'Stripped' CD takes rawer, bare-bones approach
By Elysa Gardner
USA Today
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Sure, the 21-year-old found pop stardom seemingly overnight back in 1999, when her self-titled debut album launched the chart-topping hits "Genie in a Bottle" and "What a Girl Wants." The subsequent smash success of her remake of "Lady Marmalade" — a single that also featured Pink, Mya and Lil' Kim — confirmed Aguilera's status as the hottest teen diva since her fellow "Mickey Mouse Club" alumna Britney Spears.
But the petite blonde with the booming voice insists that the past three years haven't seen everything coming up roses, career-wise or otherwise. Aguilera says that her new CD, "Stripped," due in stores today, reflects hard-won personal and creative growth.
"I went in to record maybe two years ago, but it took longer than I thought, because a lot of things came up. Some of it was the kind of stuff everyone goes through. I went through my first big breakup, with a boyfriend who I had been with for more than two years. He had been one of my dancers, and it was my first love and his."
The couple broke up, she adds, on "kind of a tragic day. It was Sept. 11, of last year."
Other troubles stemmed more directly from Aguilera's profession and profile. "It can be hard in this business, especially when you're very young, to figure out who you can and can't trust," she says. "When success comes, people can try to trick you or take advantage of you. I was being overworked, and my head was so caught up in the whirlwind of my schedule. 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."
Aguilera won't be more specific in her allegations, though tellingly, she did change management in late 2000, and is now represented by music-biz veteran Irving Azoff. "I don't want to dwell on negativity, because the results are positive," she says. "I learned you have to watch out for yourself, and be true to yourself."
Those lessons influence the songs on "Stripped," which aim for a grittier, more self-possessed feel than the tunes on her first effort. Aguilera co-wrote most of the new material, collaborating with such noted women-in-charge as former 4 Non Blondes front woman Linda Perry, who also worked on Pink's second hit album, and Alicia Keys, who penned a torchy new ballad, "Impossible," for Aguilera.
"When you're part of a pop phenomenon, you have so many opinions shoved down your throat," Aguilera says. "People try to tell you what you should do, how you should act, what you should wear, who you should be with. At the time things started happening for me, it was popular to be the squeaky-clean, cookie-cutter pop singer. But that role didn't speak to me, because it's so boring and superficial.
"I think it had to do with social standards, too. People want to see a white blond girl stick to a safe, good-girl image. Not that I'm trying to be the bad girl; I just want to be real, to be myself. People don't really know who I am yet. That's where the title of my new album came from — it's about being emotionally stripped down for the first time."
Aguilera says her vocals on "Stripped" represent a rawer, more bare-bones approach, as well, with less of the ostentatious riffing that has miffed critics.
"I did the vocal gymnastics thing, because it was fun. That's why I like blues, too, because you can experiment more with that side of your voice. But I thought the lyrics on this record are so personal, deep and good that I wanted to make them stand out more than what I could do with my voice technically."
The tracks on "Stripped" also reveal more of an urban influence. In addition to Keys, rappers Redman and Lil' Kim make guest appearances.
"I've always been a hip-hop fan, so that's going to come out more in my music," Aguilera says. She cites "Dirty," featuring Redman, as "the hardest, most beat-driven song. It's about being 21 and, you know, getting down and getting a little gritty and street with my friends. And not worrying about looking pretty, or caring who's around."
But more of Aguilera's new songs deal with "getting through hard times" — a subject that she hopes to have less cause to dwell on the future.
Asked if there are any special men keeping her company, Aguilera says, "I'll date here and there, but nothing too heavy. I'm trying to find me a really sweet guy, but I'm also focused on my career right now."
