The human voice is a complex instrument. Humans have vocal cords which can loosen or tighten or change their thickness and over which breath can be transferred at varying pressures. The shape of chest and neck, the position of the tongue, and the tightness of otherwise unrelated muscles can be altered. Any one of these actions results in a change in pitch, volume, timbre, or tone of the sound produced.

One important categorisation which can be applied to the sounds singers make relates to the register; or the "voice" which we use. Singers refer to these registers according to the part of the body in which the sound most generally resonates, and which have correspondingly different tonal qualities. There are widely differing opinions and theories about what a register is, how they are produced and how many there are. The following definitions refer to the different ranges of the voice.

What is Placement?
Placement is the term used to describe the technique of being guided by the vibrations and resonances of the body when singing. These sensations can usually be felt in the chest, face, nose, mouth etc.,

What is Register?
Like most things singing related, peoples opinions and descriptive terms differ on this subject, but generally speaking the word 'register' is used to describe a section of the voice. These 'sections' are loosely catagorised by how cords vibrate, glottal and pharyngeal shape, where the voice resonates in the body and the resulting quality or timbre of the voice.

What is a Register Break?
This is an area of the voice which is situated between one register and another, when the voice breaks or drops a note consistently in the same area, it is usually considered to be a transition point or Passaggio between one register and another, i.e., from a heavy voice to a light voice.

What is Vocal Fry?
Glottal or Vocal Fry is the term used by some to describe lowest part of the voice. It is effectively a toneless "rattle", rasp or roughness produced by the vocal cords at the lower end of the range which is often used as an effect in rock singing. Click Here for an audio example of spoken glottal fry at Lions Voice Clinic website.

What is Chest Voice or Chest Register
Usually a deep or rich full sound that is most commonly used during speech. Air flows over the vocal folds which are are fully apart and the vibration or resonance can often be felt in the upper chest. This is the area of the voice where you should be singing the lower notes of your range.

What is Middle Voice or Middle Register?
The term Middle Voice is not as commonly used as some of the other descriptions like chest and head voice. This section of the voice may also be referred to as mix or blend and it describes an area where a vocal bridge or passaggio may occur. Once the singer has mastered the art of moving smoothly through this transition area it is considered to be mixed or blended.

What is Head Voice or Upper Register?
Remember those lengthening cords as you ascend the range? Well you'll need these to access 'Head Voice' which is where you should be singing those high notes. The resonance is usually felt in the cheekbone, teeth/lips area which is sometimes referred to as the mask or masque.

What is Whistle Voice or SuperHead?
This is the top end of the vocal range which sounds similar to a whistle or squeal. Few singers use the whistle register although it has gained popularity amongst some female commercial artists.

What is Falsetto or False Voice?
Falsetto is the lightest register and requires loose vocal cords and incomplete closure which produces a breathy voice that can sound quite feminine although it is generally used by men rather than women.
Read more about Falsetto.

How do you know if your singing in Head or Chest Voice?
Place your fingers on your breast bone and then sing a few notes from the bottom end of your range, you should be able to feel the vibration in your chest through your fingers, if you don't feel anything try belting 'Hello' - if your singing in chest voice you should feel something there. If you are singing in your head voice, you should feel the vibrations somewhere in the region of your teeth/lips, cheekbones, nasal cavity, or forehead.

These are just a small example of the extensive links to online exercises and lessons we have available in the Singers Articles section, which contains complete listings of lessons, exercises or articles available on each site with direct links to the page (when not a framed site) plus answers to pretty much everything a beginner, intermediate, advanced singer or teacher needs to know! (All links open in a new window).

Baroque Tenor
Tako Oda's response and explaination of head voices and falsetto in Tenors.

David Stroud's Voice Studio
This site maintained by Speech Level Singing Tutor contains some excellent free videos showing the vocal folds in action plus a bundle of advice and tips for singers.

Falsetto Pedagogy vs SLS
A technically orientated and informative posting on head voice and falsetto at The Vocalist discussion group by Lloyd W. Hanson.

Dutch Diva's
Site provides pictures, biographies, sound files, reviews and discussion on Dutch opera / concert singers and conductors plus a few notable international performers. Of special interest is 'The High C' page containing information and sound clips, a full list of recognised voice types (with known artist examples) plus a good diagram of main ranges on the piano with typical note frequency stated below. Available in Dutch and English.

Good Rich Vocal
Listen to 36 audio examples of correct and incorrect singing. Hear the "mix," Chest voice, head voice and super head voice. Very clear explanations

Head & Chest Voice
Helpful response to query on the differences between head and chest voice posted to Tessitura Discussion Group by Kristina.

How to sing classical nonclassical jazz rock folk etc
An informative explanation of the basic oscillation patterns observed in phonated sound posted to The Vocalist discussion group by Lloyd W. Hanson

Joining Voices
Thread on voice registers and transitions at Tessitura Discussion Group.

Male Registers
A basic description of male registers posted to The Vocalist discussion group by Micheal Gordon.

Registers & Passaggio
Article by voice teacher Paul Mason contains explainitory definitions of vocal registers and passaggio.

source : Voice Registers Wikipedia & Vocalist

Freddie Mercury in the 1970s.

Freddie Mercury - Live at Wembley 1986.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Freddie Mercury (September 5, 1946 – November 24, 1991) was a pianist, songwriter, arranger, singer, and lead vocalist of the British rock band Queen.

Life and career

Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Stone Town, Zanzibar to Zoroastrian Indian (also known as Parsi) parents. His parents Bomi and Jer Bulsara had immigrated to Zanzibar so his father could continue his job at the British Colonial Office. He also had a sister, Kashmira.

Mercury was educated at St. Peter's boarding school in Panchgani near Mumbai, India, where he had his first musical training (Grade IV piano). His first onstage performance was also at St. Peters, with his five-member school band, the Hectics. It was at St. Peter's where he picked up the name 'Freddie'; soon even his parents addressed him by that name.

After spending his formative years in India, Mercury and his family fled Zanzibar because of the revolution of 1964. He was 18 when he arrived in England. There, he pursued a Diploma in Art and Graphic Design at Ealing Art College, following in the footsteps of Pete Townshend. This knowledge was to come in useful when he designed Queen's famous crest.

In 1972, Mercury recorded a one-off single under the stage name Larry Lurex, a cover of the 1969 Beach Boys minor hit I Can Hear Music. Despite an incredibly dense Spector-esque Wall of Sound production and instrumental backing by Queen members Roger Taylor and Brian May, the song failed to chart in the UK, though it did manage a #115 showing on the US charts in the autumn of 1973, when it was released on the tiny Anthem label, just ahead of Queen's first album. Widely bootlegged. the original record is now a valuable collectable, fetching up to £400.

With a wide vocal range and a somewhat operatic technique, he was one of the most versatile and technically accomplished singers to work in the pop idiom. He was the composer of many of Queen's hits, including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Somebody to Love", and "We Are the Champions".

His songwriting was unique, demonstrating influence from a variety of sources, but with a strong individual sense of melody, harmony, and complex orchestration. In several of his most well-crafted and popular tunes he provided all of the vocal tracks, resulting in a smooth controlled sound that was at the time unprecedented.

One of Freddie's trademarks throughout the years was using a microphone (and stand) minus the bottom section. In his early years of singing he made the decision to pick up his microphone, still attached to the stand; the bottom fell off by accident, and he decided to use a bottomless microphone stand from then on. When asked why, he replied "Everyone has to have a gimmick, dear."

Queen started using studio overdubs a great deal with their second album, Queen II, which features Freddie's music on the entire second side of the LP (or, in CD parlance, tracks 6–11). Many listeners identify "Bohemian Rhapsody" as the pinnacle of his musical achievement, but it is possible to find the seeds of this mini-opera in his earlier works.

When the band decided to release "Bohemian Rhapsody" in 1975, everyone told them it was far too long and just would not be a hit at 5 minutes and 55 seconds. But Freddie gave a copy of the single to friend and London DJ, Kenny Everett, informing him that it was for him personally, and that he must not play it on air. Everett ended up playing it on the air—fourteen times in one day. From then on, every major radio station played the song in full, not edited versions as would be expected. It was a colossal hit and established Queen as a leading band of the era. The video for the single, directed by Bruce Gowers using ideas from the band themselves, was considered to be the one that began the whole music video craze. The single stayed at number one for nine weeks.

The album was, at the time, one of the most expensive ever recorded, but when "A Night at the Opera" was released in November 1975, it was a massive hit, and gave Queen their first platinum album.

The Queen logo.

