ItsNotYouItsMe Woman Crush Wednesday honors and looks back at Christina Aguilera’s legendary history with Latin musique. From ‘Mi Reflejo’ to thee iconic duet with cutie patootie Mexican superstar Alejandro Fernández!
“Embracing her Ecuadorian roots, Christina Aguilera is one of the few pop stars who has dominated both the English and Spanish-language markets. The Latin Grammy-winning Mi Reflejo, or “My Reflection” in English, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Albums chart in September 2000 and remained there for 19 weeks. The album also peaked at No. 27 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart. Since then, she has charted 7 titles on the Hot Latin Songs chart, including 5 top 10 hits. While most of that success was from the Mi Reflejo era, Aguilera has revisited Latin music here and there throughout her career.
“I’ve been wanting to do it for years,” Aguilera told Billboard in an interview about her new Latin album. “But I want to do it right way. I want to work with musicians and beautiful people from the Latin world who just eat, sleep and breathe it, and live it, and learn from them. I really want to experience it from the ground up.”
While the follow-up to Mi Reflejo is in the works, let’s look back at the times Aguilera let out her inner LatinXtina. (If you’re looking for your next Latin album title, Christina, please consider that.)
“Just Be Free” (1995)
Even before she was famous, Spanish-language music had apparently been part of the plan for Aguilera’s music career. When songs from a 1995 recording session were released on 2001’s demo album Just Be Free, the world got a Spanish-language remix of the title track. Over computerized tropical beats, a very young Aguilera demands to dance and get lost in the music.
Mi Reflejo (2000)
After dominating pop music 20 years ago with her 1999 self-titled album, Aguilera followed it up with Mi Reflejo, which featured Spanish-language versions of her biggest hits. “Genio Atrapado” (“Genie in a Bottle”) peaked at No. 13 on the Hot Latin Songs chart and “Por Siempre Tú” (“I Turn to You”) climbed to No. 6. Aguilera topped the chart with “Ven Conmigo (Solamente Tú)” (“Come On Over Baby (All I Want is You)”).
Mixed among the singles re-recorded in Spanish on Mi Reflejo were new original songs. Aguilera teamed up with a pre-“Despacito” Luis Fonsi on “Si No Te Hubiera Conocido,” which had a one week stay at No. 36 on the Hot Latin Songs chart. She earned another top 10 hit with the No. 8-peaking “Pero Me Acuerdo De Ti,” a cover of Puerto Rican singer Lourdes Robles’ heartbreaking ballad.
“El Último Adiós” (2001)
With a heightened profile in the Latin music industry, Aguilera was one of the countless superstars on “El Último Adiós,” a charity single that was released to raise money for the families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. She belted a few adlibs in Spanish alongside artists like Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Mexico’s Paulina Rubio and Thalía, Colombia’s Shakira, and Puerto Rico’s Ricky Martin and Fonsi.
“Primer Amor Interlude” and “Dame Lo Que Yo Te Doy” (2002)
From this point on, Aguilera’s Spanish-language songs would be far, few, and mostly non-commercial releases. For her second English-language album, 2002’s Stripped, she spoke in Spanish on “Primer Amor Interlude,” a prelude to the Latin music-influenced “Infatuation.” The B-side to her “Beautiful” single was “Dame Lo Que Yo Te Doy,” a remake of the hot-and-heavy “Get Mine, Get Yours.”
“Somos Novios” (2006)
A few months before the release of her third English-language album, Back to Basics, Aguilera collaborated with Italian icon Andrea Bocelli on his album Amore. He recruited her to cover the bolero classic “Somos Novios (It’s Impossible)” with him. Two of the most powerful voices in music came together for a dreamy duet in Spanish.
“Desnudate” (2010)
On her fourth English-language album, 2010’s Bionic, Aguilera returned to Latin music in a big way with “Desnudate,” a bilingual bedroom banger. In English and Spanish, she demands, “Get naked!” The fan favorite cut is currently on the setlist of Aguilera’s The Xperience residency at Planet Hollywood’s Zappos Theater. She made the announcement about her upcoming Latin music album before singing this song.
“La Casa de Mi Padre” (2012)
Ahead of her 2012 album Lotus, Aguilera sang the main theme for Casa de Mi Padre, a movie starring Will Ferrell and Mexican actors Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna. Since the film was made to be like an exaggeration of telenovelas, “La Casa de Mi Padre” is over-the-top, with Aguilera delivering larger-than-life vocals about the blood and sweat put into building her father’s fabled house.
“Hoy Tengo Ganas De Ti” (2013)
For Mexican superstar Alejandro Fernández’s Confidencias album, he covered the Miguel Gallardo classic “Hoy Tengo Ganas De Ti” alongside Aguilera. Their duet was also picked up as the theme for the telenovela La Tempestad. Whereas “La Casa” was winded, she delivered a powerfully passionate performance that complemented Fernández. The song peaked at No. 5 on the Hot Latin Songs chart in August 2013.” – Billboard.com
