Christina Aguilera on wanting to protect her kids, her music evolution
Christina Aguilera is reflecting on the 25th anniversary of her debut album, her musical evolution and the "weird moment" she's in as a mom these days.
The music superstar spoke with Glamour for the magazine's August cover story and said "grateful" is how she would describe her feelings about her self-titled 1999 debut, which spawned hits like "Genie in a Bottle," "What a Girl Wants" and "Come on Over Baby (All I Want Is You)."
"Being thankful because it got my foot in the door," she explained. "After 25 years I'm so proud of it. I think to sustain anything for a lengthy amount of time takes a lot of work and dedication and passion. There are many elements that go into being able to build something."
Keep reading for more from Aguilera's interview with Glamour.
On evolving from her pop star origins
Despite reflecting on the time period fondly, Aguilera admitted she "got bored easily" during her debut album era.
"I didn't love the bubblegum thing, where you had to play a virgin but not act like one," she said. "Creatively, it was one-dimensional."
So Aguilera switched things up for her sultry and, yes, "Dirrty" 2002 release, "Stripped," her fourth studio album (she released "Mi Reflejo" and "My Kind of Christmas" in 2000).
"I think it was just a matter of believing so wholeheartedly in my vision, which was to fight for sexuality," she noted.
Aguilera said there was backlash to the aesthetics and plenty of commentary about her body, admitting her self-esteem at the time was based on "how skinny I was" and people finding it "unacceptable" for her to be anything but.
"I have a maturity now where I just don't give a f--- about your opinion. I'm not going to take it on," she said of her current mindset. "Other people's opinions of me are not my business."
On protecting her kids while letting them grow on their own
This mindset is something Aguilera said she wants her children -- 16-year-old son Max and daughter Summer, who turns 10 this month -- to take on.
"Your kids trigger things in you that you don't want them to go through," she said. "And it's almost like you're reliving this whole thing again."
Aguilera admitted she's in a "weird moment" with her kids, explaining that she finds herself "lecturing" or "overtalking" to them, saying, "You just want the best for your kids."
While she said she wants to "shield and protect" her kids from the world, the five-time Grammy winner said "they have to learn their own lessons."
"They're going to make their own choices and mistakes that define how they want to be," she added. "It's such a layered, interesting thing to be a parent and watch these people, these humans, grow up."
On what's next for her, musically
While Aguilera admitted a full tour isn't in her near-future plans -- saying "I truly do enjoy being home base and accessible to my kids" -- she said she does have new music in store for fans.
After releasing her Spanish-language album "Aguilera" in 2022 along with two Spanish-language EPs, "La Fuerza" and "La Tormenta," the singer said an English-language album is in the works.
"I've been accumulating [songs]," she teased. "I'm actually dying to get it out. I just haven't fully had time."
Now taking a more chill approach to her career, Aguilera said the sole focus is no longer on a "massive dream" but instead about balancing that along with motherhood.
"When you're a mom, it's not about narcissism. It's not just about you," she said, clarifying, "You have to make sure you're not sleeping on yourself and still doing the things that make you feel good."