Freddie had designed a Queen logo for the "Queen" album, which was re-worked and used as the cover for A Night At The Opera. The now-famous "crest" features the band's star signs—two fairies for Virgo (Freddie, September 5), a crab for Cancer (Brian, July 19), and two lions for the two Leos (Roger, July 26 and John, August 19). The launch party for the album was held in the exclusive Opera Bar at the London Coliseum Theatre.

He released two solo albums: Mr. Bad Guy (1985) and Barcelona (1988), the latter with Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé. The collaboration came as surprise to critics, being the first of its kind, but was nonetheless widely acclaimed, if not commercially successful. One of his hits as a solo artist was a cover of the song "The Great Pretender" (1987), but after his death gained his first solo number 1 hit "Living On My Own", remixed by No More Brothers, which was his biggest UK hit.

He was bisexual, but never came out publicly. Freddie had a girlfriend Mary Austin, whom he was in a relationship with for six years until he told her about his sexuality. After the relationship was over they still remained close friends. Mary Austin often fronted as his girlfriend to the press. Though previously promiscuous, his last boyfriend, Jim Hutton, lived with him for the last eight years of his life, cared for him when he was ill and was with him at his bedside when he died. He was a fan of Liza Minnelli and Michael Jackson, the latter of whom he collaborated with on some tracks which were never published, including "State Of Shock" (which was performed by the Jacksons and Mick Jagger for the official release).

He was well known for his extravagance and hedonism, but also for his kindness and generosity. He adored cats and kept several, even writing a song about his favourite ("Delilah", on the Innuendo album, 1991). He was a heavy smoker, which contributed to a roughening of his voice in the 80s.

On November 23, 1991, Freddie announced that he had AIDS. The next day he died peacefully at his home in London surrounded by friends and family. Freddie had kept his illness very private, and only those closest to him had been aware of just how close to the end he was.

Freddie Mercury statue in Montreux.

He was cremated at Kensal Green Cemetery. The wherabouts of his ashes are unknown. The remaining members of Queen founded The Mercury Phoenix Trust and organized The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.

Mercury appears at 58 in the 2002 List of "100 Greatest Britons" (sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public).

A species of East African isopod, Cirolana mercuryi N. Bruce, 2004 was named for Freddie Mercury, as, quoting the type, "arguably Zanzibar's most famous popular musician and singer."

His famous overbite was caused by the presence of four extra teeth which pushed his incisors out. He commented early in his career that he wished to have work done on his teeth, but regretted that he did not have time to do it. He also expressed fears that such an operation might damage his voice. During Queen's formative years he could be seen putting his hand over his mouth in an attempt to hide the overbite.

Freddie possessed a very slight tenor voice, he was able to produce very sharp sounds, but also quite grave sounds. He had an enviable voice range, with the superb extension of three and a half octaves.

Freddie was known to enjoy drinking wine, tea, and champagne from time to time, and occasionally smoked marijuana. Before Queen was formed, he was sharing an apartment with more frequent cannabis users, who would often hide their stash in tea leaves. At one point Freddie, unaware, drank this in his tea.

Mercury briefly stopped drinking red wine in 1975 when doctors informed him he had calluses in his throat. He refused to let anyone operate, and eventually his throat healed.

At his own parties he was known for being charming and outgoing, while at parties thrown by other people he was known to be something of a wallflower.

Mercury left £100,000 to his chef, and left his £18-million house to his close-friend and ex-lover, Mary Austin.

Mercury as songwriter

Mercury presented himself as a primary songwriter for Queen from beginning to end, except in the albums News Of The World, The Game and A Kind Of Magic, where bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor composed an equal or greater number of songs.

Mercury is one of the popular composers who have achieved most success in "bringing complex music to the masses". On one side, he was able to use an impressively rich vocabulary of advanced harmonic, rhythmic and structural features, but at the same time remain catchy and earning commercial success. Mercury wrote or co-wrote nine #1 hits:

In pop culture

Although Mercury may have passed on in the real world, he appears as a recurring character in the Japanese manga and anime series Sakigake!! Cromartie High! Known to the main characters only as "Freddie," and normally introduced by a harmonious guitar riff, this version of Freddie Mercury wears only long brown pants with red suspenders, and often carries his trademark broken microphone stand. "Freddie" does not speak, despite moments where he is visible singing in the background (although his voice is not audible), and sometimes appears riding a giant black horse.

Some characters in the series wonder if he understands Japanese. In one episode, the school doctor gives him a perfect bill of health, so clearly Freddie is not the ghost of Freddie Mercury. In the world of Cromartie, Freddie is either still alive and in hiding, or a clone of the original Freddie. He does show some remarkable attributes, such as extreme patience when other characters repeatedly slap him in the head, and the ability to navigate Tokyo using only his "animal instincts," as one character describes it.

The action manga Bremen, relating the adventures of a Japanese rock band in Tokyo, features a minor character named "Mick." He appears to be a westerner living in Japan, and is the owner of a club where the main characters have their first real gig. Mick is nearly identical to Freddie Mercury in appearance, and even wears a tank top with the same stylised Q as in the Queen logo.

A gymnastics teacher like Mercury appears in Akira Toriyama's manga Dragon Ball in a story Vol.421. Queen is one of Toriyama's favourite bands.

In December 2004, the rock group Electric Six released a cover version of Queen's "Radio Ga Ga." The promotional video features the lead singer, Dick Valentine, impersonating the ghost of Freddie Mercury dancing in front of his grave. This depiction has caused controversy amongst fans of Queen and Mercury, many of whom find it offensive, despite Electric Six claiming that it was intended to be interpreted positively.

The character Sol Badguy in the Guilty Gear series of fighting games is heavily influenced by Mercury, while the Street Fighter character Eagle was reimagined as a tribute to Mercury for Capcom vs. SNK 2.

Mercury appears in the video to Mylo's single "Destroy Rock & Roll."

Singer Kurt Cobain's suicide note^[1] mentions Mercury:

"I haven't felt the excitement of listening to, as well as creating, music along with reading and writing for too many years now. I feel guilty beyond words about these things. For example, when we're backstage and the lights go out and the manic roar of the crowds begins, it doesn't affect me the way in which it did for Freddy [sic] Mercury, who seemed to love, relish in the love and adoration from the crowd, which is something I totally admire and envy."

Most recently, in her 2004 album Exodus, Japanese pop star Utada Hikaru mentions Freddie Mercury in the song Animato:

"DVDs of Elvis Presley / ABC sessions of Led Zeppelin / Singing along with F. Mercury / Wishing he was still performing..."

The Japan TV series Pride (starring the popular actor Kimura Takuya), used predominately Queen's and Freddie's songs, and the theme song is Freddie's "I Was Born to Love You" (newer version).. The story was about Love & Fight—the ice-hockey leader's love story.

Solo albums

• Mr. Bad Guy (1985)
• Barcelona (1988) (with Montserrat Caballé) (Russell Watson covers the song "Barcelona" on his album The Voice.)
• The Freddie Mercury Album (1992)
• The Great Pretender [US Version Of The Freddie Mercury Album] (1992)

Box set

• The Solo Collection (10 CDs and 2 DVDs) (2000)

Christina Aguilera from the 2002 Stripped promotional photoshoot

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Christina Maria Aguilera (born December 18, 1980 in Staten Island, New York), colloquially known as Xtina, is an American popular music singer-songwriter. She is most often recognized by her notable vocal abilities and unorthodox fashion sense. Her vocal skills have been compared to those of singers such as Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, and she is one of the most prominent recording artists of her generation. She has achieved four number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, as well as two top five albums and four Grammy Awards in the United States.

Biography

Early years

Aguilera grew up mainly in the Pittsburgh suburb of Wexford, Pennsylvania, after living in various places around the world. Her father, Fausto Aguilera, is a U.S. Army sergeant of Ecuadorian descent, and her mother, Shelly Loraine Fidler (now known as Shelly Kearns), is a Spanish translator from Newfoundland, Canada, and of remote Irish descent. Aguilera's parents met while Fausto was serving at Earnest Harmon Air Force Base in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Since Aguilera was able to talk, she set a goal to become a professional singer. As a child she performed at block parties and in talent competitions — defeating opponents with little effort. Aguilera soon gained media attention, and was known to some as "the little girl with the big voice".

On March 15, 1990, she appeared on Star Search singing Ella Fitzgerald's "Sunday Kind of Love", but failed to win. 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 again. Later on, she would sing "Vision of Love", Mariah Carey's first single, and astonished everybody in attendance by hitting every riff and note, including Carey's trademark whistle register note. People remarked that the then-ten year old "sounded twenty".

Throughout her youth in Pittsburgh, Aguilera sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Pittsburgh Steelers football and Pittsburgh Pirates baseball games. Her first major role in entertainment came in 1993 when she joined the Disney Channel's variety show The New Mickey Mouse Club. Her co-stars included Britney Spears, as well as Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez (who went on to join *NSYNC) and Keri Russell (who would go on to become the star of Felicity).

