Sometimes, the things that are unplanned are the most beautiful. Just ask Christina Aguilera, who revealed that one of her most iconic lines was never supposed to be included in her signature hit.
While appearing on the Thursday (July 31) episode of Heart Evenings With Dev Griffin, the pop superstar shared an anecdote about how producer Linda Perry elevated 2002’s “Beautiful” by keeping in a candid moment that Aguilera’s mics picked up while she was in the booth. The subject first came up when host Dev Griffin asked whether it was true Xtina had recorded the ballad — which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2003 — while lying down.
“Lying down? I don’t know if I was coming up or down or whatever,” she replied. “But it was a special moment, because I had somebody else in the booth with me and I was feeling a little bit insecure, which taps into the song and the vulnerability of the moment. And that is where the beginning goes, ‘Don’t look at me.’”
“It was real, and it was raw and authentic in the moment, and Linda kept it in the song,” Aguilera continued. “Which actually embodies it perfectly, because it’s just introducing, like, ‘I’m insecure but trying to look at the positive and optimism of I’m beautiful no matter what.’”
The line in question is said in a muffled whisper at the beginning of “Beautiful,” which appears on her album Stripped. Debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, the LP was responsible for many of Aguilera’s most iconic moments, from the vulnerability on “Beautiful” to the music video for “Drrty.”
Of the visual, Aguilera reflected on the podcast, “It was just outrageous and fun, but it was one of the best times I’ve ever had on a music video.”
“It was just honestly so fun and such a great memory,” she added. “I’d do it all over again and I’m glad I had the balls to do it and wear the f–king chaps. I love seeing it, and I love seeing people dress as the ‘Dirrty’ outfits with the chaps [on Halloween], and all of it, the black and blonde hair. I love seeing people reinvent and have fun with different creative free choices I’ve made. So, it’s a really beautiful thing.”
