented the United States at the international Golden Stag Festival with a two-song set. Aguilera entered talent contests on "teen night" at the Pegasus Lounge, a gay and lesbian nightclub in Pittsburgh and later at Lilith Fair. In 1998, Aguilera sent in a demo of her singing Whitney Houston's "Run to You" to Disney who were looking for a singer to record the song "Reflection" for their animated feature film ''Mulan'' (1998). The demo caught the attention of producer and label executive Ron Fair who would later mentor her throughout her career and led to Aguilera earning a contract with RCA Records the same week. and over seventeen million copies worldwide. The album is also included in the Top 100 Albums of All Time list of The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) based on US sales. Released during the teen pop era of 1999 the album was well received by several critics, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of ''AllMusic'' writes that Aguilera's debut "remains firmly within the teen-oriented dance-pop genre, but done right." Concluding that the album is "lightweight in the best possible sense – breezy, fun, engaging, and enjoyable on each repeated listen. Out of the deluge of teen-pop albums in 1999, this feels like the best of the lot." Her debut single, "Genie in a Bottle" was an instant hit reaching No.1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and in several countries worldwide. Her follow-up singles "What a Girl Wants" and "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" topped the Hot 100 as well during 1999 and 2000 while "I Turn to You" reached number three. She is one of the few artists to have multiple No.1 singles from a debut album in ''Billboard'''s history. She made a cameo appearance on an episode of ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', performed on MTV's New Year's Special as MTV's first artist of the millennium, and the Super Bowl XXXIV halftime show. Aguilera wanted to display the range and audacity in her voice during the promotion of the album, and performed acoustic sets and appeared on television shows accompanied only by a piano. At the 42nd Grammy Awards Aguilera received a Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy nomination for "Genie in a Bottle" and despite earlier predictions, she won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

In 2000, Aguilera began recording her first Spanish-language album with producer Rudy Pérez in Miami. Later in 2000, Aguilera, first emphasized her Latin heritage by releasing her first Spanish album, ''Mi Reflejo'' on September 12, 2000. This album contained Spanish versions of songs from her English debut as well as new Spanish tracks. Though some criticized Aguilera for trying to cash in on the Latin music boom at the time. According to Pérez, Aguilera was only semi-fluent, while recording. She understood the language, because she has grown up with her father, who is a native of Ecuador. He added "Her Latin roots are undeniable". The album peaked at number twenty-seven on the ''Billboard'' 200 and went number one on the ''Billboard'' Latin charts for a record 20 weeks. In 2001, it won Aguilera a Latin Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Album. The album went Gold in the U.S. She also won the World Music Award and ''Billboard'' award as the best selling Latin artist that year. Aguilera also released a Christmas album on October 24, 2000 called ''My Kind of Christmas'' and performed "The Christmas Song" at the White House that year. It peaked at number twenty-eight on the ''Billboard'' 200, and has been certified Platinum in the U.S. Aguilera was ''Billboard'''s top female artist for 2000.

Aguilera's first concert tour, Sears & Levis US Tour (also known as "Christina Aguilera: In Concert") began in the summer of 2000 in the US and ended early 2001 where she toured South America and Asia. A concert special aired on ABC titled ''My Reflection'' and was released to DVD and certified Gold in the US. Aguilera was rumored to have dated MTV VJ Carson Daly. Rumors of their relationship were fueled after the release of Eminem's song, "The Real Slim Shady" in which he also insinuated a romance between her and rocker Fred Durst. Aguilera responded saying the lyrics were "disgusting, offensive and, above all, not true." Their feud ended two years later backstage at the Video Music Awards after Aguilera presented the rapper an award onstage. She dated Puerto Rican dancer Jorge Santos. Santos appeared on her tour and music videos throughout 2000. They dated for nearly two years until the relationship ended on September 11, 2001. He remained her dancer well into 2002.

Ricky Martin asked Aguilera to duet with him on the track "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" from his album ''Sound Loaded''; released in 2001 as the album's second single. The single reached number one on the World Chart and top ten in several countries. In 2001, Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mýa, and Pink were chosen to remake Labelle's 1975 single "Lady Marmalade" for the film ''Moulin Rouge!'' and its soundtrack. The song peaked at number-one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for five weeks and was the most successful airplay-only single in history. It also reached number one in eleven other countries and earned all four performers a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Aguilera's appearance in the music video was compared to that of Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider. The video won two MTV Video Music Awards including Video of the Year in 2001, where Aguilera accepted the award saying, "I guess the big hair paid off."

That same year, the single "Just Be Free" emerged into record stores which was one of the demos Aguilera recorded when she was around fifteen years old. When RCA Records discovered the single, they advised fans not to purchase it. Months later, Warlock Records was set to release ''Just Be Free'', an album which contains the demo tracks. Aguilera filed a breach of contract and unfair competition suit against Warlock and the album's producers to block the release. Instead, the two parties came to a settlement to release the album. Aguilera lent out her name, likeness and image for an unspecified amount of damages. Many of the details of the lawsuit remain confidential. When the album was released in August 2001, it had a photograph of Aguilera when she was fifteen years old.

Although Aguilera's debut album was commercially successful, she was dissatisfied with the music and image her management had created for her. Aguilera was marketed as a bubblegum pop singer because of the genre's upward financial trend. She mentioned plans of her next album to have much more depth, both musically and lyrically. Aguilera's views of Steve Kurtz's influence in matters of the singer's creative direction, the role of being her exclusive personal manager and overscheduling had in part caused her to seek legal means of terminating their management contract. In October 2000, Aguilera filed a breach of fiduciary duty lawsuit against her manager Kurtz for improper, undue and inappropriate influence over her professional activities, as well as fraud. According to legal documents, Kurtz did not protect her rights and interests. Instead, he took action that was for his own interest, at the cost of hers. The lawsuit came about when Aguilera discovered Kurtz used more of her commissionable income than he was allotted, and had paid other managers to assist him. She also petitioned the California State Labor Commission to nullify the contract. She revealed while recording her then upcoming album, "I was being overworked. You find out that someone you thought was a friend is stealing money behind your back, and it's heartbreaking. I put faith in the people around me, and unfortunately, it bit me in the butt." Kurtz was terminated as her manager. After terminating Kurtz's services, Irving Azoff was hired as her new manager. Kurtz countersued later that month for breach of contract, claiming that the singer violated the same agreement she had sued to void. In the lawsuit, he included others close to Aguilera, alleging their intent to sabotage his business relationship with her. He also singled out Azoff for being in violation of the terms of Kurtz's contract.

2002–05: New image, ''Stripped'' and marriage

On October 29, 2002, Aguilera's fourth studio album, ''Stripped'', was released. The album sold more than 330,000 copies in the first week and peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200. Unlike her previous work, the album showcased Aguilera's raunchier side. The majority of ''Stripped'' was co-written by Aguilera (who had recently signed a global music publishing contract with BMG Music Publishing), and was influenced by many different subjects and music styles, including contemporary R&B;, gospel, soul, balladry, pop rock, and hip hop. The majority of the album was produced by Scott Storch and singer-songwriter Linda Perry who produced her more personal records. Rockwilder and singer Alicia Keys also contributed a track each. Upon initial release, the album was very well-received by critics, although Aguilera's vocals were overlooked as she began to cultivate a more sexually provocative image. After the release of the album, she took part in photoshoots for magazines, many of these photographs featured her nude or semi-nude. Her cover for ''Rolling Stone'', featured the singer only wearing boots and a well-placed electric guitar. It was during this time Aguilera referred to herself as "Xtina", even getting a tattoo of her nickname on the back of her neck and several piercings.

Initially, the raunchy image had a negative effect on Aguilera in the U.S., especially after the release of her controversial "Dirrty" music video. It appeared at number ten on ''Billboard'''s year-end album chart and Aguilera was the top female artist for 2003. Kelly Clarkson's second single "Miss Independent" was co-written by Aguilera, having been half-finished for ''Stripped''.

