MTV Explains Why Christina Aguilera’s Lotus Wasn’t A Comeback At All She’s A Niche Artist.
By James Montgomery (@positivnegativ)
Christina Aguilera’s Lotus album was supposed to signify her return to prominence, a high-powered collection of songs penned by the biggest hitmakers in the business (Max Martin, Shellback, Alex Da Kid), preceded by a supercharged first single and paced by duets with not one, but two of her fellow judges on “The Voice” (she already ticked Adam Levine off the list last year with “Moves Like Jagger”).
Of course, when the folks at SoundScan released sales figures Wednesday morning (November 21), we learned that things didn’t quite pan out the way Aguilera had intended: Lotus sold slightly less than 73,000 copies, a number not quite disastrous but not exactly inspiring either. It debuted at #7 on the top 200, behind new albums like the “Breaking Dawn” soundtrack, the Weeknd’s Trilogy (the overwhelming majority of which was available for free online last year) and Soundgarden’s King Animal. And, somewhat tellingly, it came nowhere close to matching the sales of Taylor Swift’s Red — currently in its fourth week of release — or One Direction’s Take Me Home, which outsoldLotus by nearly 500,000 copies.
So while it’s not entirely accurate to call Aguilera’s latest a bomb, one can’t escape the fact that it wasn’t a triumphant comeback album either. Then again, maybe it was never supposed to be in the first place.
Because, while Aguilera certainly commands a massive — and maniacal — online fanbase (just write anything less-than-complimentary about her to see proof of this), perhaps it was unfair of us to heap such lofty expectations on Lotus, especially given Aguilera’s recent history. We all know how her last album, Bionic, fared (you can debate whether it was“ahead of its time” all you want), but album sales being what they are nowadays, that only tells half the story. It’s more telling to look at how she’s fared on the singles charts — the true test of any pop star — because, really, we probably should have seen all this coming and tempered our expectations accordingly.
Aguilera has had only three solo #1’s on the Billboard Hot 100, and two of them came during the Clinton administration. Her fourth was “Lady Marmalade,” a song also featuring Pink, Mya and Lil’ Kim, and her fifth was “Moves Like Jagger,” a Maroon 5 song on which she received a featured credit. Since 2002, she’s only had three singles land in the top 10 (2002’s “Beautiful,” 2006’s “Ain’t No Other Man” and 2008’s “Keeps Gettin’ Better”), and her best showing in recent years was “Not Myself Tonight,” which made it to #23. Lotus‘ first single, “Your Body,” peaked at #34, and eight weeks after it was released, it’s currently at #84. None of this is meant to pile on, mind you, it’s simply repeating the facts.
So why has Aguilera failed to replicate the dominance of fellow pop stars like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Rihanna or Beyoncé? There are plenty of theories — the prevailing thoughts (whether real or imagined) that she’s not as likable as Perry or Bey, does not work overtime to channel the same outsider spirit as Gaga (and therefore isn’t as relatable) or simply hasn’t been as smart with her choices as someone like Rih Rih — though I tend to believe that each of them are half-baked at best. Perhaps the truth of the matter lies in her lack of singles success, because it suggests that Aguilera is no longer a pop star; she’s a niche artist.
And that’s not a slight. In her best moments (and I wish there were more of them on Lotus), she can out-sing just about anybody, and as the recent crop of pop stars has proved time and time again, well, singing isn’t their primary concern. She still releases interesting stuff — I’m in the camp of folks who loved “Your Body” and think there are plenty of equally worthy follow-ups on the new album, like “Make the World Move” or “Sing for Me” — and, shoot, her backstory is as compelling as they come. She has a loyal fanbase, one that has thinned in recent years, but remains nonetheless. She can still work with anyone she pleases and make the kinds of albums she wants. As far as niche artists go, Aguilera’s got it pretty good. But I really think that it’s time for her to stop trying to compete with her contemporaries and embrace the uniqueness of her situation.
And that goes for us in the media too. Was it unfair to expect big things — the kinds of things she was capable of 10 years ago — from Lotus? Probably. Was it also inevitable? Most definitely. But why did Aguilera need a comeback anyway? From where I’m sitting, she’s fine exactly where she is.
Christina Aguilera Is Back Official New Feminist Video Your Body!!!
After Christina Aguilera’s last album Bionic bombed two years ago some people thought she was finished. I thought Bionic was a solid album I was stunned that if quickly fell off the Billboard music charts. However, the NBC talent show The Voice has helped keep Aguilera in the spotlight. Now, Aguilera’s new album Lotus will be released in November. The first single from Lotus, Your Body is doing well and climbing the Billboard charts.
The beginning of the video is funny there is a public service announcement that no men were harmed.
According to some critics, since Christina is a mother and over the age of thirty she needs to tone down her sexuality. However, I think this form of sexism is nonsense, Christina is a grown woman and she has a right to sing about sex.
Your Body is a feminist song, because Christina is taking control and liberating herself by having sex on her own terms.
