NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

Aguilera aims to tease

By Hermione Ho
Observer·
18 Jun, 2010 04:00 PM6 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article

If you were feeling "not yourself", what would you do? Most people probably wouldn't, it's safe to say, slip into skin-tight bondage wear, pour black paint over their semi-naked self, or do any of the other countless naughty things that Christina Aguilera gets up to in her latest video. But then this consummate global pop superstar isn't, of course, "most people".

After a hiatus of four years, you could understand a desire to make an impact with Not Myself Tonight - the first single from Aguilera's fourth studio album, Bionic. But getting tongues wagging over an outrageous video has become a little harder ever since the arrival of the 24-year-old Lady Gaga (who has once more showed her mastery of shock tactics with the video for her single, Alejandro).

Comparisons have been inevitable, not all of them favourable. Aguilera, though, is characteristically circumspect. "I've been in this business for so long," she sighs when we speak, "but I welcome all the newcomers and any similarities along the way."

In any case, this gimp-suited Aguilera seems a lot further than a decade and a bit away from her 90s incarnation. When she joined the New Mickey Mouse Club in 1993 she was a squeaky clean teen, grinning alongside Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. Her pop career started with an eponymous debut album 10 years ago, of which the lead single, Genie in a Bottle, was the biggest hit of 1999 in America.

The song displayed that peculiarly American blend of "good girl" restraint and "bad girl" libido ("My body's saying let's go/ But my heart is saying no"). By 2002 though, it was time to ditch the good girl.

Reinventing herself as the saucier "Xtina" (in keeping with celebrity tradition, she had "Xtina" tattooed on her neck to mark this reincarnation), she released her second studio album, Stripped, and single Dirrty.

Even that video, which included Aguilera's famous bikini-and-chaps combination, now looks relatively tame alongside Not Myself Tonight.

Does she mind that people invariably think "saucepot" before they think "soprano"?

"I think it's a given that people know what I can do vocally," she says simply. Not for her, feigned modesty then (of any sort), but when you've clocked up five Grammy wins and sold more than 42 million records worldwide, screw modesty. And Celine Dion, not short of a bit of lung power herself, once described Aguilera as "probably the best vocalist in the world".

At the start of this decade though, "worst dressed" was just as frequent a tag. Luckily, she is not the sort to care. Reflecting on some of those outfits, the Staten Island-born singer says: "I'm glad I had a moment to play and be a little out there. I'm glad I did more of that in my younger years because it just would not be okay or right at 60 years old to be wearing chaps."

I protest. In a rare moment of unguarded humour she laughs: "Well we'll see how well they hold up, okay? We'll see if I can squeeze those suckers on at that age."

That talk of "younger years" may make her sound prematurely senescent - Aguilera is, after all, still just 29 - but she's famously been peforming since she was 6 years old.

Back in the 80s she was known, in Pittsburgh where she grew up after her US army sergeant father and Spanish teacher mother divorced, as "the little girl with the big voice". Legend has it that when other girls heard she was performing in local talent contests, they'd pull out.

Luckily, these days she incites more of a sisterly spirit of collaboration, as evidenced by Bionic's many contributors, including the tough-gal squad of Le Tigre, Ladytron, Santigold and M.I.A. Aguilera's not shy of the odd feministic declaration herself. "I think all of us as women have this superhuman quality," she says. "We create life, we give life, we are the sources of life for our children - we're all pretty bionic."

Hence the title of the album, which has received generally positive reviews.

And she adds: "I don't think the creativity would have transpired the way it did had I not had my son and become a new mum."

She married music marketing executive Jordan Bratman in 2005, and their son, Max Lirson Bratman, was born in 2008. She's interested, she says, in having more kids, but for now, "Bionic is my baby and that's the way it is."

But does her actual baby mind?

"There definitely are moments when he doesn't want me to talk about work," she says, "and I very much understand that, but I have to feel fulfilled in every capacity of the woman that I am."

It appears that fulfilment and sexiness are inextricable for Aguilera; if you suspected motherhood might have mellowed her, think again.

"For a while your body is definitely not your body and you very willingly give it up for your child, but now I feel more confident and comfortable with what my body can do," she explains. "Plus, I'm just a very sexual person by nature - that's partly why I agreed to do the movie that I did - I think the art of the tease is a beautiful artform."

She's referring to Burlesque, a film due out in November in the US, in which she plays a small-town girl who makes her way from cocktail waitress to stage star. Not Myself Tonight comes, she claims, from feeling somewhat lost while on set.

"Being in that parallel universe and seeing these people every day becomes your reality and it was definitely a world that I felt I was losing myself to," she says. "By the time I was nearing the end of production there was all this pent-up energy and frustration that needed to be let out. This is my, 'I don't give a shit and I'm going to be back to myself' record."

Heaven forbid anyone disagrees with Christina Aguilera, but I hope she'd concede that, for her, "not giving a shit" is happily nothing new.

LOWDOWN

Who: Christina Aguilera
Born: December 18, 1980
New album: Bionic, which is out now, debuted at number six in the New Zealand charts this week
Past albums: Christina Aguilera (1999); Mi Reflejo (2000) a Latino album; Just Be Free (2001), Stripped (2002), Back To Basics (2006), Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits (2009).

- OBSERVER

Discover more

Entertainment

Christina Aguilera: <i>Bionic</i>

09 Jun 04:00 PM
Entertainment

Christina Aguilera files for divorce

14 Oct 06:55 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Entertainment
|Updated

Controversial rapper joins Rhythm and Alps lineup for 15-year anniversary

Entertainment

Beloved Play School star and jazz pioneer dies at 89

Entertainment

Maluma takes fan to task for bringing baby to loud concert


Sponsored

Sponsored: What have you missed? Tips and tricks for home DIY

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

Controversial rapper joins Rhythm and Alps lineup for 15-year anniversary
Entertainment
|Updated

Controversial rapper joins Rhythm and Alps lineup for 15-year anniversary

The headlining act will return despite past controversy, joining Rudimental and Santigold.

11 Aug 09:40 PM
Beloved Play School star and jazz pioneer dies at 89
Entertainment

Beloved Play School star and jazz pioneer dies at 89

11 Aug 07:37 AM
Maluma takes fan to task for bringing baby to loud concert
Entertainment

Maluma takes fan to task for bringing baby to loud concert

11 Aug 05:37 AM


Sponsored: What have you missed? Tips and tricks for home DIY
Sponsored

Sponsored: What have you missed? Tips and tricks for home DIY

03 Aug 07:46 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP