“That becomes its own weird animal” — Christina Aguilera critiques celebrities doing “corny” things to stay relevant

The Genie in a Bottle hitmaker, Christina Aguilera, criticized pop stars who intentionally engage in "corny" activities just to stay relevant. In an interview with Paper magazine published on Tuesday, August 27, the singer stated that artists can either make safe choices or shake things up and move people. She said:

"I think it's corny to do things intentionally for pop culture, noise and for attention to stay quote-unquote “relevant.” That becomes its own weird animal that gets away from artistry, period."

The pop icon also opened up about purposely changing her sound with every record due to the want to explore, instead of staying the same. Rather than trying to be "corny", the singer proclaimed that one could be a pop artist as well as inculcate their own messages in their art.

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"I never was interested in making the same record over and over again"- Christina Aguilera

In a recent interview with Paper magazine, Christina Aguilera opened up about the risks she's taken throughout her vastly successful career spanning decades. While addressing the thematic shift between her 1999 self-titled debut album and her vastly different and highly erotic 2002 single Dirrty, and its public perception, the singer noted:

"You can make these choices. You can make them to play it safe and go along with the flow, or you can do things that really move people and shake it up."

As mentioned earlier, the singer revealed that she did not intentionally make any choices to simply stay relevant in the world of pop culture, which she thinks is corny. She continued:

"I never was interested in making the same record over and over again, that’s my worst idea of music. It's part of our jobs as musicians to see where music is moving and see what's happening socially. It really is about connecting and trying to bring people together."

Earlier in the interview, Christina Aguilera was asked if being criticized for something she created and loved, was worse than being praised for something she created that she did not connect with. The singer replied, that for her, it was all about the truth. She had to feel a strong connection to her message, her core, and her vision.

Aguilera recalled the risks and chances she's taken in her career. According to the singer, people were comfortable with what they knew but she purposely flipped the script and changed her sound with every record due to her desire for exploration and experimentation. She said:

"I didn't want to be a one-dimensional ballad singer, I didn't want to be known for one specific thing."

It was out of this vision, that her 2002 album Stripped was born. Stripped unapologetically showcased every side of Christina Aguilera. She continued:

"From 'Dirrty' to the vulnerability of 'Beautiful' to the strength of 'Fighter'. It caused a lot of commotion and conversation, but I welcomed it. I was like, Why does this not sit well? Why does this bother you so much? "

According to Aguilera, the album triggered a lot of conversations about politics, s*xuality, and double standards. Looking back, the singer feels "really proud" to be able to passionately express herself at a young age.

The singer was 21 years old when Stripped dropped and it had completely shed her early teen pop princess image to reveal a never-before-seen, unique, and intricate layer of her artistry.

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Christina Aguilera's last studio album titled Aguilera had released in May of 2022. Aguilera was the 43-year-old singer's ninth studio album.