Aguilera's first hit single was "All I Wanna Do", which was a collaborative effort recorded in Japan with Japanese pop sensation Keizo Nakanishi. In 1997, Aguilera competed in an international singing contest at the Golden Stag Festival in Transylvania, Romania, where she shared the stage with Sheryl Crow and Diana Ross. In 1998, after proving herself as a singer with a high, powerful chest voice, singing the High "E" note an octave above middle "C" on a cover of Whitney Houston's "Run to You" which she recorded with an old tape recorder in her bathroom, she was selected to perform the song "Reflection" for the Disney animated production of Mulan (1998). The music video promoting the film featured a young Aguilera with bobbed hair. It was her first music video. "Reflection" peaked at number fifteen on the Adult Contemporary Singles Chart. The song was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for a Motion Picture in 1998.

Christina Aguilera: debut

Aguilera on the cover of her 1999 debut album, Christina Aguilera.

Under the exclusive representation of Steve Kurtz, her self-titled album, Christina Aguilera, was released on August 24, 1999. It reached the top of the Billboard 200 and Canadian album charts, selling over eight million copies in the United States alone. It was released the same week as Puff Daddy's long-awaited second album Forever, and showed Aguilera's instant rise to fame by beating him to the number one spot. "Genie in a Bottle", "What a Girl Wants", and "Come on Over (All I Want is You)" all reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 during 1999 and 2000, and "I Turn to You" peaked at number three. However, Aguilera did not only enjoy commercial success; it became obvious that the industry thought she had talent when she won for Best New Artist at the 2000 Grammy Awards. She was also nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Genie in a Bottle". "Obvious", the final track of the album was one of the original demo tracks that was sent to Ron Fair before Christina was signed with Aguilera's record label, RCA.

In 2000, Aguilera first emphasized her Latino heritage, following the Latino trend of the time, by releasing her first Spanish-language album, Mi Reflejo. This album contained Spanish-language versions of songs from her English debut as well as new Spanish tracks. It reached twenty-seven on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Latin album charts. In 2001, the album won Christina a Latin Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Album. The single "Falsas Esperanzas" from the album reached the top forty in Argentina in 2001. Ricky Martin asked her to duet with him on the track "Nobody Wants to be Lonely" from his album Sound Loaded; the song was released as the second single from the album in 2001, reaching the top five in the United Kingdom and Germany, top twenty in the U.S., and top forty in Canada, Switzerland, and Australia.

Just Be Free: unauthorized material

Main article: Just Be Free

Aguilera on the cover of Just Be Free at the age of 15.

In 2000, a single emerged into record stores called "Just Be Free", one of the demos Aguilera recorded when she was about 15 years old. When RCA Records discovered the single, they officially advised fans not to purchase it and had German authorities pull the single off shelves as well. 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 on August 21, 2001, it had a photograph of Christina when she was fifteen years old.

Change in management

Although Aguilera's album was very well received, she was dissatisfied with the music and image her management had created for her. At the time, Aguilera was marketed as a bubblegum pop artist, because of the genre's upward financial trend. However, she publicly mentioned plans of her next album to have much more depth, both musically and lyrically. Steve Kurtz's influence in matters of the singer's creative direction, the role of being her exclusive personal manager and overscheduling has in part caused her to seek legal means of terminating their management contract.

On October 13, 2000 Aguilera filed a Breach of Fiduciary Duty lawsuit against 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 what he was allotted, and had paid other managers to assist him. She also petitioned the California State Labor Commission to nullify the contract.

When she terminated Kurtz's services, Irving Azoff was hired as her new manager. The change in management marked a new change in how Aguilera was marketed, as well as what music she would do in the future.

Kurtz countersued on October 27 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 Aguilera. He also singled out Azoff for being in violation of the terms of Kurtz's contract.

Stripped: career development

Main article: Stripped (2002 album)

Aguilera on the cover of Stripped

On October 29, 2002, after much delay, Aguilera's second full-length English album, Stripped, was released in the U.S. The album was not received as well as her debut by most critics. The majority of Stripped was co-written by Aguilera, was about eighty minutes long, and influenced by many different subjects and music styles. "Impossible", a collaboration with Alicia Keys, is a jazz-inspired song about someone who is trying to get through to one who is quiet and withdrawn. "Soar" is a gospel-inspired song about becoming self-reliant. Aguilera's most emotionally challenging song on the album could possibly be "I'm OK". This track chronicles in detail how Aguilera was abused as a young child by her father, and she thanks her mother for her love through that time in her life.