Aguilera joined Justin Timberlake that June on the final leg of his international ''Justified'' tour, held in the US. This portion of the tour became a co-headliner called the Justified/Stripped Tour. In August, an overhead lighting grid collapsed from the ceiling of the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, causing major damage to the sound and video equipment below. Because the collapse occurred hours before the show, only a few stagehands were injured, but a few shows were cancelled or postponed. In the fourth quarter of that year, Aguilera continued to tour internationally without Timberlake, and changed the name of the tour to the Stripped World Tour. She also dyed her hair black. It was one of the top-grossing tours of that year, and sold out most of its venues. ''Rolling Stone'' readers named it the best tour of the year. That same year she hosted the 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards and was a special guest performer with the Pussycat Dolls' dance troupe performing at the Roxy Theatre and Viper Room in Los Angeles. She also appeared on a ''Maxim'' spread alongside them, her second ''Maxim'' cover that year set record sales for the issue making it the top selling issue to date. By the end of the year she topped the annual ''Hot 100'' list saying, "we had fun working with certain clothes, or the lack thereof."

Aguilera's first DVD live-recording from a concert tour, ''Stripped Live in the U.K.'', was released in November 2004. In light of the tour's success, another U.S. tour was scheduled to begin in mid-2004 with a new theme. The tour however was scrapped because of the vocal cord injuries Aguilera suffered shortly before the tour's opening date. In a tribute to Madonna's performance at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards, Aguilera performed a kiss with the singer-actress at the 2003 edition of the ceremony in August. The incident occurred during the opening performance of Madonna's songs "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood" with fellow popstar Britney Spears. Also in 2004, she hosted a ''Saturday Night Live'' episode which included a ''Sex & The City'' skit where she portrayed Samantha Jones revealing to everyone she was a man the entire time.

Aguilera later decided to embrace a more mature image; this move was met with more praise than criticism, with articles using punch lines such as "From Crass to Class." She eventually dyed her hair cherry blonde and recorded a jingle, "Hello", for a Mercedes-Benz ad. Shortly after, she dyed her hair flaxen blonde and cut it short, and took on a Marilyn Monroe look; she is one of the main proponents (along with Dita Von Teese, Gwen Stefani, and Ashley Judd) in bringing back the 1920s–1940s Hollywood glamour look. In late summer 2004, Aguilera released two singles. The first, "Car Wash", was a remake of the Rose Royce disco song recorded as a collaboration with rapper Missy Elliott for the soundtrack to the film ''Shark Tale''. She voiced a small singing part in the film playing a Rastafarian jellyfish in the film's closing musical number. The second song was also a collaboration, but this time as a second single from one of Nelly's double-release albums, ''Sweat'', titled "Tilt Ya Head Back". Both singles failed commercially in the US, but did considerably better in other parts of the world. Aguilera collaborated with jazz artist Herbie Hancock on a cover of Leon Russell's "A Song for You" recorded for Hancock's album ''Possibilities'', released in August 2005. Aguilera and Hancock were later nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. She helped open the 50th Anniversary for Disneyland performing "When You Wish upon a Star", and she also collaborated with Andrea Bocelli on the song "Somos Novios" for his album ''Amore''. Aguilera began dating music marketing executive Jordan Bratman in 2002. Their engagement was announced in February 2005, and they married on November 19, 2005, in a Napa Valley estate.

2006–09: ''Back to Basics'', motherhood and greatest hits album

Aguilera's fifth studio album, ''Back to Basics'' was released August 15, 2006. The album debuted at No.1 in the US, the UK and eleven other countries. Aguilera described the double CD as "a throwback to the 20s, 30s, and 40s-style jazz, blues, and feel-good soul music, but with a modern twist." The album received generally positive reviews, although many critics commented on the album's length saying, "At one disc, this would have been nothing short of masterful." A review in ''AllMusic'' adds, "''Back to Basics'' also makes clear that ''Stripped'' was a necessary artistic move for Christina: she needed to get that out of her system in order to create her own style, one that is self-consciously stylized, stylish, and sexy." The critically acclaimed lead single "Ain't No Other Man" was a substantial success, reaching No.2 on the World Chart, No.6 in the US, and No.2 in the UK. Producers on the album included DJ Premier, Kwamé, Linda Perry, and Mark Ronson. The follow-up singles did very well in different regions, "Hurt" in Europe and "Candyman" in the Pacific. She co-directed both music videos, the former with Floria Sigismondi who directed her "Fighter" video, and the latter, "Candyman", with director/photographer Matthew Rolston which was inspired by The Andrews Sisters. ''Back to Basics'' has sold 4.5 million units worldwide, with over 1.7 million sold in the US.

In late 2006 Aguilera collaborated with Sean "Diddy" Combs on a track, titled "Tell Me", from his album ''Press Play''. She also began the Back to Basics Tour in Europe followed by a 41-date North American tour in early 2007. After this, she toured Asia and Australia, where it was supposed to end on August 3, however she canceled her dates in Melbourne and her final two in Auckland due to an illness. Her extravagant arena tour included cabaret, three-ring circus and juke joint sets and 10 piece costumes designed by Roberto Cavalli. She released her concert DVD ''Back to Basics: Live and Down Under'' the following year. The tour grossed nearly 50 million by the end of the year in North America and an additional 40 million worldwide in her Europe and Australia dates, grossing almost 90 million by the end of the tour. It was the most successful US tour by a female in 2007.

At the 49th Grammy Awards, Aguilera again won the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Ain't No Other Man". She made a noteworthy performance at the ceremony paying tribute to James Brown with her rendition of his song "It's a Man's Man's Man's World". In January 2007, she was named the 19th richest woman in entertainment by ''Forbes'', with a net worth of US$60 million. Aguilera performed "Steppin' Out With My Baby" with Tony Bennett on his NBC special ''Tony Bennett: An American Classic'' and on ''Saturday Night Live''. They performed at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards where both specials received Emmys. "Steppin' Out" was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.

Aguilera confirmed she was pregnant on November 4, 2007, though Paris Hilton accidentally revealed her pregnancy several weeks prior during a party Aguilera hosted. She gave birth to her son, Max Liron Bratman, in Los Angeles early the following year and held a bris for him with Bratman, who is of Jewish descent, where the baby was circumcised in accordance with Jewish practice. Aguilera was reportedly paid $1.5 million by ''People'' for her son's baby pictures—the sixth most expensive celebrity baby photos ever taken.

In 2008 Aguilera appeared in the Martin Scorsese documentary ''Shine a Light'' which chronicles a two day Rolling Stones concert in New York City's Beacon Theatre. The film features Aguilera performing "Live With Me" alongside Mick Jagger. ''Shine a Light'' premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and was released worldwide on April 4, 2008. She also had brief cameo in the comedy film ''Get Him to the Greek'', and appeared as a guest judge on the sixth season of ''Project Runway'' on Lifetime Television. She and designer Bob Mackie were the inspiration for the challenge in which they had to design a stage outfit for Aguilera. To commemorate Aguilera's ten years in the music industry, RCA Records released, ''Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits'' on November 11, 2008 exclusively at Target stores in the US. The greatest hits included her first three number one singles, and other songs released from her previous three albums. "Lady Marmalade" and several Spanish singles from ''Mi Reflejo'' were included in the worldwide releases. The album's only single, "Keeps Gettin' Better", was premiered at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, and debuted and peaked at No.7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, her highest debut on the chart. Following the greatest hits, Aguilera took over a year hiatus in 2009 working on her then upcoming album and film. She was one of ''Billboard'''s Top 20 Artists of the Decade in their year-end charts.

