Christina Aguilera's Keynote Q&A today (Oct. 25) at the Billboard/Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Conference was as colorful as her two-toned blonde/bright red hair: She dropped some f-bombs, spoke plainly about her career, and even belted out a bit of a classic tune.
"Now everyone is a critic," she said with a smile, on the subject of the tabloid press and online bloggers. "I don't read blogs. It's just God-knows-who in Buttf--- wherever writing hate sh--. You can't take it seriously. I'm sure you've all been hated on at some point by buttf--- people."
"It's real talk today," she said at one point to applause.
Bill Werde, Billboard's Editorial Director, joined the singer on a couch in front of a meeting room full of conference attendees at The W Hotel in Hollywood. "Ooh, cozy with Christina!" the singer joked as Werde moved closer to her on the couch, setting the lively and fun tone.
The five-time Grammy winner, whose Max Martin-produced "Your Body" is currently on Billboard's Hot 100, was reflective when answering questions about her nearly lifelong career in music, film and television.
"Sometimes you just know what you're placed on this earth to do," she said of her early days. "Through my childhood I had sort of a chaotic past and upbringing. Music came as a sort of release and escape. Inevitably, you're going to stray toward that path. I started out as a wedding singer singing at block parties at 6, 7 years old. Then came 'Star Search.' That was my first big break at 7 years old. Ed McMahon couldn't say my name right."
She lost "Star Search" but ended up on "The Mickey Mouse Club" by age 12, the same program that of course helped launch Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Ryan Gosling. "Great casting agent," Aguilera said by way of understatement. "I think his name was Mike Casella." (She's correct).
She talked about auditioning for then-A&R man Ron Fair (now a special consultant at Front Line Management) in his office. The pair are still friends. "Our kids go to the same pre-school," she noted. "I walked into his office and he was like, 'Sing for me.' I whipped out Whitney Houston's "Preacher's Wife" gospel songs. That stayed in his mind."