However, Aguilera's vocals were much overlooked as she began to cultivate a more sexually provocative image. After the release of the album, she took part in photo shoots for magazines such as Maxim, Rolling Stone and Cosmo Girl. Many of these photographs featured her nude or semi-nude. She denied that this change was a matter of publicity, claiming that the image better reflected her true personality than did the image she cultivated back in 1999.

Initially, the raunchy image had a negative effect on Aguilera in the U.S. While the video for "Dirrty" became a huge hit on MTV, it stalled at a disappointing forty-eight on the Hot 100 and quickly fell off the singles chart. However, the song was a huge hit worldwide, reaching number one in several countries and on the World Chart. The album entered the U.K. and U.S. album charts at number two, and at number three in Canada, where they all ultimately peaked. Despite going double-platinum in the U.S. after only eight weeks on the chart, the album began to drop quickly with nothing but Aguilera's star power to back it up. The second single, "Beautiful", was quickly released in the U.S. in late 2002. It instantly became a huge radio hit and allowed three more hits to be released from the album in the following two years: "Fighter", "Can't Hold Us Down", and "The Voice Within". The success of subsequent singles off the album gave Stripped massive staying power, as it stayed on the album charts well into 2004. This staying power was demonstrated most effectively in the UK, where the album remained consistently in the top twenty album charts between late 2002 and late 2004. Stripped went on to ship four million copies in the U.S. and ended up at number ten on Billboard's Year-End Album Chart. The album also went quadruple platinum in Australia despite only reaching a peak of number seven, again a reflection of its consistency between late 2002 and 2004. Kelly Clarkson's first single 'Miss Independent' was cowritten by Aguilera, and was originally supposed to be a song on Stripped. Aguilera was the number-one Billboard Female Artist (albums and singles) of 2003; however, she did not attend the event, and the award was given to Beyoncé, who was the number-two female artist of that year. This caused much controversy amongst fans.

The Stripped tours

In early 2003, Aguilera aroused much commentary when she gained a noticeable amount of weight. Unflattering photographs of her flabby midsection spilling out of her conventionally skimpy costumes were circulated. She was quoted as saying, "I couldn't care less about stupid diets. Eating is sensual and fun. I'm not going to let it be spoiled by calorie-counting." Later, she gave the reason for her weight gain as preparation for her upcoming Summer tour.

On June 4, Aguilera joined Justin Timberlake on the final leg of his international "Justified" tour, held in the U.S. This portion of the tour became a co-headliner called the "Justified & Stripped" tour. On August 9, 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. Since the collapse occurred hours before the performance, only a few stagehands were injured. As a result, a few shows were canceled or postponed. In the fourth quarter of that year, Aguilera continued to tour internationally without Timberlake, and changed the name of the tour to simply the "Stripped" tour. Meanwhile, she dyed her hair black. The tour was one of the top-grossing tours of that year, as it sold out most of its venues. It also was named by Rolling Stone readers as the best tour of the year.

In light of the tour's success, another U.S. tour was scheduled to begin in mid-2004 with a new theme and featuring Chingy as an opening act. The tour was scrapped due to Aguilera's vocal chord injuries suffered shortly before its opening date. It was later reported by The Sun tabloid that low ticket sales and lack of new material were actually the major factors in the tour's cancellation. Aguilera has since denied the report.

Post-Stripped events

In a tribute to Madonna's performance at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards' ceremony, Aguilera performed a much-publicized lesbian kiss with the singer-actress at the 2003 edition of the ceremony on August 28. The incident occurred during the opening performance of Madonna's songs "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood"; however, it was overshadowed by the kiss between Madonna and Britney Spears during the same performance.

Aguilera met new controversy in late 2003 by viciously criticizing other teen-pop performers. In the December 2003 issue of Blender magazine, she is quoted as saying: "Look at people like Beyoncé or Britney. They're desperate to come across as sweet, good little girls, but then you see them in photo shoots that are extremely sexual — tight little booty shorts, and not much else. So why do they try to be virginal in interviews?" Concerning Spears, Aguilera claimed, "These people aren't artists; they're just performers — fake and superficial... I was up for kissing Britney, but Britney wasn't. She was... she seemed very distant, even during rehearsals. Every time I tried to start a conversation with her — well, let's just say she seemed nervous the whole time. I wanted to reach out to her, because I feel she needs somebody in her life right now to help guide her."