2010–present: ''Bionic'', ''Burlesque'' and ''The Voice''

Aguilera's sixth studio album ''Bionic'' was released on June 8, 2010. The album's producers included Tricky Stewart, Samuel Dixon, Polow da Don, Le Tigre, Switch, Ester Dean, songwriters Sam Endicott, Sia Furler, Claude Kelly, Linda Perry and collaborations with M.I.A., Santigold, Nicki Minaj, and Peaches. The album's only two singles, "Not Myself Tonight" and "You Lost Me" peaked at No.1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play Charts but were unsuccessful elsewhere. ''Bionic'''s material consisted of many mainstream and pop records along with electronic and dance music. The album was released to mixed reviews from music critics, with Jon Pareles of ''The New York Times'' writing that the singer's new music direction "makes her sound as peer-pressured as a pop singer can be." Allison Stewart of ''The Washington Post'' described the album as being "noisy, robotic and overstuffed" adding that the disc's "greatest disappointments" is its "virtual abandonment" of Aguilera's voice. She concluded that Aguilera attempts "to do it all," which was to try to "revel in her newfound domesticity, to wrest her crown from Gaga and to reestablish her sex kitten bona fides." Dan Martin of the ''NME'' wrote, "Perhaps best of all is ‘Monday Morning.' Written with Santigold and The Bravery’s Sam Endicott, it’s a Day-Glo disco jam that sounds like Gwen Stefani doing "Borderline". Sales of ''Bionic'' were underwhelming in the US compared to her previous releases selling 110,000 copies in its first week landing at #3. The album has sold 280,000 units in the US to date. Shortly after the album's release, further promotion ended and a scheduled summer tour for the album was cancelled due to "inadequate rehearsal time". "You Lost Me" was her first single to not chart the Hot 100 while ''Bionic'' was her first English studio album not to receive a Grammy nomination. Aguilera later responded in an interview saying, "I was really proud of that record. I think there was a lot of promotion issues, coming from a standpoint of how everything resulted. Nothing is ever a setback. If anything, it just motivates you for what’s next."

Aguilera confirmed news reports that she and Bratman had separated, saying in a statement, "Although Jordan and I are separated, our commitment to our son Max remains as strong as ever." Aguilera filed for divorce from Bratman on October 14, 2010, seeking joint legal and physical custody of their son, and specifying September 11, 2010 as the date of separation. They later reached a settlement agreement and custody deal, details of their agreement were private. Their divorce was finalized on April 15, 2011. The following month, Aguilera appeared as herself on the ''Entourage'' season seven finale as a client/friend of Ari Gold. On November 15, 2010, Aguilera received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

It was confirmed in 2009 that Aguilera would appear in her first feature film, the musical ''Burlesque'', released in November 2010. She portrayed a small town girl, Ali Rose, who finds love and success in a Los Angeles neo-burlesque club. Aguilera performed eight of the musical numbers on the film's soundtrack released on November 22, 2010 and co-wrote a number of the tracks working with producers and writers including Tricky Stewart, Sia Furler, Samuel Dixon, Linda Perry, Claude Kelly, Danja, and Ron Fair. The remaining two tracks were sung by Cher, who co-starred alongside Aguilera. Distributed by Screen Gems, the film was directed Steve Antin who also wrote the script. Antin wrote the role of Ali specifically for Aguilera. Aguilera's co-stars also included Cam Gigandet as her love interest, Eric Dane, Kristen Bell and Stanley Tucci. Several critics praised Aguilera's performance. A review in ''TIME'' states, "Aguilera might not be to your taste, or mine, but in terms of sheer power, she's impressive. If Ali were real, she'd have already been discovered on ''American Idol''." While ''Variety'' wrote, "Aguilera, while undeniably entertaining when her character is onstage, cannot spin the slight backstory into anything resembling a full-blooded person." Though ''Burlesque'' was released to mixed reviews from critics, the film received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture – Musical or Comedy and earned Aguilera, alongside co-writer Sia Furler and writer/producer Samuel Dixon, a nomination for Best Original Song for the track "Bound to You". ''Burlesque'' has grossed over $90 million worldwide.

Following the release of ''Burlesque'', Aguilera collaborated with rapper T.I. on the track, "Castle Walls" which is included on his album ''No Mercy''. Aguilera performed the U.S. national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner", during the Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011 and created embarrassment when she omitted a line of the anthem and messed up the song's lyrics. She later apologized, telling CNN that "I got so caught up in the moment of the song that I lost my place. I can only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of its anthem still came through." The following week, Aguilera, alongside Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride, Yolanda Adams, and Florence Welch opened the 53rd Grammy Awards paying tribute to Aretha Franklin.

Aguilera began dating musician and production assistant, Matt Rutler who she met during the filming of ''Burlesque''. Her personal life was the subject of scrutiny and reports over out of control behavior, excessive drinking and a reported confrontation with her co-star Julianne Hough. On March 1, 2011, Aguilera was arrested for public intoxication in West Hollywood as her boyfriend was arrested for DWI. She was later released on bail and no charges were filed. Although the L.A. Sheriff's office stated Aguilera's mug shot would not be released to the public, ''E! News'' obtained the mug shot which circulated social networks and the media shortly after her release. Rutler's DWI charge was dismissed due to insufficient evidence, after his BAC at the time of arrest was determined to be at .06%, below the legal limit in the state of California.

Aguilera signed to be a part of the John de Mol created singing competition ''The Voice'' which debuted on NBC in April. Aguilera, alongside other musicians Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green serve as judges and coaches, with Carson Daly as the show's host. The show's first episode was released to positive reviews making its debut at number one on the American rating list chart, delivering the strongest ratings for a series premiere on a major network since ''Undercover Boss'' debuted after the Super Bowl in February 2010. The show became an instant hit for NBC following the its debut. Aguilera performed "Moves Like Jagger" on ''The Voice'' – the single with Maroon 5 on which she is featured, off their album, ''Hands All Over (Deluxe Edition)''. The song was an instant hit reaching No.3 in the UK, No.1 on the World Chart and earned Aguilera her fifth No.1 single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, a decade after her last No.1, "Lady Marmalade". This also marks the first time two former Best New Artist Grammy Award winners have collaborated on a Hot 100 hit.

In May 2011, Aguilera stated that she is recording a new studio album in an interview at ''Live with Regis and Kelly''. Aguilera told RTL: "It's going to be a very heartfelt, deep-rooted and introspective record for me" and that she's hoping for release in spring/summer 2012.

Artistry

Vocal ability

Aguilera is said to have the vocal range of a soprano, and has been referred to as the "voice of her generation" and a blue eyed soul singer. Aguilera also topped COVE's list of the 100 Best Pop Vocalists with a score of 50/50 and came fifth in MTV's 22 Greatest Voices in Music. Her rendition of "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" at the 49th Grammy Awards ranked third in the Grammy's Greatest Moments List behind Celine Dion's performance of "My Heart Will Go On" and Green Day's performance of "American Idiot". In an interview, Dion described Aguilera as "probably the best vocalist in the world." ''Rolling Stone'' ranked Aguilera at 58 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, the youngest singer on the list.

Describing Aguilera's voice, singing teachers Phyllis Fulford and Michael Mailler said, "The low register is light and tired, the belting register is ample and full, but very scratchy because she screams; and head voice as well as whistle register are light, pure and bright. Her vocal range extends from G below middle C to C one octave above soprano high C (G₃ – C₇). She can belt to F one octave and a third above middle C (F₅). She possesses a good-sized technical arsenal. Her trill is solid, she has a big mastery of melismas, and can sustain very long notes." ''Los Angeles Times'' writer Margaret Wappler adds Aguilera can deliver "a well-executed legato." However, countertenor Philippe Jaroussky said: "She has no breath support and often sing out of tune. People say she can cover four octave, but it's not true because below A3, the low notes are forced, unsupported, her belting voice is throaty and forced and for her highest notes she doesn't use head voice but falsetto or whistle register, they are disconnected registers. So, she can hit good notes only from A3 to B4. Her melismas are always show-off, they are almost never connected with the rhythm and the structure of the songs."

Since her debut in 1999 Aguilera has been compared to the likes of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. David Browne of ''The New York Times'' writes, "Aguilera has been one of the foremost practitioners of the overpowering, Category 5 vocal style known as melisma. Ms. Carey, Ms. Houston and Ms. Aguilera, to name its three main champions, are most associated with the period from the late ’80s through the late ’90s." A review in the ''Los Angeles Times'' compared Aguilera's vocal stylings to Barbra Streisand, Gladys Knight, and Aretha Franklin adding, "Aguilera's Streisand-esque tendencies are a good thing; they're helping her figure out how to become the "great singer" she's been dubbed since she released her first single, the wise-beyond-its-years "Genie in a Bottle", at 18." Although praised for her vocals, Aguilera has been labeled for oversinging in her songs and concerts. Longtime producer and writer, Linda Perry, commented on working on the record, "Beautiful", saying, "I tried to keep it straight. I told her to get rid of the finger waves. Every time she'd start going into "hoo-ha", I'd stop the tape. I'm like, 'You're doing it again.'" Perry ended up using the first take saying, "She had a hard time accepting that as the final track. It's not a perfect vocal – it's very raw. She knows her voice really well, and she knows what's going on. She can hear things that nobody else would catch."