In the Your Body music video, Christina is reclaiming her sexuality and singing about a one night stand and enjoying sex. Since men can enjoy sex and sing about one night stands why can’t a woman? I don’t see the big deal, women have a right to enjoy sex just like men. Isn’t it a powerful statement for a young female entertainer to speak frankly about her sexuality? I think this video is powerful because Christina is not being shy she loves sex.
Billboard Magazine Interview: Pop Star Christina Aguilera Talks About Her Divorce, New Album & Departing From NBC`s The Voice.
Christina Aguilera: Billboard Cover Story
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Christina Aguilera hasn’t felt this way in a decade. The singer is reflecting on the eventful two years leading up to the release of her fifth studio album, “Lotus,” from her home in Los Angeles — a period that heralded the commercial disappointment of her album “Bionic”; a divorce from husband Jordan Bratman; the release of her first movie, “Burlesque,” and its accompanying soundtrack; her highly successful stint as a coach on NBC’s “The Voice” and accompanying appearance on Maroon 5’s mega-hit “Moves Like Jagger.”
The last time she felt so inspired, the result was 2002’s Stripped-a creative breakthrough that helped distance Aguilera from her teen-pop peers and produced memorable hits like “Beautiful,” “Dirrty” and “Fighter.”
 Enrique Badulescu PhotographyChristina Aguilera + BillboardBUY A COPY | SUBSCRIBE | LARGE COVER |
Due Nov. 13 on RCA, “Lotus” refers to the “rebirth” Aguilera underwent both personally and professionally, opting not to work with longtime songwriting partners like Linda Perry in favor of such newer collaborators as Alex Da Kid, Sia, Candice Pillay and even pop maestro Max Martin, on first single “Your Body,” which hit radio and iTunes last week and bows at No. 33 on Billboard’s Mainstream Top 40 chart this week.
Like on Stripped, Aguilera dips into many genres-from dance-pop on “Your Body” and “Make the World Move” (a duet with fellow “Voice” coach Cee Lo Green), piano-driven power ballads (“Sing for Me,” Sia collaboration “Blank Page”) and rock-tinged empowerment anthems (“Army of Me,” “Cease Fire”). The album even opens with a quick sample of M83’s “Midnight City” on the title track, an experimental table-setter where Aguilera resolves to “leave the past behind/Say goodbye to the scared child inside.”
Alex Da Kid, who first teamed with Aguilera for 2010’s “Castle Walls” on T.I.’s No Mercy, worked with Aguilera on several Lotus cuts with songwriter Pillay, many of which were recorded at her home studio. “I’ve worked with big and smaller people, and the more established people can get stuck in their ways and say they’re not open to critique,” Alex Da Kid says. “She definitely had a strong opinion, but she’ll go with the best idea in the room. That’s really rare for someone that’s had so much success.”
With Aguilera more or less based on the West Coast for the entire period leading up to Lotus’ release to finish taping the current season of “The Voice,” that means an aggressive Los Angeles-based promotional schedule during the next few months-with expected stops on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” as well as prominent use of “The Voice” to premiere the video for “Your Body” and a performance during album release week.
“Nobody knows better than Christina that success doesn’t come from simply having the voice, but from believing and trusting in that voice,” “Voice” producer Mark Burnett says. “That knowledge and experience makes her an incredibly nurturing coach, and one who not only challenges her artists, but encourages and inspires them to challenge themselves.”
“I have no time to even watch my own show.
So there’s your answer.”
– On whether she’ll watch Britney Spears on “The X Factor”
“The Voice” is winning the music-competition show race and beating “The X Factor” in the ratings. But as the show shifts into full-year production, the singer confirmed that she would be taking a break for season four, set to air next spring, with Shakira filling in her chair and Usher taking that of Cee Lo Green. She’s anxious to go back out on the road for the first time since 2007’s Back to Basics tour, having canceled 2010’s Bionic tour due in part to poor ticket sales. “It’s been a joy to be a part of other people’s journey, to be able to inspire and be a part of new singers coming up in this business,” she says. “But I was starting to get really worried and concerned that I wouldn’t have the time to go and be an artist again.
“Mark made it very clear that these chairs are always our chairs,” she continues. “He said, ‘I understand the only reason the show’s going to work is if it doesn’t get stale.’ And he totally understood that I needed something to fulfill my creative soul, and said, ‘This chair will always be yours to come back to whenever you do what makes you the best.'”
However long Lotus keeps her away from “The Voice,” it likely won’t be permanent. “I’ll probably be back. I just need to do my thing for a minute, then I can come back and be that much better of a coach. I just need a second to get back to me.”
Billboard spoke with Aguilera — who’s keynoting the Billboard/Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference, to be held Oct. 24-25 — on the eve of a live Twitter Q&A where she officially announced the details around “Lotus.”
“Lotus” is an evocative title for your new album, given the events in your career and personal life during the past two years. What does that name signify to you?