A January 2004, ZOO Magazine (a Danish men's magazine) article reported that Aguilera is possibly bisexual. The article quotes her stating in an interview: "I find it hornier looking at women than men. Sorry, I love experimenting with my sexuality. If that means girls, then so be it." The article also reports that Christina enjoys casual sex. "I have casual sex, I love casual sex. But that doesn't mean I'm incapable of keeping my legs together", Aguilera is quoted as saying. Because of the tabloid nature of articles in ZOO, the factual accuracy of the article is dubious.

Aguilera hosted Saturday Night Live on February 21, 2004, and participated in various parody skits such as "Do You Know Who My Father Is?" which lampoons Win Ben Stein's Money, and a skit parodying the movie You Got Served. Her dead-on impersonation of Kim Cattrall's Sex and the City character, Samantha, was also praised.

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, becoming the new face of Mercedes-Benz. Shortly after, she dyed her hair blonde and cut it short, and took on a Marilyn Monroe look; she is believed by many of her fans to be one of the main proponents (along with Gwen Stefani and Ashley Judd) in bringing back the old Hollywood glamour look.

Image used in the Declare Yourself billboard campaign. Photograph by David LaChapelle

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, nonprofit campaign "Declare Yourself". In these political advertisements, Aguilera is shown with her mouth sewn shut, to symbolize the effects of not voting.

In late Summer 2004, Aguilera released, almost consecutively, two singles. The first, "Car Wash", was taken from the soundtrack of the hit movie Shark Tale. It is a collaboration with popular rapper Missy Elliott, and is a cover version of Rose Royce's disco hit. The second song is also a collaboration, but this time as a second single from one of Nelly's double-release albums, Sweat, titled "Tilt Ya' Head Back". Aguilera appeared at the MTV Video Music Awards to perform it with him; it was a visually striking and effective performance in which Aguilera, a la Judy Garland, started her belting perched atop a grand piano. Aguilera copied another legendary look for the video: Marilyn Monroe's. Both singles flopped commercially in the U.S., but did considerably better in other parts of the world; "Tilt" reached number one in a few countries, including the Philippines. "Tilt Ya' Head Back", formerly rumored to be "Tilt Cha' Head Back", was well received in the U.S. at first, but sales quickly deteriorated mainly due to its lack of radio appeal and promotion. In spite of its promotion, "Tilt" recently went platinum in Australia for selling over 40,000 copies, while "Car Wash" was certified gold for sales of over 25,000 copies. "Tilt" was later certified gold in the U.S. by the RIAA in 2005.

After much delay, Aguilera's first DVD live-recording from a concert tour, Stripped Live in the UK, was released in November 2004, excluding her performance of "Make Over", due to its similarity with the song "Overload" by the Sugababes. In late December, she officially released a fragrance, Xpose, which has only been available in a few European countries.

Voice

In 2003, Aguilera was voted as having the third-greatest female voice in music in Blender Magazine and MTV's countdown of "The Twenty-Two Greatest Voices in Music" placed her at number five (beaten by, among others, Mariah Carey, who came first, and Whitney Houston, who came second).

Vocal profile

• Voice type: Spinto Soprano
• Highest note: C7, B-b6
• Lowest note: C3, D3
• Vocal range: 4 octaves (C3-C7)
• Longest note: 20 seconds
  

Audio samples

Below are sound clips in the Ogg Vorbis format:

 C#7 - "The Christmas Song"[?]

 G6 - "Hello", live in Milan[?]

 E♭3 - "Dreamy Eyes"[?]

 "Climb Every Mountain", My Reflection[?]

 "Merry Christmas Baby", My Reflection[?]

Charity work

Throughout her career, Aguilera has been involved with certain charities. Aguilera was the first celebrity to sign a letter from PETA to the South Korean government asking that the country stop its alleged "abuse of dogs and cats killed for food". Aguilera made major contributions to the Women's Center & Shelter Of Greater Pittsburgh. She also contributes in the fight against AIDS, by participating in AIDS Project Los Angeles' Artists Against AIDS "What's Going On?" cover project.

Discography

Albums

This is a list of the LP albums by Aguilera that were released. Each listing includes its release year, title, chart standings, RIAA certifications, and sales.