Themes and musical style

The constant theme in Aguilera's music and lyrics is love, although she has written on other subjects including spirituality, female empowerment, and grief. Aguilera has also written about her childhood in two of her records which dealt with domestic abuse. In an interview Aguilera admitted she feels responsible to reveal her most vulnerable feelings and to share the darker sides of her life adding "People that can relate might not feel as alone in the circumstance." She has been noted to constantly changing her sound in her music and lyrical content. Originally marketed as a bubblegum pop singer during the late 90s pop scene, she quickly departed into a broad range of musical genres for her follow-up album ''Stripped''. A review states, "Clearly afflicted with Premature Serious Artist Syndrome, Aguilera wants to demonstrate the range of her interests – vampy soul, quasi-metal, piano-bar intimacy, quiet-storm R&B;, bounce-bounce hip-hop, and semi-exotic rock, all of it dutifully accomplished."

The majority of the songs are characterized by Aguilera's loud vocals, though she has used breathy and soft vocals. Her 2006 release, ''Back to Basics'' included producer DJ Premier. ''The New York Times'' exclaims, "Her decision to work with the low-key DJ Premier was also a decision to snub some of the big-name producers on whom pop stars often rely." Aguilera has often cited that she prefers working with producers that are not in popular demand, saying "I don't necessarily go to the main people that are the No. 1 chart-toppers in music." The album included live instrumentation and samples of past jazz and soul records. Some tracks on the album included non-traditional forms of pop music such as swing jazz and big band, drawing comparisons to Madonna's ''I'm Breathless'' and the musical film ''Cabaret''. Her first feature film, ''Burlesque'', influenced by ''Cabaret'', featured mainstream producers Tricky Stewart and Danja on the soundtrack where several established songs were updated and worked into dance numbers, a style similar to 2001's ''Moulin Rouge!'' "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" was performed by Aguilera in the film, a musical number also performed by Nicole Kidman in ''Moulin Rouge!''

Influences

One of Aguilera's major influences and idol is blues singer Etta James, whose classic song "At Last" has been covered by Aguilera throughout her career. Aguilera says, "Etta is my all-time favorite singer. I've said it for the last seven years – since I had my first debut record out – in every interview. I mean, all of Etta's old songs, countless songs I could name, I grew up listening to." The majority of her album, ''Back to Basics'', pays tribute to James and other pop standard singers who many originated from the 1950s. In her early years she listened to vintage jazz, blues, and soul music. The album included an unreleased song, "Slow Down Baby", which sampled a Gladys Knight & the Pips song. A review in ''The Guardian'' declared, "Practically everything recorded before Aguilera was born blurs into one amorphous genre, which she categorises, somewhat inadequately, as "fun music". Aguilera has also named Madonna and Janet Jackson as two of her biggest influences "for being re-inventive and being brave as strong females, to explore whatever, even if they do get bad press. It's just like they were fearless." Her other musical influences include Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Nina Simone.

Aguilera cites the musical ''The Sound of Music'' and its lead actress, Julie Andrews as an early inspiration for singing and performing. She mentioned the "Golden age of Hollywood" as another inspiration in which she says, "I'm referencing Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe, Carole Lombard, Greta Garbo, Veronica Lake". Ironically, her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located near Julie Andrews and is next to Greta Garbo. In her music video for "Ain't No Other Man" she plays her alter ego, "Baby Jane" in reference to the film ''Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?''. The film's stars included actresses Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The third single off ''Back to Basics'', "Candyman" was inspired by the 1941 song, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" by The Andrews Sisters which was played during World War II. She was also inspired by pin-up girls and several paintings by Alberto Vargas. Aguilera has expressed interest in cultural icons Nico, Blondie and artists Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. She has often worked with photographer and close friend, David LaChapelle who once worked with Warhol. Chapelle has shot many of Aguilera's music videos, magazine shoots and advertisements. She is also a fan of graffiti artist Banksy. In 2006 she purchased three of Banksy's works during a private art exhibition, one of them included a pornographic picture of Queen Victoria in a lesbian pose with a prostitute. She has mentioned in several interviews that she is a fan of actress Angelina Jolie, and her ''Burlesque'' co-star, Cher. Fashion has also been a part of Aguilera's music career and image which she has used as a form of expression during performances and music videos. In 2003 she became the muse and inspiration for Donatella Versace's 2003 fall line. Versace also designed pieces her tour the following year. Aguilera is also a fan of Roberto Cavalli, John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, and Alexander McQueen whose designs she has worn throughout her career.

Other ventures

In 2000, Aguilera was the face for make-up line ''Fetish'' where she worked in choosing colors and packaging for the line. She ended her contract the following year. Throughout her career Aguilera has endorsed several brands, including Skechers, Mercedes-Benz, Verizon Wireless, and soft drink giants Coca-Cola in 2001, and Pepsi in 2006. She became the muse and model for fashion house Versace appearing in a campaign for the 2003 fall line. In 2004 Aguilera earned £200,000GBP (about $300,000USD) for opening the summer sale at London's Harrods store which took in record breaking profits during the four week period. In 2005 she was reportedly paid $3.6 million to sing a three song set for Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko's wedding. Aguilera signed a contract with European cell phone operator Orange to promote the new Sony Ericsson Walkman phone during the 2006 World Cup. In 2010, Aguilera was paid $1 million by investor, Charles Brandes to perform at a private party.

In 2008 jewelry designer Stephen Webster and close friend of Aguilera released "Shattered", a collection of sterling silver pieces, through Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. Aguilera, who inspired the collection, was featured as a Hitchcock heroine saying, "Working together on this campaign and collection has been an incredible experience. I am honored to be a part of it all." They reprised their work together for Webster's 2009 spring line. In 2011, Aguilera attended São Paulo Fashion Week to premiere her new line of clothing for Brazilian department store C&A; which launched in April.

Aguilera released two fragrances throughout Europe, the first one ''Xpose'', was released in late 2004 and sold relatively well. Through Procter and Gamble Aguilera released her signature fragrance, ''Simply Christina'' in 2007. In Christmas 2007, the fragrance became the number one perfume in the UK, and later in 2009 it became the 4th best selling perfume in the UK, and Germany where it topped sales for the year. The perfume won as the people's choice for favorite celebrity fragrance at the annual UK Fifi Awards 2008. She released her third fragrance, ''Inspire'', accompanied with a body care collection, on September 1, 2008. The perfume hit shelves in the US, Canada, Latin America, Asia and Northern and Eastern Europe. It was Aguilera's first fragrance released outside of Europe. Her worldwide ad campaign included a television ad shot by David LaChapelle and was released in the US through Macy's department stores. The release coincided with Macy's 150th anniversary which featured Aguilera in commemorative photos. She released her fourth fragrance ''By Night'' in October, which became the third best selling fragrance in the UK in 2009. Both “By Day“ and “By Night“ were nomitated for Best Perfume of the Year in the Broad Appeal category at the FIFI Awards 2011. In 2010 the range was further augmented by ''Royal Desire'' her fifth fragrance, which won a 2011 Glammy Award for best perfume by German magazine ''Glamour''. Aguilera announced she will be releasing a sixth fragrance later this year, ''Secret Potion''.

Philanthropy

Throughout her career, Aguilera has been involved with several charities. She signed a letter from PETA to the South Korean government asking that the country stop its alleged killing of dogs for food. During her 2007 tour she unknowingly wore a fur stole during the beginning of her tour, which designer Roberto Cavalli provided without informing Aguilera. After receiving a video from PETA Vice President Dan Mathews on the treatment of foxes, she replaced the stole with faux fur for the remainder of her tour. Aguilera was reportedly upset adding, "I only ever wear fake fur". In 2010 Aguilera auctioned off tickets for her upcoming tour for Christie's A Bid to Save the Earth. Proceeds benefit nonprofit environmental groups Conservation International, Oceana, Natural Resources Defense Council, and The Central Park Conservancy. Aguilera also supports Defenders of Wildlife, Missing Kids, National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations, Women's Cancer Research Fund, and Cedars-Sinai Women's Cancer Research Institute. She has also worked alongside nonprofit organization Do Something saying, "Every individual has the power to inspire young people across the country." In 2010 she was nominated for a VH1 Do Something Award for her work with the organization and her efforts in the response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. She was featured in the campaign for photographer, Brie Childers with the goal of helping women of all ages, races and lifestyles feel beautiful and confident about themselves and the body and skin they were born with. Proceeds from benefit several women's charities nationwide. Aguilera is still a major contributor in her hometown of Pittsburgh contributing regularly to the Women's Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. According to her official website, she toured the center and donated $200,000 to the shelter. She also has auctioned off front row seats and back stage passes for the Pittsburgh-based charity. She has continued her donations and visits to the shelter, and plans to open an additional one. She also supports the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Refuge UK. Since then she has worked with Lifetime Television's 'End violence against women' campaign. Her work there included a public service announcement which aired on the network and during her 2007 tour.

Aguilera is a supporter of the LGBT community and is considered a gay icon by many. She was honored at the GLAAD Awards for using gay and transgender images in her music video for "Beautiful". When accepting the award Aguilera said, "My video captures the reality that gay and transgender people are beautiful, even though prejudice and discrimination against them still exists." In 2005 she appeared on a compilation album titled, ''Love Rocks'', proceeds benefit the Human Rights Campaign, an organization dedicated to fighting for equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. In 2008 she publicly spoke out against California's Proposition 8 which eliminates same-sex marriage in California saying, "Why you would put so much money behind something [aimed at] stopping from people loving each other and bonding together? I just don't understand it. It's hard for me to grasp. But I would've been out there with my rally sign as well." In 2011 Aguilera was honored at The Abbey, a gay club in West Hollywood, for her contributions to the gay community as the first honoree on their Gay Walk of Fame joining Dame Elizabeth Taylor in being immortalized forever.

Aguilera contributes in the fight against AIDS, by participating in AIDS Project Los Angeles' Artists Against AIDS "What's Going On?" cover project. In 2004, Aguilera became the new face for cosmetic company M·A·C and spokesperson for M·A·C AIDS Fund. Aguilera appeared in advertisements of the M·A·C's Viva Glam V lipstick and lipgloss, and was featured on ''Vanity Fair'' in recognition of her campaign work. In addition, Aguilera contributed to YouthAIDS by posing for a joint YouthAIDS and Aldo Shoes campaign for "Empowerment Tags" in Canada, the U.S. and the UK. She was featured with one of three ubiquitous slogans, "Speak No Evil?" and stated, "HIV is something that people don’t want to talk about, hear about, or face." Singer Elton John featured Aguilera in his charity book titled "Four Inches" benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Elton also hand-picked Aguilera, for his annual "Fashion Rocks" charity concert which accompanies music and fashion to benefit the fight against AIDS/HIV.

In the run-up to the 2004 United States presidential election, Aguilera was featured on billboards for the "Only You Can Silence Yourself" online voter registration drive run by the nonpartisan, non-profit campaign "Declare Yourself". In these political advertisements, shot by David LaChapelle, Aguilera was shown with her mouth sewn shut, to symbolize the effects of not voting. She appeared on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' to discuss the importance of voting. In late 2007 Aguilera became the spokesperson for "Rock the Vote" where she urged young people to vote in the 2008 presidential election. In partnership with "Rock the Vote", she appeared in a public service announcement which aired in summer 2008. The advert showed Aguilera with her son, Max Bratman, wrapped in an American flag, while singing "America the Beautiful".

In November 2005, all of her wedding gifts were submitted to various charities around the nation in support of Hurricane Katrina victims. That year she also performed at "Unite of the Stars" concert in aid of Unite Against Hunger in Johannesburg, South Africa and at the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund at the Coca-Cola Dome. In March 2007 Aguilera took part in a charity album (remaking Lennon's "Mother"), proceeds benefit Amnesty International's efforts to end genocide in Darfur. The album titled, ''Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur'', was released June 12, 2007 and featured various artists. In 2008 she headlined London's Africa Rising charity concert at Royal Albert Hall which raises awareness for finding substantial issues facing the continent. Later that year she appeared on the Turkish version of ''Deal or No Deal'' "Var mısın? Yok musun?" , where she won $180,000. Proceeds were donated to a charity program for orphans.

In 2009 Aguilera became the global spokesperson for World Hunger Relief appearing in advertisements, online campaigns and a public service announcement. Aguilera and her husband traveled to Guatemala with the World Food Programme to bring awareness to issues such as the high malnutrition rate in that country. She met with families of the villages and some of the beneficiaries of WFP's nutrition programs. Aguilera adds, "The people of WFP do such a great job helping hungry children and mothers. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be part of such a wonderful project." Since becoming a global spokeswoman Aguilera has helped raise over $22 million which helped provide over 90 million meals. She was honored at ''Variety'''s annual "Power of Women" luncheon in late 2009 alongside other women in entertainment for her contribution to philanthropic and charitable causes. In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Aguilera donated a signed Chrysler 300 which was auctioned for relief efforts. She was one of the many artists who appeared on the ''Hope for Haiti'' telethon on January 22, 2010, donations directly benefited Oxfam America, Partners In Health, Red Cross and UNICEF. She later appeared on a second public service announcement alongside sports icon Muhammad Ali to raise funds for the World Food Programme's efforts to bring food to survivors of the earthquake. Later that year Aguilera made her first visit to Haiti as an ambassador against hunger where she visited two schools in the town of Léogâne. During her time there she assisted in the ongoing efforts to help the badly damaged town where she served meals and highlighted reconstruction efforts in the country. That year, Aguilera was appointed UN ambassador for the WFP.

Filmography

''Shine a Light (film) ''Get Him to the Greek'' ''Burlesque (film)

+Films	Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2004	''Shark Tale''	Herself
2008	Shine a Light'' ||	Herself
2010	|	Herself	Cameo appearance
2010	Burlesque'' ||	Ali Rose	Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song>Golden Globe for Best Original Song

''Beverly Hills, 90210'' ''Saturday Night Live'' ''Project Runway'' ''Entourage (TV series) ''The Voice (U.S. TV series)

+Television	Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1993–1995	''The Mickey Mouse Club''	Herself/Various Roles
1999	|	Herself	"Let's Eat Cake"
2000–2006	|	Herself	Host, musical guest, 4 episodes
2009	|	Herself	Guest Judge, "Sequins, Feathers and Fur, Oh My!"
2010	Entourage'' ||	Herself	"Lose Yourself"
2011–present	The Voice'' ||	Herself	Coach and judgeReturning series

Discography

''Christina Aguilera'' (1999)

''Mi Reflejo'' (2000)

''My Kind of Christmas'' (2000)

''Stripped'' (2002)

''Back to Basics'' (2006)

''Bionic'' (2010)

Tours

;Headlining

Christina Aguilera in Concert (2000–01) (also known as the "Psykoblast Tour" and the "Sears & Levis US Tour")

Stripped World Tour (2003)

Back to Basics Tour (2006–07)

;Co-headlining

Justified/Stripped Tour (2003) (with Justin Timberlake)

See also

List of Christina Aguilera tours

List of best-selling music artists

List of artists who reached number one in the United States

List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart

List of awards and nominations received by Christina Aguilera

Honorific nicknames in popular music

References

External links

ChristinaAguilera.com – Christina Aguilera official website

Twitter – Official Twitter account.

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Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
Name	LeAnn Rimes
Birth name	Margaret LeAnn Rimes
Alias	LeAnn Rimes Cibrian
Birth date	August 28, 1982
Birth place	Jackson, Mississippi, United States
Origin	Dallas, Texas
Genre	Country, pop
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, actress, author
Years active	1994–present
Label	Asylum-Curb
Associated acts	Ronan Keating, Brian McFadden, Marc Broussard,Eddie Cibrian
Website	Official Website }}

LeAnn Rimes (born August 28, 1982) is an American country musician. She is known for her rich vocals and her rise to fame at the age of 13—becoming the youngest country music star since Tanya Tucker in 1972.

Rimes made her breakthrough into country music in 1996. Her debut album, ''Blue'', reached Number 1 on the Top Country Albums chart and was certified "multi-platinum" in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album's lead single of the same name (originally intended to be recorded by Patsy Cline in the early 1960s) became a Top 10 hit. With immediate success, Rimes attained widespread national acclaim for her similarities to Cline's vocal style. When Rimes released her sophomore studio effort in 1997, ''You Light up My Life: Inspirational Songs'', Rimes went more towards country pop material, which would set the trend for a string of albums that would be released into the next decade.