This album represents a celebration of the new me, and to me the lotus has always represented this unbreakable flower that withstands any harsh weather conditions in its surroundings, that withstands time and remains beautiful and strong throughout the years. Once I could start writing my own songs, beginning with Stripped, I tried to infuse as much as I could to promote strength and inspire people with that message. And now I’m at a place at 31, where the last time I felt this way was when I was 21 with Stripped and I had a lot to say and a lot to express.
Some of the songs on Lotus are thematically similar to “Stripped,” too. Was that intentional?
Absolutely. There’s a song called “Army of Me,” which is sort of a “Fighter 2.0.” There is a new generation of fans from a younger demographic that might not have been with me all the way but that watch me on the show now. I feel like every generation should be able to enjoy and have their piece of “Fighter” within. This time, the way it musically came together it just felt right for this time and this generation. There’s always going to be a fighter in me getting through some obstacle and some hurdle.
| Enrique Badulescu Photography Christina Aguilera + Billboard BUY A COPY | SUBSCRIBE | LARGE COVER |
“Lotus” is also a return to putting your vocals front and center in a way that you didn’t always do on Bionic in 2010. What did you learn from that experience?
With Bionic I fully went in there with [the idea], “I’m going to experiment and not be commercial or pop.” I wanted to play with different sounds and textures of my voice while bringing an electronica feel to it because that’s what I was listening to a lot at the time. And it was a blast.
Were you disappointed with how it was received?
I can proudly say it was ahead of its time, to be honest. It wasn’t so commercialized. You had to really be a music lover, be a true fan of music and the love of being open to really appreciate that record. It’s just a special piece in my body of work that will forever live on. The older the record gets the more people will come to appreciate it actually and check it out.
How has your experience with “The Voice” influenced you as a performer?
Seeing all the singers, you really come face to face with a lot of people-my teammates especially this season that you’ll get to know-that are predominantly younger. That’s inspiring, because they come up to you and they’re such big fans and they share with you what song touched them the most and how they had to learn every single ad lib and dissect it. As a vocalist it brought me back to, “Yeah, that’s what I used to do to my Whitney Houston record and my Mariah Carey record and my Etta James record.” It brings you back to a place where it becomes your personal responsibility to infuse the next generation with more information about learning every intricate note. That’s why a song called “Sing for Me” is special song. It’s one of those singer’s songs where if you’re not a vocalist you can’t mess with that song.
“Your Body” marks your first time working with Max Martin, which is surprising to a lot of people given the teen-pop era where you got your start.
[laughs] Max is legendary in the business. He’s known about me but we haven’t crossed paths. I think when I came in you heard his name with Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, Britney Spears — those records were the kind I wanted to stray apart from. If you look at what I did in the past [after my debut], I always try to do things that will challenge me and challenge the listener, too. Could this have worked 10 years ago? I’m not sure. It’s taken us a decade in the same business and watching each other from a distance, so for us to now come together and respect each other’s work ethic and how we like to be heard and making a marriage out of it, I think “Your Body” is the best culmination of that.
You’ve expressed interest in taking a break from “The Voice” in the near future. When might that open your schedule for a tour?
We’re still trying to figure that out. My fans do deserve to see me back out on the road. It’ll be exciting for me. The road is a lot of work. I want to make sure the timing is right and that I’m fully ready to go, otherwise I would have to pull tickets if I’m not feeling it. I want to press the fact that I want to be feeling it before I go out.
Going back to the current season of “The Voice,” what’s been exciting for you so far?
I’m actually very excited about this season in particular. It’s absolutely the most young and full-of-hungry-energy group we’ve had yet-this little next generation of future pop stars. Last year I had a different team as far as different genres, but this year it so happened to come together that they were all pop.
One of your contestants from last season, Chris Mann, will be the first season-two alum to release an album this year. Will you be involved with that project?
Absolutely. He’s working with [Front Line Management Group consultant] Ron Fair, the man who signed me and is still a very, very dear friend of mine. I know he’s in totally safe hands and in great hands musically. Ron Fair really gets it and gets him. One of the songs was sent to me for my participation and I said, hands-down, “yes.” It’s a beautiful song, the way he’s expressing himself on the album-his tone, his richness, his soul. He’s not overdoing it, just coming through strong, clear and rich. I’m very happy for him.
Beyond the technical aspects of executing a melisma, what are some career pointers you’ve been able to hand down to your own artists on “The Voice”?
A lot of these kids are coming from their own kinds of dance and arts schools, which is just like what the Mouseketeers was for obviously me and Britney and Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling-need I say more? We all come from that training camp mentality, but then it was a matter of us to be able to absorb everything, take it all in and now throw it all away. That’s what I’m trying to teach those kids. Everything can’t be so structured, so learned or taught. You guys have an individual self in all of you.
Speaking of Britney, will you be watching “The X Factor”?
[Laughs] I have no time to even watch my own show. So there’s your answer.
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