• 1999: Christina Aguilera — #1 (Debut) US (1 week), #1 CAN, #14 UK; (8x Platinum; 8 million US,)
• 2000: Mi Reflejo — #27 US; (3x Platinum)
• 2000: My Kind of Christmas — #28 US; (Platinum; 1 million US)
• 2001: Just Be Free (recordings from 1995, unofficial release) — #71 US
• 2002: Stripped — #2 US, #3 CAN, #2 UK; (4x Platinum; 4 million US)

Singles

The following is a list of English-language singles. Each listing includes release date and title, as well as peak Billboard Hot 100, U.K., and Canadian chart positions.

Christina Aguilera

• 1998: "Reflection"
• 1999: "Genie in a Bottle" — #1 US (5 weeks), #1 CAN (3 weeks), #1 UK (2 weeks) — Platinum certification. 1.4 million copies sold in the USA according to Soundscan
• 1999: "What a Girl Wants" — #1 US (2 weeks), #1 CAN (2 weeks), #3 UK — Gold certification 450,000 copies sold in the USA according to soundscan. First number-one song of the millenium.
• 2000: "I Turn to You" — #3 US, #10 CAN, #19 UK 400,000 copies sold in the USA.
• 2000: "Come on Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" — #1 US (4 weeks), #19 CAN, #8 UK — Gold certification 600,000 copies sold in the USA according to Soundscan

My Kind of Christmas

• 1999: "The Christmas Song" — #18 US

Stripped

• 2002: "Dirrty" (featuring Redman) — #48 US, #5 CAN, #1 UK (2 weeks), #3 SPA
• 2002: "Beautiful" — #2 US, #1 CAN (5 weeks), #1 UK (2 weeks)
• 2003: "Fighter" — #20 US, #3 CAN, #3 UK
• 2003: "Can't Hold Us Down" (ft. Lil' Kim) — #12 US, #20 CAN, #6 UK
• 2004: "The Voice Within" — #33 US, #10 CAN, #9 UK
• 2004: "Infatuation" — #1 SA [South African and Spanish radio only]

Collaborations with other artists

• 2001: "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" (with Ricky Martin) — #13 US, #4 CAN, #4 UK
• 2001: "Lady Marmalade" (with Mya, Lil Kim and Pink) — #1 US (5 weeks), #1 CAN (2 weeks), #1 UK (1 week). Number one in over fifty countries.
• 2004: "Car Wash" (featuring Missy Elliott) — #63 US, #4 UK, #2 AUS
• 2004: "Tilt Ya Head Back" (with Nelly) — #58 US, #27 CAN, #5 UK, #4 AUS — Gold certification (platinum single in Australia)

DVDs

Christina Aguilera on the cover of Stripped Live in the U.K.

• 1999: Genie Gets Her Wish — Autobiographical presentation — #1 US — Platinum certification
• 2000: My Reflection — Video release of ABC special — #1 US — Gold certification
• 2004: Stripped Live in the UK — Complete video of London, UK Stripped Tour concert (sans "Make Over"), extended version of The WB and MTV specials — #3 US — Platinum certification

Awards

Main article: List of Christina Aguilera awards

See also

• 1999 in music
• 2002 in music
• List of best-selling music artists
• Christina Aguilera Doll

References

• Dominguez, Pier (2002). Christina Aguilera: A Star is Made: The Unauthorized Biography. Amber Books. ISBN 0970222459.
• Zahlaway, Jon: "Christina Aguilera sues former manager", liveDaily, (October 17, 2000)
• Zahlaway, Jon: "Christina Aguilera slapped with counter-suit", liveDaily, (November 2, 2000)
• Moss, Corey: "Christina Aguilera Plans Tour, Movie Role For 2003", MTV News, (December 6, 2002)
• Duerden, Nick: "The Good, the Bad and the Dirrty", Blender Magazine, (December 2003)
• "Christina Aguilera: "I love experimenting with my sexuality", Gay.com UK, (January 22, 2004)
• "Singer Christina Aguilera to wed", BBC News, (February 13, 2005)
• Moss, Corey; Scorca, Shari: "Christina Aguilera Finishing 'Raw' LP, Waiting For Perfect Film Role", MTV News, (March 4, 2005)
• Rock On The Net Christina Aguilera Profile - Retrieved July 10, 2005
• Allmusic Christina Aguilera Billboard singles chart - Retrieved July 20, 2005.
• EveryHit.com UK singles chart search - Retrieved July 21, 2005

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