Since her debut, Rimes has won many major industry awards, which include two Grammys, three ACMs, one CMA, twelve Billboard Music Awards, and one American Music award. In addition, Rimes has also released ten studio albums and four compilation albums through her record label of 13 years, Asylum-Curb, and placed over 40 singles on American and international charts since 1996. She has sold over 37 million records worldwide, with 20.3 million album sales in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Early life

Born Margaret LeAnn Rimes (in Pearl, Mississippi), she is the only child of Belinda Butler Rimes and Wilbur Rimes. The family relocated to Garland, Texas when she was six years old. She was singing by the age of two, was enrolled into vocal and dance training, and by the age of five was performing at local talent shows. One of her best friends, Jordan Villarreal, supported her when she sang. Rimes initially began her career in musical theatre, performing in a Dallas, Texas production of ''A Christmas Carol,'' and almost landed the lead part in the Broadway production of ''Annie.'' However, after appearing on the network television competition show, ''Star Search,'' Rimes decided to pursue a career in country music. Following her national television appearance, Rimes made a number of appearances on ''Johnnie High's Country Music Revue'' in Arlington, Texas, which garnered the attention of national talent scouts.

By the age of nine, LeAnn was already an experienced singer. She toured nationally with her father and also regularly performed a cappella renditions of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the opening ceremonies of the Dallas Cowboys football games. In order to bring his daughter more national attention, he began recording her under the independent label Nor Va Jak when she turned eleven. She released three albums under the label between 1992 and 1996.

Rimes was discovered by Dallas disc jockey and record promoter, Bill Mack. Mack was impressed by Rimes' vocal ability, and over the following three years, he also made various attempts to bring Rimes to a mainstream level. The center of Mack's plan to bring her success was his self-penned composition, "Blue," which he had written in the early 1960s. Mack claimed that the song was intended to be recorded and made a hit record by Patsy Cline, but she had been killed in a plane crash before ever recording the composition. By 1995, Mack was able to gain Rimes a contract with Curb Records, after record executives heard Rimes sing "Blue."

Music career

1996: ''Blue''

After signing with Curb, Rimes re-recorded a new version of "Blue" that was to be released on her debut studio album on the label. In 1996, the new version of "Blue" was released as a single, peaking at Number 10 on the Billboard Country Chart. While Curb was releasing "Blue," a claim was also sent out that Mack had been waiting over 30 years to find the perfect artist to record "Blue." However, the story was later found to be an exaggeration, as it was discovered that "Blue" had already been recorded by three different artists. Mack himself and Kenny Roberts both released versions of the song on Starday Records in the 1960s. In 1993, Australian artist Catherine Britt released her own version as a single in her native country. The story, though, was continually spread throughout the national press, adding to the idea that Rimes was the successor to Patsy Cline's legacy. Rimes's album ''Blue'' was also released in 1996, and sold 123,000 copies in its first week, which was the highest figure in SoundScan history up to that point. The album peaked at Number 1 on the Top Country Albums and debuted at Number 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, eventually selling a total of four million copies in the United States and 8 million copies worldwide. Allmusic considered the album to be "delightful" and that it could "help inspire other young teens." Rimes followed up the single with several charting country singles from her 1996 album, starting with "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)", which reached Number 1 on the Billboard Country Chart in 1996. She also released a duet single with Eddy Arnold from the album, a remake of his 1955 hit "The Cattle Call". The album's other hits included the Top 5 "The Light in Your Eyes" and the minor hit "Hurt Me."

With the album's success, Rimes received many major industry awards. In 1997, she won the Country Music Association's "Horizon Award," becoming the youngest person to ever be nominated and win a Country Music Association award. The following year she was awarded Grammy awards, one for ''Best New Artist'' and another for ''Best Female Country Vocal Performance'' for "Blue."

1997–2001: Pop crossover and Worldwide Success

In 1997, Rimes released a compilation of previously recorded material under the Nor Va Jak label, ''Unchained Melody: The Early Years''. The album mainly consisted of cover versions, ranging from Country to pop covers, including songs originally recorded by The Beatles, Whitney Houston, Bill Monroe, and Dolly Parton. Rimes' version of the title track became a major country hit in early 1997 and helped increase sales for the album. In September 1997, Rimes released her follow-up studio album to ''Blue'' titled ''You Light up My Life: Inspirational Songs''. The album covered classic inspirational songs, such as "Clinging to Saving a Hand" and "Amazing Grace". It also featured pop music remakes of songs such as Debby Boone's "You Light up My Life" and Bette Midler's "The Rose". The album was a departure from Rimes' previous releases as it contained more Adult Contemporary-styled music than Country. The album sold over four million copies in the United States, certifying 4× Multi-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album contained the single "How Do I Live", which became a major pop hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching Number 2. "How Do I Live" set a new record for becoming the longest-running single in Billboard Hot 100 history, spending 69 weeks on the chart. The song was originally recorded for the film ''Con Air'', along with a version also recorded by Trisha Yearwood. Yearwood's manager at the time had told the press that Rimes's version sounded "too pop". Therefore Rimes's version received little country airplay (only reaching Number 43) and was rejected for the film. Yearwood's rendition was released to country radio shortly afterwards, peaking at Number 2 on the Billboard Country Chart in 1997, becoming the country hit instead of Rimes's version.

Rimes released her third album for Curb in May 1998, ''Sittin' on Top of the World''. The album leaned more progressively towards Adult Contemporary and mid-tempo pop music. It included pop material written by Carol Bayer Sager and David Foster. It also included a remake of Prince's "Purple Rain" and was produced by her father. The album was given mixed reviews. Allmusic gave the album two out of five stars. ''Rolling Stone'' said Rimes vocal style "holds her own in the more popular style of Mariah Carey and Celine Dion, wherein a spectacular voice upstages a song, grins and goes on about her business." Upon its release, ''Sittin' on Top of the World'' debuted at Number 2 on the Top Country Albums chart, and Number 3 on the Billboard 200, and sold over a million copies in the United States, certifying "Platinum" in sales by the RIAA. The album spawned the Number 4 Country hit "Commitment", the Top 20 Pop hit "Looking Through Your Eyes", and the Number 10 country hit "Nothin' New Under the Moon".

Rimes released her fourth studio album for Curb, ''LeAnn Rimes'', in October 1999, a collection of country standards. The album covered songs mainly by Patsy Cline – which included "Crazy", "I Fall to Pieces", and "She's Got You" – that were primarily taken from her ''12 Greatest Hits'' album. The album also covered Marty Robbins's "Don't Worry" and Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee". The album included one new song, "Big Deal". The song gained many positive reviews. Allmusic called the song, "a return to her roots" and "a salute to one of her idols, Patsy Cline." The album in general received much praise. Allmusic called the album one of her "better" efforts, since they had disliked her previous releases. ''Entertainment Weekly'' gave the album a positive review and said that Rimes's voice, "dares listeners to take note of what is missing in her interpretations -- the gutsiness and gut-wrenching urgency of performers who felt what they sang." The album was a major success like her previous releases, debuting at Number 1 on the Top Country Albums chart, topping the country albums chart for two weeks. In addition, it also peaked at Number 8 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The album also sold over one million copies in the United States, and was certified "Platinum" in sales by the RIAA. The album's new song, "Big Deal", was the lead single off the album, and became a Top 10 country hit that year, peaking at Number 6. Also in 1999, Rimes recorded a duet with Elton John for the stage musical ''Aida'', titled "Written in the Stars". The song became a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The album would spawn a second single, a cover of Cline's "Crazy" that was released outside of the United States.

In January 2001, Rimes released her sixth studio album, ''I Need You'', an album aimed at the pop market. The album topped the Top Country Albums chart for one week, and also peaked at Number 10 on the Billboard 200. ''I Need You'' did not garner praise from many critics and was mainly given negative reviews. ''Rolling Stone'' gave the album two and a half out of five stars and called the album, "synthetic-feeling." Despite very little praise from critics, the album was sold well, certifying "Gold" in sales by the RIAA. Rimes would later go on to publicly disown the album, which she stated was compiled together from studio outtakes her father had produced. The album's lead single, "I Need You" – which was characterized by Allmusic as having similarities to that of Adult Contemporary and Pop music — was originally recorded for the TV movie ''Jesus''. The song became a Top 10 country hit and also a major pop hit, reaching Number 11 on the Hot 100. Also included on the album was the song "Can't Fight the Moonlight", released from the soundtrack of the film ''Coyote Ugly''. The song was released as the album's second single in 2001, and by February 2002 the song became a crossover Pop hit, reaching Number 11 in United States and becoming the highest selling single of 2001 in Australia. "Can't Fight the Moonlight" won Rimes a ''Blockbuster Entertainment Award'' for "Favorite Song from a Movie." In mid-October 2001, Curb released a compilation of patriotic and inspirational songs, titled ''God Bless America'', in order to benefit the disaster recovery for the September 11 attacks. It included the title track, as well as inspirational songs such as "The Lord's Prayer" and "The Sands of Time".

2002–2004: ''I Need You'', ''Twisted Angel'', Greatest Hits

In February 2002 Rimes re-released the ''I Need You'' album with 9 of the songs originally released on the album, an extended version of the song You Are, the song Light the Fire Within which she sang at the Olympics the previous year and 4 bonus remixes. Rimes would later that year release her seventh album (sixth studio album) titled ''Twisted Angel,'' which contained more adult material. After battling managerial control over her career the previous year, ''Twisted Angel'' became the first album released by Rimes that was not produced by her father. Instead, Rimes executive produced the album. A month following the album's release, ''Twisted Angel'' was certified "Gold" by the RIAA, her second Gold-certified album. The album received mainly negative reviews by most music critics and magazines. Allmusic stated that the album could possibly "alieniate her from her original fans" and "the songwriting is a little uneven." ''Rolling Stone'' gave the album two out of five stars, stating that the album sounded too "country-pop crossover." The album peaked at Number 3 on the Top Country Albums chart and Number 12 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart. Three singles were spawned from the album between 2002 and 2003, however none of the singles were Top 40 hits on the country or pop charts. The lead single, "Life Goes on", reached the Top 40 only on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, peaking at Number 19. The second single, "Tic Toc" was a Top 40 Dance club hit in 2003. The third single, "Suddenly" only peaked at 43 on the US Country charts, 47 on the UK charts and 53 on the Australian charts.

The following year when Rimes turned 21, she released a ''Greatest Hits'' compilation in November. The album recapped Rimes' major hits under Curb records from "Blue" in 1996, to "Life Goes on" in 2002. The album peaked at Number 3 on the Top Country Albums chart and Number 24 on the Billboard 200 in November. Featured on the album was the single, ''We Can'', which was originally released on the soundtrack of ''Legally Blonde 2'' in July 2003. The album would eventually be certified "Platinum" in 2007 The following year in October 2004, Rimes issued her first holiday-themed album titled, ''What a Wonderful World.''

2005–2006: Return to country; ''This Woman''

In January 2005, Rimes released her seventh studio album, ''This Woman,'' her first album of contemporary country music in many years. Although the album received mixed reviews from magazines and critics, it was Rimes's best-selling album in over five years, reaching Number 3 on the Billboard 200 and Number 2 on the Top Country Albums chart in 2005, selling more than 100,000 copies within its first week. Rimes explained to the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' that the album helped mature her as a person, "I have 10 years of experience, so it's tough to get anything past me in this business. I've become a very strong woman because of all I've gone through, good and bad." ''This Woman'' would eventually be certified "Gold" later in 2005, after selling more than 500,000 units nationwide. The album's singles were Rimes's first Top 10 hits on the Hot Country Songs chart in five years. The three singles released from the album — "Nothin' 'Bout Love Makes Sense", "Probably Wouldn't Be This Way", and "Something's Gotta Give" — all peaked within the Top 5 on the country charts between 2005 and 2006. From the album, Rimes was nominated for a Grammy award for ''Best Female Country Vocal Performance'' for "Something's Gotta Give". In addition, she was also nominated for an American Music Award for "Favorite Female Country Artist." In 2006, Rimes recorded a cover version of Barbara Mandrell's "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)", for a tribute album to Mandrell's career titled, ''She Was a Country When Country Wasn't Cool: A Tribute to Barbara Mandrell.'' Rimes also would record a track for Disneyland's fiftieth anniversary celebration album titled, "Remember When."

In summer 2006, Rimes released the studio album ''Whatever We Wanna,'' which was released exclusively outside of the United States and Canada. It was originally planned on being released in North America, however due to the success of ''This Woman,'' it was never released. The album spawned minor hits in the United Kingdom, including "And it Feels Like" and a duet with Brian McFadden titled, "Everybody's Someone". The album leaned more towards Pop Rock and R&B; music instead of country.

Rimes would release one final single in the US from her album ''This Woman'' in August 2006 called "Some People" which would peak at 34 on the US country charts.

2007–2009: ''Family''

Rimes took a two year break, and then released her next studio album in October 2007, ''Family''. The album was a mix of country, pop, and rock music, and included a duet with Bon Jovi, "Til We Ain't Strangers Anymore". ''Family'' was the first album released by Rimes in which every track was co-written by Rimes herself. ''Rolling Stone'' said the songs on the album are "uneven" and rated it three and half out of five stars. Allmusic gave ''Family'' four out of five stars and said that the album, "illustrates her range as a singer along with some true strength as a writer." The album helped nominate Rimes for the Academy of Country Music's "Top Female Vocalist" award in 2008. The album's lead single, "Nothin' Better to Do" was released in mid 2007, and peaked at Number 14 on the Billboard Country Chart before the end of the year. The album has released two singles to date; "Good Friend and a Glass of Wine" and "What I Cannot Change."

In 2008, Rimes toured with Kenny Chesney where she opened every show on his 2008 ''Poets and Pirates Tour'', along with other artists on select dates such as Brooks & Dunn, Keith Urban, Sammy Hagar, Gary Allan, Big & Rich, and Luke Bryan. In late 2008, Rimes was nominated for a Grammy award for ''Best Female Country Vocal Performance'' for "What I Cannot Change", the third single from the album. In 2008, she recorded ''For Good'' with Delta Goodrem for the ''Wicked 5th Anniversary'' album. LeAnn teamed up with Joss Stone for a CMT ''Crossroads'' special aired in fall 2007.

2010–present: ''Lady And Gentlemen''

Despite singing new material at several live shows earlier in the year, it was announced, on May 24, 2010 by Rimes via her Twitter account, that her new studio album would be a cover album of country songs, titled ''Lady and Gentlemen''. The first single from the album is a cover of John Anderson's 1983 single, "Swingin'. LeAnn first debuted the song at the 2010 CMT Music Awards. The single was released on June 8, 2010. According to LeAnn Rimes' official website, she is planning on re-recording her hit, "Blue" for the new album. She stated that she wants "the album to be perfect." Since she is doing this, the album would take a longer waiting time to come out. On November 8, 2010, LeAnn released her second single titled "Crazy Women" to radio. "Crazy Women," "Blue" and "Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down" were announced, in the same post, as the three extra tracks that LeAnn went back in the studio to add to the album. A third single, "Give", (penned by Rimes) debuted at #60 in July 2011, released as the third single. Rimes announced via her Twitter account on July 17, 2011 that the new release date for her ''Lady and Gentlemen'' album would be September 27, 2011.

Musicianship

Vocal ability and musical stylings

Since her debut in 1996, Rimes' voice and vocal style have often been compared to and identified with Patsy Cline. Cline showed distinctive emotional expression in most of her material. Rimes has also used distinctive emotional expression in many of her songs, most notably her first single, "Blue", which was sung in the style of Cline. Rimes' vocal similarities to Cline had brought wide interest to the idea that Rimes was the successor to Cline's legacy, and brought her novelty appeal. Many music critics have argued that Rimes' vocals were only a reproduction of Cline's original sound, while others have disagreed. Allmusic has called Rimes' vocals "rich and powerful." Her vocal ability has also brought Rimes to comparisons to past teenage country stars, including 50s country star Brenda Lee and 70s country star Tanya Tucker. Rimes was also known for choosing mature material that was beyond her age range. In her first album, Rimes recorded such material as Deborah Allen's "My Baby", whose lyrics provocatively say, "my baby is a full-time lover, my baby is a full-grown man." Other material such as Diane Warren's "How Do I Live" had also been considered too mature for Rimes' age and was the main reason why her version of the song was not chosen to be used in the soundtrack for the film ''Con Air''.

