Christina Aguilera Thinks It’s ‘Corny’ When Celebrities ‘Do Things Intentionally’ to Stay Relevant

By Emma Chance | Celebrity | August 29, 2024 |

By Emma Chance | Celebrity | August 29, 2024 |

In a recent interview with Paper magazine, Christina Aguilera reflected on her career, saying she’s “really proud” of herself for taking “risks and chances” while never releasing anything just for the “noise” or “attention.”

“You can make these choices. You can make them to play it safe and go along with the flow, or you can do things that really move people and shake it up,” she said. “And I don’t intentionally, I think it’s corny to do things intentionally for pop culture, noise and for attention to stay quote-unquote ‘relevant.’ That becomes its own weird animal that gets away from artistry, period.”

Female pop artists are often not taken seriously or even given the credit for their music; they’re thought of as stylish, sexually attractive vessels onto whom fans can project their fantasies. So, it’s refreshing to hear a pop star talk about their artistry with such intention. It’s in keeping with the trends we’re seeing in this current era of pop music, with artists like Chappell Roan and Charli XCX redefining what the world expects from women in the genre.

However, Aguilera understands that it’s also a pop artist’s job to be in conversation with popular culture, at least a little bit. “I was never interested in making the same record over and over again, that’s my worst idea of music,” she explained. “It’s part of our jobs as musicians to see where music is moving and see what’s happening socially. It really is about connecting and trying to bring people together.”

Maybe this philosophy is why she hasn’t released any new music recently. Her last album was Aguilera in 2022, her first entirely Latin album. Meanwhile, other artists from that bygone pop diva era are trying to jump on the bandwagon and striking out. Perhaps Katy Perry should take a page from Xtina’s book?