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CHRISTINA AGUILERA...!!!

I don't know how many of you remember the old Star Search talent-contest program, but most of us who were subjected to it back then (channel-surfing wasn't what it is today) spent most of our time trying to figure out which was worse: the "talent" or Ed McMahon. At the age of 8, future teen sensation Christina Aguilera appeared on the program (you can be sure VH1 wasted no time in digging up the clip to air on Before They Were Rock Stars). But that was just the beginning: At age 10, she sang the national anthem for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and from ages 12 to 14 she appeared on the new Mickey Mouse Club show alongside other future stars Britney Spears and J.C. and Justin of *NSYNC. Her duet with Japanese pop star Keizo Nakanishi on "All I Wanna Do" also allowed her video exposure and even a tour of Japan.

Aguilera returned to the U.S. in 1998 in time to audition for the singing part of "Reflection" in the Disney film Mulan; her living room boombox demo of Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Run To You" was Fed-Exed by her manager to Disney, and within a week she had the Disney job and a solo deal with RCA Records. Talk about timing!

Aguilera's 1999 self-titled debut was recorded with a variety of hot-shot producers, including Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers (*NSYNC), Travon Potts (Monica), and Guy Roche (Brandy). Hit-songwriter-for-hire Diane Warren gave her the ballad "I Turn To You," while "Genie In A Bottle" was produced by ex-System David Frank and Steve Kipner. Not surprisingly, Christina Aguilera shot all the way to number one in its first week of release and maintained a spot in the upper reaches of the Billboard charts for weeks. That same year, Aguilera took home a Grammy for Best New Artist.

After appearing on a number of teen award programs, releasing Christmas and Spanish-language albums, and being compared countless times to her less vocally gifted ex-MMC castmate Britney Spears, Aguilera seemed to go to great pains to refashion herself as a sort of R&B/street baby diva, starting with her often bizarre fashion sense: Gone were the cute CosmoGirl outfits and straight flaxen locks, replaced by bizarre shredded getups that barely covered her private parts and cornrows or Dee Snider perms. This landed her on many worst-dressed lists, but she was merely young artist trying to find herself, and that meant growing up--and making mistakes--in public. One career move that certainly wasn't a mistake was her participation in the Moulin Rouge soundtrack's remake of LaBelle's "Lady Marmalade" with Pink, Mya, Lil' Kim, and Missy Elliott: The superstar collaboration showcased her powerful vocals and was one of the biggest singles of 2001.

Now, at age 21, Aguilera is continuing do her own thing with her long-awaited sophomore album, Stripped, much of which she co-wrote. The album's first single, "Dirrty," features a rap by Redman. Whether this new direction will widen her audience or alienate her existing fanbase remains to be seen, but it's certain that Stripped will help her stand out from the teen-pop pack.