Influences

Rimes has given credit to artists from various music genres, mainly from the genres of country and pop. She has stated that Barbra Streisand, Wynonna Judd, and Reba McEntire have been primary influences on her career. Rimes has stated the main influence on her career is Patsy Cline. She has covered many of Cline's hit songs since the beginning of her career. Her 1999 self-titled album is primarily a tribute to Cline, as Rimes recorded five out of ten songs for the album that had been hits for Cline years before.

Film and television

After beginning to date actor Andrew Keegan in 1998, Rimes said to the press that she had some ideas about possibly getting involved in an acting career. Rimes later moved to Los Angeles, California later in the year with her mother to pursue an acting career. That year Rimes played a role in the Made for television movie, ''Holiday in Your Heart,'' which is based on a book she had helped write. For participating in the film, Rimes was awarded the "Rising Star" award from the ''Lone Star Film & Television Awards.'' She made her official film debut in 2001 for ''Coyote Ugly'', providing the singing voice for Piper Perabo's character Violet Sanford and making a cameo appearance towards the end of the film. In addition, she also recorded four songs for the film's soundtrack, including the Top 20 Pop hit, "Can't Fight the Moonlight." In 2005 Rimes hosted the country music television competition, ''Nashville Star'' on the USA television network. However she only held the position for one season after deciding to depart from the show's cast.

In early June 2007, she was chosen at the last minute to record the leading song for the soundtrack of ''Evan Almighty'' called "Ready For A Miracle" (previously recorded by Patti LaBelle). The song can be heard in the movie, during the end credits, and in the trailers of ''Evan Almighty.'' Rimes played in the movie ''Good Intentions'' with her friend Elaine Hendricks which is filming near Atlanta, Georgia. Rimes plays Meg Galligan in the made for TV movie, ''Northern Lights'', based on the Nora Roberts novel of the same name. The film aired on the Lifetime network on March 12, 2009.

In 2007 Rimes began hosting The Colgate Country Showdown, a nation wide televised country music talent competition, similar to that of ''American Idol'' or ''Nashville Star''. In 2011 Rimes hosted the show for her 5th consecutive year, when the show switched sponsorship, to Texaco.

Personal life

Lawsuits

On May 21, 2000, Rimes filed a lawsuit against her father, Wilbur Rimes, and her former manager, Lyle Walker in Dallas, Texas. Rimes claimed that her father and former manager took over seven million dollars from her in the preceding five years. Rimes also alleged that both men made unreasonable fees and took advantage of Rimes's label, Asylum-Curb, in order to acquire financial gain. Rimes sought unspecified damages because her attorney was not sure of how much money had been lost in the preceding five years. According to Rimes's lawyer, her mother hired two accountants to investigate how much was taken from Rimes's fortune, and it was estimated that the men acquired around eight million dollars in royalties. In 2002, Rimes's lawsuit with her father was "settled on undisclosed terms." Rimes reconciled with her father for her wedding.

In November 2000, Rimes filed a second lawsuit against her label, Asylum-Curb. Rimes wanted permission to be released from the contract that was signed by her parents on Rimes's behalf when she originally signed with the label in 1995. She also wanted her label to turn over the rights of her music, video work, and publishing interests, and omit all of her recordings that were currently being distributed at the time of the lawsuit. Part of Rimes's legal battles ended in December 2001, when Asylum-Curb started a new contract with Rimes.

Marriage, divorce, and re-marriage

Amid the legal battles, Rimes fell in love with backup dancer Dean Sheremet. The two had met when he was chosen to dance during Rimes's hosting of the 2001 Academy of Country Music Awards. After her first date with Sheremet, Rimes told ''InStyle Magazine'': "This is the guy I want to marry." The couple married the next year, in 2002. In July 2009, the couple separated and in September 2009, Rimes announced their plans to divorce. The divorce was finalized on June 19, 2010, exactly six months after Sheremet filed divorce documents for dissolution of marriage.

Rimes is currently married to ''Northern Lights'' co-star Eddie Cibrian, with whom she had a well-publicized extramarital affair prior to the split from Sheremet. Cibrian, the father of two children, left his wife for Rimes and filed for divorce in August 2009, after eight years of marriage. In June 2010, Rimes spoke for the first time about the end of her first marriage, stating that, while she was sorry that people were hurt, she had no regrets about the outcome of the affair. On December 27, 2010, it was announced via ''Billboard'' that Rimes and Cibrian were engaged. The couple wed on April 22, 2011 at a private home in California.

Philanthropy

In 2008, she opened up about her lifelong struggle with the autoimmune disease psoriasis. She participated in a PSA to raise awareness about the disease.

Rimes lent her voice to the 2008 song "Just Stand Up." The proceeds benefited Stand Up to Cancer. As a result of SU2C fundraising endeavors, the SU2C scientific advisory committee, overseen by the American Association for Cancer Research, was able to award $73.6 million towards cancer research.

On December 19, 2010, she performed "The Rose," joined by The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles in remembrance of the many gay teenagers who committed suicide in 2010. On her weblog she wrote on June 18, 2011: "I believe in equality for everyone. I believe everyone should have the right to love and commit to whomever they want. [...] All I know is that in God's eyes we are all the same. I just wish we could see through the eyes of God more often."

Wealth

According to "Celebrity Net Worth", Rimes has a current estimated net worth of just under $38 million as of 2011, and is one of the richest female country singers in America.

Discography

;Studio albums

1994: ''All That''

1996: ''Blue''

1997: ''Unchained Melody: The Early Years''

1997: ''You Light up My Life: Inspirational Songs''

1998: ''Sittin' on Top of the World''

1999: ''LeAnn Rimes''

2001: ''I Need You''

2002: ''Twisted Angel''

2004: ''What a Wonderful World''

2005: ''This Woman''

2006: ''Whatever We Wanna''

2007: ''Family''

2011: ''Lady and Gentlemen''

;Compilation albums

2001: ''God Bless America''

2003: ''Greatest Hits''

2004: ''The Best of LeAnn Rimes''

Filmography

! Year	! Name	! Role	! Other notes
	''Holiday in Your Heart''	Herself	Main Role
"Moesha"	Herself
1998	''Days of Our Lives''	Madison	Episode 1
2000		Herself	cameo appearance/singing voice:Piper Perabo
2003	''American Dreams''	Connie Francis	Season 3 episode; "Where the Boys Are"
2004	''Extreme Makeover Home Edition''	Herself	Cox Family; guest star
2006	''Holly Hobbie and Friends: Christmas Wishes''	Kelly Deegan	TV film
2008		Pam	Released on DVD March 9, 2010
		Meg Galligan	TV film Released on DVD October 6, 2009
''I Get That a Lot''	Waitress	Television special (1 episode)
2010	''Extreme Makeover Home Edition Nashville''	Herself
2011		Holly Whitman	TV film

Awards

Country Music Association awards

! Year	! Award	! Notes
1997	Horizon Award

Academy of Country Music awards

! Year	! Award	! Notes
	Top New Female Vocalist
Song of the Year for "Blue"	Award given to "Blue"'s songwriter, Bill Mack.
2009	Humanitarian Award

Grammy awards

! Year	! Award	! For
	''Best New Artist''	Herself
''Best Female Country Vocal Performance''	"Blue"

American music awards

! Year	! Award	! Notes
1997	Favorite New Artist	Only American music award

CMT music awards

! Year	! Award	! Video
2008	Collaborative Video of the Year	"'Til We Ain't Strangers Anymore" (w/ Bon Jovi)

References

External links

Official International Website

Official Northern Lights movie site starring LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian at myLifetime.com

Category:1982 births Category:American country singers Category:American female singers Category:American child singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American pop singers Category:Curb Records artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Musicians from Texas Category:Actors from Texas Category:People from Garland, Texas Category:People from Rankin County, Mississippi Category:Musicians from Mississippi Category:Actors from Mississippi Category:Living people

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